1. 12 months is a long time in football as far as Michael Carrick is concerned
THIS TIME LAST year, leaving Michael Carrick out of the England World Cup squad would have seemed unthinkable.
The Manchester United footballer enjoyed arguably his best season ever as a footballer in 2012-13, playing an integral role in the club’s title win, and being shortlisted as a Player of the Year candidate for his fine performances to boot.
However, United and Carrick have struggled to recapture such form this year, and the 32-year-old midfielder has paid the price by only making the standby list for the squad.
That said, Hodgson was clearly never his biggest fan — at Euro 2012, he didn’t even make the standby list, with the England boss telling reporters:
“I wouldn’t dream of putting Michael Carrick on a standby list after he’s made it clear in the past he doesn’t want to be involved like that. I’d have to be convinced he was better than the four [central midfielders] I’ve selected, and that he’d be happy to come out of retirement.”
Seemingly, Carrick has changed his tune since then.
2. Andy Carroll was far less optimistic than the rest of us
Ahead of today’s announcement, many critics were tipping Andy Carroll to make England’s World Cup squad.
Roy Hodgson’s team aren’t exactly blessed with quality strikers, and Carroll’s physically and aerial ability could have served as an important alternative to the speed and skill of the two forwards likely to start — Wayne Rooney and Daniel Sturridge.
However, Hodgson has instead opted for in-form Rickie Lambert and the versatile Danny Welbeck, who also has the ability to drop back into midfield.
And while the coach’s omission of Carroll from the main squad may have surprised some, the big striker himself was clearly less than shocked — he was already on his holidays when Hodgson attempted to ring the star and inform him of the decision.
3. Right-back position England’s biggest weakness
While England look strong in midfield and attack, with four of Liverpool’s front six expected to start, their defence could be exposed by top-quality teams.
Just how hard Hodgson tried to coax John Terry out of retirement is unclear, though he must have had justifiable reservations about the potentially unsettling influence the star would have had on the squad, given his controversial past.
That said, not picking such a talented player for personal reasons seems questionable at best — a centre-back pairing of Cahill/Terry looks immeasurably better than Cahill/Jagielka.
However, it is right-back where the Three Lions look most susceptible, with Kyle Walker out injured and Glen Johnson not entirely reliable when it comes to defending. Hodgson may consequently be tempted to play Chris Smalling, predominantly a centre-half, as a makeshift full-back, especially if Johnson’s poor end-of-season form remains evident in the warm-up matches.
4. Hodgson right to opt for form over experience
There was rigorous debate in the build-up to the squad announcement over whether Hodgson should opt for form or experience when selecting players.
Ultimately, the England boss has chosen to ruthlessly cast aside veteran stars such as Michael Carrick and Ashley Cole.
Moreover, Luke Shaw is just a teenager, while Ross Barkley only turned 20 in December, yet it is hard to argue with their inclusion, given the maturity they have consistently displayed in the Premier League this year.
That said, spending a month away from your comfort zone in the intense climate of Brazil is an altogether different experience to playing in domestic matches, so there is still undoubtedly an element of risk in picking players so young.
5. Squad looks strong enough to progress past the group stages at least
While the England team have too many inexperienced players and defensive vulnerabilities to be considered serious World Cup contenders, their squad looks strong enough to at least get past the group stages.
Italy will provide a tough challenge, but Roy Hodgson’s side have vastly superior players to Costa Rica, and Uruguay are beatable.
The Uruguayans, in particular, seem to have been slightly overrated by critics. In the World Cup qualifiers, they finished behind the likes of Chile and Ecuador, needing to qualify via the play-off route.
Granted, they have two world-class players up front in Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, but elsewhere, the team is conspicuously ordinary.
For instance, their captain, 33-year-old central defender Diego Lugano, has been in and out of the West Brom team this season — surely Sturridge and Rooney will relish playing against him.
