We hate NEGATIVITY. We like to think England really do have a genuine chance of World Cup glory in South Africa, but as with all pre-tournament build-ups, things seem to be going properly tits-up. And we haven't even had any dreaded metatarsal breaks yet! (*TOUCH WOOD*)
Here are TEN REASONS why we're already just a little bit worried about England on the road to Africa...
1) ASHLEY COLE CROCKED / LEFT-BACK HORROR
Ashley Cole is one of the best full-backs in the world and had been enjoying a superb season for Chelsea. Now he's broken his ankle and is facing a serious race to be fit for the tournament. His understudy Wayne Bridge (a good player, but not in Cole's class) has gone into voluntary exile, leaving us with a choice of soild Premiership full-backs with no international experience (Baines, Warnock) or the risky tactic of deploying others in an unfamiliar position (Milner, Barry, Lescott).
2) JOHN TERRY'S FORM / TEAM SPIRIT ROCKED
Another one of England's true world class stars, Terry's form has been pretty woeful since the Bridgegate revelations and you wonder how detrimental his bed-hopping antics will have been on the rest of the squad. We need Terry back to his calm, inspirational best if England's defence is to rebuild the impenetrable defensive wall of the qualifiers.
3) RIO'S FITNESS AND CALAMITOUS DEFENDING
Four years ago in Germany, Rio established himself as one of the best defenders in the game. Unfortunately, in the few times he's been fit this season, he's made more mistakes than a shit politician.
4) JOE COLE AIN'T WHAT HE WAS
The silky, unpredictable Joe Cole is one of the few England players capable of 'making things happen' (to quote the often-used cliche) and two-three years ago was busting the net for fun. This year, since returning from a serious injury, he's struggling to even make the Chelsea first team let alone the England squad.
5) RIGHT-BACK DILEMMA
Completing a quartet of defensive issues across our entire backline, the right-back position is cause for concern. Glen Johnson (currently injured) pretty much holds the spot and is great marauding up the flanks, but his defensive prowess is suspect. After him, there's Man Utd's injury prone Wes Brown, Micah Richards, who seems to have completely disappeared from the international scene, and 83-year-old Gary Neville.
6) ROONEY BURN-OUT
Let's face it, without a fully fit Rooney, England's World Cup chances are virtually zilcho. Arguably one of the top three best players in the world right now, he's been sensational for Man Utd all year, but there's a nagging fear that he will be completely knackered by the time the World Cup kicks off.
7) GERRARD'S FORM AND FITNESS
Last season Liverpool's Captain Marvel was flying high in the 'top scorer' charts as Liverpool pushed the title race all the way to the wire. This year, niggling injuries have affected his form and his goals-to-game ratio has been poor by his standards. As another of England's true match-winners, Gerrard must get back to his best or our national midfield will be seriously blunted.
8) LENNON'S INJURY
Despite his dodgy eyebrows, Tottenham's winger spent most of the season ripping defences apart with his blistering pace and even weighed in with a few tasty goals. Unfortunately, just as he was becoming an essential part of England's attack, he picks up a nasty injury. Again there are concerns over him being fully fit in time for the finals.
9) LACK OF GENUINE WORLD CLASS STARS
Let's be honest, other than Rooney, Gerrard (inconsistent season), Ashley Cole (injured), Terry (well out of sorts) and Rio (injured AND out of sorts), how many true world class players do England have at their disposal? Lampard, maybe? Defoe? Joe Cole, who's not even getting picked anymore? Compare that to Spain and we'll start developing serious inferiority complexes.
10) THE GOALIE POSER
This really needs no introduction. James was never that great and he's barely played this year anyway, Rob Green seemed to have made the spot his own but has since committed some disastrous errors at club level, and Joe Hart has no international experience and could easily suffer the same sort of confidence crisis that has afflicted other young keepers such as Ben Foster and Scott Carson.
MORE FEATURES
Bookmark this post with: