The England match vs Egypt was interesting in many ways, none more so than seeing Capello's tactics being very 'English'. A variation of 4-4-2 saw Rooney playing deep, Gerrard playing some strange free role and Frank Lampard having more defined defensive duties than he has at Chelsea. I'm sure that all of the players that played last night can cope with these responsibilities..but it is clear that if England play like they did in the first half, that its gonna be a very short World Cup for us.
What baffles me is that with England's personnel its clear that the current United model is the way forward. Rooney as a sole striker, three centrals and two wingers. Did Capello honestly think that playing Roo in the hole with Defoe was a good idea? I cringed when i saw that partnership. If Roo struggles to play with a Berbatov or Owen as a partner, and Defoe couldn't play with Robbie Keane..well its a no brainer really.
Previously i have liked Rooney playing deep, but his current form and record dictate that he is the central striker. Defoe, Crouch et al are all great options in a squad but at the moment its Wazza all the way. England have plenty of options in the wide positions so that wouldn't be a problem in a 4-5-1..Personally i think Walcott blew his chance last night..all pace and nowhere to go. No wonder why he cant nail down a place at Arsenal. With Lampard, Gerrard, and Barry as a central three..and now add Michael Carrick to that possible mix after his sumptuous display in the second half, the formation makes perfect sense..doesn't it?? (note: The Sun gave Carrick a player rating 5 for "a tired display" What utter nonsense. This is why i do not buy newspapers..full of lies)
I have a feeling that if England go to the World Cup with two up top, then we will simply not be able to cope with the better teams of the tournament. We even struggled against an Egypt midfield until Carrick started bossing them. There's no doubt that we should play to Rooney's strengths..and at the moment he is the hottest of hot strikers anywhere in the world.
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