Subject: your england first 11

Englands' squad of 22, pasted from the other thread :

Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Manchester City), David James (Portsmouth), Robert Green (West Ham).

Defenders: Jamie Carragher (Liverpool), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Ledley King (Tottenham), John Terry (Chelsea), Matthew Upson (West Ham), Stephen Warnock (Aston Villa).

Midfielders: Gareth Barry (Manchester City), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham), James Milner (Aston Villa), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City).

Forwards: Peter Crouch (Tottenham), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham), Emile Heskey (Aston Villa), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United).

Who would be in your starting 11 ? Mine would be

Green

A Cole - Ferdinand - Terry - Johnson

Lennon - Carrick - Lampard - Milner

Defoe - Rooney

When you look at this first 11, things don't look so bad - nearly all of them play for the top 4 teams in the Premiership, how many other national teams can boast that ?

Cole, Terry & Lampard all play at league level together, Carrick & Rooney work well at Man Utd, as do Lennon & Defoe at Spurs. Gerrard would miss out as he has injury worries, and I've never really been impressed with him and Lampard in central midfield.

(edited)

Green

Johnson- King- Terry- A. Cole

Lennon- Barry- Lampard- J. Cole

Crouch- Rooney

Gerrard makes too many mistakes in midfield, has been poor for the past 2 years imo.

i dont really rate Carrick as a player.

Milner/ wright phillips/Defoe to be dangerous from the bench

Carragher stricktly Cover for right back and center back

Who's been inexpicably dropped then, Capello could have named 23.

The thing with the 30 to 23 thing is there's a lot of drama for not a great deal.

We have one real injury concern; Barry. If the others stay fit then we won't need to use Warnock/Carrick/Lennon/Upson etc

Anyway, i'd go:

Hart

A Cole - Ferdinand - Terry - G Johnson

Milner - Gerrard - Lampard - J Cole

Rooney - Crouch

I would never change the back 4 unless due to injury and would change Milner/J Cole/Crouch dependant on formation/opponent.

Green

A Cole - Ferdinand - Terry - Johnson

Lennon - Barry - Lampard - Milner

--------Gerrard - Rooney-------------


or

Green

A Cole - Ferdinand - Terry - Johnson

Lennon - Barry - Lampard - J. Cole

--------------- Milner -----------------

--------------- Rooney -----------
(edited)

dont know why you's keep putting johnson at left back

I just copied it from previous posts, didn't care to change it ;-)

I'd have:
Hart
Johnson King Upson A. Cole
Barry
Lennon Lampard J. Cole
Crouch Rooney


Gerrard is past it and Liverpool should sell him.

Milner is a good sub, as is Defoe.

Bear in mind that picking a team is different from picking (what you believe are) the best 11 individuals and hoping it works.

E.g. I'm not sure how many times King and Upson have played together at CB for England, 1 or possibly none?
Are you really advocating testing their understanding in probably our hardest group game...

Hart

Johnson - Terry - Ferdinand - Cole

King

Lennon - Lampard - Gerrard - Cole

Rooney

1 striker doesn't work for England,that was proved in 2006

Psssst! I think you got away with it, no one has noticed that there are 23 players in the England "squad of 22" that you have named...

That was 2006. This is 2010 and it's my England 1st XI; and I've not even said they're allowed to come out to play yet. So there.

My first 11 would be:

Green

Johnson - Ferdinand - Terry - Cole

Lennon - Lampard - Barry - Gerrard
Cole

Rooney

With Cole getting almost a free role to make space and feed Rooney, I think this allows for Lampard and Gerrard to burst through too. Rooney plays better on his own for Man Utd imo.

I am going with:

Hart

.......Johnson King Terry Cole

......................Barry

............Gerrard Lampard

Lennon

............Crouch Rooney

That would be my first 11 if I go with 2 up......although Defoe is in with a shout for Crouch's role. ;)