Capello’s coterie

The big news today (at least in the English press) is Theo Walcott’s exclusion from Fabio Capello’s World Cup squad. I still think he’s probably a better impact substitute than Shaun Wright-Phillips (Aaron Lennon seems to have claimed the starting right midfield berth) but Capello has gone for the experience of Wright-Phillips and probably his habit of scoring goals in an England shirt. Capello also went for experience in picking Joe Cole over Adam Johnson for a possible left-midfield berth or, more likely, coming off the bench. Cole was one of the few players to acquit himself in the friendly against Japan and has played his way into the team. The same cannot be said for Tom Huddlestone, who was part of a horrible first half against Japan and lost his place to Michael Carrick, who isn’t much better in my mind but does have more big-game experience in his time with Man Poo. He isn’t too likely to feature if Gareth Barry recovers from his ankle injury, as is expected. It is a little disappointing that just like in the last two World Cups, there is an injured English player going to the World Cup even if Barry isn’t in the same talismanic league as Beckham in 2002 or Rooney in 2006.

The best names on a final World Cup squad probably belong to the hosts South Africa. It would have been even more awesome if Innocent Mdedle had made the squad. Will South Africa have a tragic first round as indicated by the inclusion of MacBeth [Sibaya]? Or will they spring a Surprise [Moriri] and win their group, caning France and Mexico along the way like they did Guatemala yesterday? More seriously, all-time top scorer Benni McCarthy has been left out of the squad, probably because he’s fat.

In other friendly news (yes, I gave up the friendly puns, aren’t you happy, Pastor?), Australia beat Denmark 1-0 earlier today and in about an hour, Cameroon take on Portugal and the Netherlands play Ghana. Both matches actually look like they could be interesting contests, even if they are warm-up games. I am especially curious to see how the African teams progress. I really want an African team in the semifinals; Cameroon look the strongest at the moment. (I’m unceremoniously abandoning the Algerians, they should have never trusted me.) Also curious to see if the portents of doom regarding Portugal are justified.

I never thought I’d say this, but Pastor I miss you. Come back and make me feel stupid again. It is my lot in life, and I am learning to accept it.

Group C: Capello’s comeuppance

We’ve already talked extensively about England so I only have a bit more to add. The final 23 still hasn’t been announced and Capello has given Gareth Barry even more time to recover, indicative of how important Capello feels Barry is to his plans. A school of thought definitely has been vocally suggesting that Gerrard should play through the middle behind Rooney like he does for Liverpool with Fernando Torres. It certainly is true that during the second half against Mexico when Gerrard moved in from the left, he linked up with Rooney dangerously a few times. Lampard should be used to playing slightly to the left of midfield from his exploits with Chelsea, with Barry or Huddlestone shielding the defense. In the latter stages of a match, impact subs like Defoe/Crouch, Lennon/Walcott (depending on who starts), and A. Johnson/J. Cole (depending on who makes the team) could return the team to a more familiar 4-4-2.

England should win this group but it is rare that England do what they’re supposed to do. Even when they do, they don’t make it easy. The English press doesn’t help either, and players capable of ruling the world with their clubs all of a sudden look like schoolboys playing their first big match as soon as they don an England shirt. This is exactly what teams like Slovenia, USA and Algeria will be seeking. The big European teams don’t fear England any more but they are still a big scalp for smaller teams like the ones England will be facing. They especially have to watch out for Algeria. I’m going to go out on this very rickety looking limb here and say that Algeria will be the first African team to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup (of course, if they lose to Ireland in the friendly tomorrow, my rickety limb will come crashing down early). They remind me a bit of Turkey in 2002. Technically proficient and very passionate, they have a lot of players that are based in France (obviously) and some that even played for French national youth and under-21 teams. Their weaknesses will be a lack of discipline and possibly a paucity of goals, although I think their midfield is capable of making up for that. Slovenia beat Guus Hiddink’s Russia to make the World Cup but I don’t think they are capable of coming through the first round. They are organized and they won’t be easy to beat so they should not be underestimated but I don’t see them scoring a lot.

Finally, the Americans will be looking to once again make their mark on world football. They’ve had their flashes of success but their coach has used a lot of players in qualifying and I don’t see the team playing as a solid unit. Still, their inconsistency makes them hard to predict. They are organized, capable of a good possession game and are a danger from set-pieces (something England will definitely have to watch out for in that first game). Landon Donovan had a good cameo at Everton earlier in the season, but I fear that the Americans depend too much on him.

I see England winning the group but suffering a draw against Algeria. USA and Slovenia could be a draw but I think the US might win this game but will still finish third behind Algeria. Like you said, Pastor, England could possibly avoid big names until the semifinals but if Germany have a hiccup in their group, they could face them in the second round. Even then, a Ghana or Serbia won’t be a pushover.

I leave you with this from Wikipedia.