World Cup Football: Can England Win The Competition? - By: Allan Michael Taylor

Although the announcement of England's World Cup squad was handled appallingly badly, there were few surprises in the make-up of the final twenty three players chosen. Well, ok, perhaps there was one.

Arsenal winger - and scorer of a hat trick against Croatia in the qualifying campaign - Theo Walcott was left out. His place went to Manchester City wide man Shaun Wright-Phillips.

And herein lies the problem for the hopeful supporters of the England football team. After the starting XI, there is a distinct drop in quality among the rest of the squad. Wright-Phillips doesn't even get a lot of game time for his club side and has shown time after time that he is not up to the standards required to play football at international level.

So, the question still is: can England win the 2010 World Cup Final?

Certainly, in centre backs Rio Ferdinand and John Terry, midfielders Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard and, most particularly, centre forward Wayne Rooney - England do have some top class footballers. These are the type of players that pretty much any of the highest ranked 6 or seven footballing nations on the planet would pay good money to have in their team.

Unfortunately, good players don't necessarily make up a good team. It requires more than just that and England have proved time and again that they are missing that certain vital ingredient that will turn them into world beaters at the World Cup Final in South Africa.

The last two international friendlies against Mexico and Japan have shown them to be indecisive in possession and nervy when they don't have the ball. The result of this has been frustration among the most skillful of the squad, leading to tactical ill-discipline and stupid mistakes. Despite this, however, England were victorious in both games and on the attack, they always look likely to score.

Rooney, Lampard, Gerrard, even Aaron Lennon or Peter Crouch are all capable of scoring at internationl level. It is this ability to win even when playing below par that will see England easily into the knockout stages of the World Cup. Unfortunately, when they come up against better teams - Brazil, say, or Spain - their lack of composure will result in England being knocked out.

It pains me to say it, but England are not going to win the 2010 World Cup soccer competition. I'd love to be proved wrong especially as the Final falls on my birthday and that would be the perfect birthday gift, but I don't think I will be.

About the Author

Matt Greene suggests finding all your World Cup 2010 news at World Cup Now and recommends that - if England fail to win the Final - you go to FindMeAGift.com to find birthday gifts to make him smile.

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