England Squad Part 2

With the goalkeepers and defence selected here are my midfield and strikers.

Midfield
For me Gerrard is the first name on the team sheet when fit. It’s a choice between him and Lampard but for me it’s Gerrard for two main reasons. The first is that the captain’s armband makes him a better person and second is that he can pull something out of nowhere. Lampard would be his back up. Alongside those you’d need some more defence minded players. My pick would Parker if fit and the Barry as a backup. Both have had great seasons, neither have really cut it internationally but there isn’t another Englishman who has that can realistically be selected. Scholes showed against Man City why any recall has come too late in his career now and Carrick has had his chances. Out wide I would look a mixture of pace, quality delivery and the option to have a more defence minded midfield. Taking that into consideration I would select Young for pace and delivery, Milner for delivery and his defensive side, Walcott for raw pace and a striking option and finally Adam Johnson who has an extra spark about him. Lennon could have gone in instead of Walcott but he has had injury issues this season and doesn’t offer the goal scoring option up front that Walcott can. Oxlade-Chamberlin is raw and has pace and had a great game against Milan but he has still disappeared in many games (like Arsenal’s seemingly must win game against Norwich recently). Blooding him in the Olympics would be a better option this summer. Downing with zero gaols and assists isn’t really an option and Premier League debutant Pilkington’s 8 goals and ability to cross well with both feet would make him a good backup (and he is still under 25), Scott Sinclair would be another on the fringes.

Strikers
Despite a lack of competition goals at international level Rooney would still need to go, that lack of goal scorers means he is a gamble that must be taken. Crouch would be second on the list, his goal rate for England is exceptional and he’s had another solid season this year at yet another club, he seems to score where ever he goes. His goal against Man City is another example of how underrated he is. After that it is a little harder. Sturridge started the season well but has since been played out wide where his goals and contribution have dried up. Welbeck gets plenty of chances at Man United but his goal tally is poor in comparison. At teams like Chelsea and Man United these players need to be hitting 18+ league goals, Welbeck hasn’t been moved out of position and has less of an excuse. Carroll has had about 3 good games in 12 months, simply not good enough. Defoe is an option, a lack of first team football hasn’t stopped him coming off the bench and picking up a few goals making him a useful sub. Personally my preference would be at least one of the less fashionable strikers. Scoring goals at mid-table teams is harder which is why I would be going for Holt or Graham. Graham is slightly younger but Holt has more goals and suits England’s style more. Bent isn’t an option; he’s been out for too long and didn’t even make the bench on the last day of the season. My 4 would be Rooney, Crouch, Defoe and Holt with Sturridge as a reserve.

Squad
Hart, Ruddy, Forster
Cole, Baines, Terry, Cahill, Jagielka, Jones, Walker, Johnson
Gerrard, Lampard, Parker, Barry, Milner, Walcott, Young, Johnson
Rooney, Crouch, Defoe, Holt