Enough of Rooney, who will England take?
Posted by DavidM in Aaron Lennon, England, Joe Cole, Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney, World Cup | 3 May 2006
It now seems likely that Rooney is not going to the World Cup - a big blow for England. But let's not go on about it any more (even if FIFA may let him join at the last minute). What's important is who goes instead?
At Welcome to the Ball Game, Maverick suggests 3 alternatives:
- 4-4-1-1 formation with Joe Cole slotted in just behind Owen (assumes he's fit)
- 4-3-3 with Cole, Owen and Lennon as the attacking options
- 4-1-4-1 with Owen alone up front.
All three formations rely on Owen as the sole striker.
We don't have an abundance of fit, prolific strikers at international level. It seems likely that Sven will take 4 strikers, and I think the most likely squad members are;
- Owen - proven goalscorer at international level but coming back to fitness. Small and pacy.
- Bent - Had a good season and been in the squad before, but not proven at this level
- Defoe - a recent favourite of many but is he ready for the World Cup? Small and pacy and troublesome for defenders
- Crouch - the only tall, holding player. Not a proven scorer but can set them up and give the team time.
Defoe and Bent are inexperienced at this level but have a real opportunity to ignite the world stage. If they turn in performances like their best this season, they could give England real options.
Beyond Germany we need to develop a much better pipeline of strikers and ensure they have experience at this level.
Comments
Hmmm.
What about 4-4-2, with crouch and owen up front (and defoe on the bench)? With Eriksson, I dont think you can expect a 4-1-4-1 or 4-4-1-1 style, plus Owen may not be fit enough to handle that sort of a workload.
I agree Ahmed, that's what I didn't like about the 3 formations.
At his best Owen could have been the sole striker, but he'll be more effective now as part of a partnership.
Crouch is the obvious choice as they are very different and complementary. However, Spurs have shown that 2 small pacy front men can be effective, so I wonder about Owen and Defoe.
Defoe can pull the defence around more leaving Owen as the key poacher.
