England: Who should Fabio choose as his No 1 for South Africa?
In less than 100 days the greatest show on earth kicks off in South Africa but England manager Fabio Capello still has major issues to resolve before he finalises on his squad who will be given the task of bringing the World Cup home. Who will fill the left-back role if Ashley Cole fails to recover from his ankle injury in time? Who will he take as cover for the central defensive pairing of John Terry and Rio Ferdinand? And just who will he trust to take the gloves in goal?
Twelve months ago it looked as though Portsmouth’s David James was a shoe-in for the job. But the former Liverpool and Aston Villa man hasn’t played for England in 11 months due to injuries and Portsmouth are a team on the slide. However, the likes of Ben Foster, Scott Carson and Chris Kirkland, who were all tipped for a glittering career as England number one have fallen by the wayside, so who will be Fabio’s first choice goalkeeper for the World Cup?
David James
The Portsmouth shot stopper has won 49 international caps and has bags of experience. Capello obviously rates him highly as he chose James for his first 13 games in charge but injuries have since limited his chances and the no-nonsense Italian has warned players they must be 100 per cent fit in order to book their place on the plane to South Africa.
James may be in his 40th year but he remains as agile as a cat and a formidable presence in goal. He has a good pair of hands and is strong in the air but James is still prone to the odd howler. If James is fit I don’t see any reason why he won’t board that plane but Portsmouth’s awful plight this season may affect his chances of being handed the number one shirt.
Joe Hart
Birmingham City’s on-loan keeper has enjoyed a phenomenal season at St Andrews and fully deserves his chance to show what he can do in between the sticks for England. The Shrewsbury-born 22-year-old has kept 11 clean sheets for the Blues so far and has played a massive role in Birmingham’s climb up the table. Hart makes himself a huge target to beat, is sharp on his feet, has great positional awareness and is willing to throw any part of his body at the ball to prevent a goal. He also strikes me as a lucky goalkeeper, which should please the management following their recent record of howlers from the likes of Carson and Robinson.
Hart is full of confidence following Birmingham’s fantastic season and I don’t think he would be fazed by playing alongside Terry, Ferdinand and co.
Robert Green
The West Ham United ace is starting to show some form just when it matters most. Green has kept five clean sheets in the past 10 outings for the Hammers and Gianfranco Zola will be hoping the former Norwich man can continue to shut out opponents and see the east London club climb away from the drop zone.
Green made history last October against Ukraine when he become the first England goalkeeper to be red carded in a game but his dismissal and the subsequent defeat didn’t affect Fabio’s World Cup hopes as they had already qualified.
The 30-year-old has nine England caps but many fans believe he should have won a lot more. Green is a good shot stopper, especially at penalties, has sharp reactions and commands his area well. However, like James, he is prone to the odd cock-up and sometimes lacks a bit of concentration.
Paul Robinson
Many thought that Robinson’s international career was over but Blackburn Rovers boss Sam Allardyce claims that his number one deserves a recall to the international set-up. The former Spurs ace has kept nine clean sheets for the Rovers this season, has put in some impressive performances and is looking more like the player he was four or five years ago.
Everyone remembers his errors against Croatia and Germany though and they will live with him forever but he has 41 caps to his name, played on the grandest stage of them all before and has a lot to prove. He may not be the greatest when it comes to crosses but he has matured an awful lot in the past two years. I don’t think he’ll suddenly spring into Capello’s first team plans but he could well be an outside bet for a squad place.
Ben Foster
The Manchester United man has fallen out of favour with Sir Alex at Old Trafford and has all but kissed his World Cup dreams goodbye. The 26-year-old has won four England caps and is tipped to be a future number one but unless something terrible happens to Van der Sar and Kusczcak between now and the end of the season Foster will be watching the tournament on the telly like the rest of us.
Scott Carson
At fault for Croatia’s first on that miserable rain-soaked night at Wembley two and a half years ago, Carson needs a miracle to be in the England reckoning. The West Bromwich Albion number 19 has kept 10 clean sheets this season in the Championship as the Baggies aim to bounce back to the Premier League at the first time of asking but it is a huge jump for the Championship to World Cup football. At just 24, Carson still has time to establish himself as England’s main keeper, but, like the rest of them, he needs to cut out the stupid mistakes.
Chris Kirkland
Big, strong and agile, Kirkland is a decent goalkeeper but his poor run of injuries looks like hampering his international career. He’s kept just four clean sheets this season and has featured only once for England.
Personally I would give the number one jersey to Joe Hart. He is in fabulous form, brimming with confidence and would only get better playing behind the likes of Terry and Ferdinand. It may be a risk throwing a 23-year-old into such a high-pressured situation like a World Cup but if you’re good enough, you’re old enough, and Hart has certainly demonstrated his abilities this season. David James would be my main understudy as his experience and character would be invaluable around the camp and my third spot would go to Robert Green, although I wouldn’t be surprised if Paul Robinson did make a late bid for a recall.
· Calling all England fans. Who would you like to see in goal for England at the World Cup this summer? Does James fill you with confidence? Would you like to see Hart given a chance to shine or do you think Green deserves the gloves? And what would you think of recalling Robinson back to the squad? Whatever your view I’d love to hear from you.
