Svens Boys Will Not Win This World Cup

The starting eleven players (when fit) for England are amongst the most talented footballers in Europe, if not the world. So why is it when it comes to the finals of the major tournaments that the English always seem to fail? Sven Goran Eriksson has moulded together a decent squad over the past few years so England are not short of options in most positions. With the manager's tendency to stay loyal to individual players, irrespective of form, it is unlikely the opposition will face any surprises in the English team selections during the World Cup.

There are certain issues within the English setup which could be critical to preventing Sven's boys from winning the World Cup this summer. One of the main problems with England's recent record of poor performances in the latter stages of both World Cups and European Championships can be traced to one specific issue: Complacency.

With Eriksson, most of the established English players know they are assured of their place irrespective of how badly they playing. A case in point is captain, David Beckham. At the recent European Championships in Portugal, Beckham found himself in a wretched run of form and struggling for full fitness. His normal pin-point accurate crosses and long range passing were non-existent. Still, despite these failings, Sven persisted with him and as a result his and England's midfield performances suffered.

Lack of serious competition for places within the starting eleven of any team, breeds complacency. There is currently no incentive for the established players within the majority of the English starting eleven to improve their individual performances, should they play particularly badly during a game. Sven has been so loyal to the likes of Rio Ferdinand and Micheal Owen that even at this stage of the season, I feel they are assured of their starting positions despite poor form and long-term injury. How must the likes of Jermain Defoe, Darren Bent and even Peter Crouch feel knowing that no matter what they do between here and the World Cup, that Owen will more than likely start, irrespective of his form or fitness?


The Left Side Dilemma
As the World Cup looms England currently have no fully fit, out-and-out left back within their ranks. Arsenal's Ashley cole is still struggling with injury, Fulham's Wayne Bridge likewise. So a right-footed, central defender, Liverpool's Jamie Carragher, looks the best option. Coupled with that, England also have no naturally left sided midfielder (excluding Middlesborough's Stuart Downing) so again, a right-footed midfielder, Chelsea's Joe Cole, may well be asked to fill the void. This all means that England have no naturally left footed player on the left hand side of the pitch.


Lampard and / or Gerrard
Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard are two very talented but similar players in the same English midfield. Eriksson has no specialist 'holding' type player that can sit in front of the defence and break up opposition attacks. For example, someone in the mould of Claude Makelele at Chelsea. Playing both Lampard and Gerrard doesn't suit England when they have to defend for long periods. Both players are devastating on the counter attack, but neither have the discipline to maintain a holding role for a full 90 minutes.

Probable English Team v Paraguay in their opening World Cup encounter:
1. Paul Robinson 2. Gary Neville 3. Jamie Carragher 4. John Terry 5. Rio Ferdinand 6. Steven Gerrard. 7. David Beckham 8. Frank Lamaprd 9. Joe Cole 10. Wayne Rooney 11. Michael Owen