Not only is the England managerial position up in the air for the next month or so (Stuart Pearce as a short-term replacement for Fabio Capello while Harry Redknapp is continuously mooted) but I would imagine nearly every position on the plane is up for grabs (with a few exceptions), here is who I would take to Poland and Ukraine if I was given the chance, I think the F.A. should seriously consider my CV though because my Football Manager prowess is among the best...
In goal there is a sure fire number one in Man City 'keeper Joe Hart, he is definitely one of the exceptions to every position up for grabs because his seat on that plane in my view has been booked already. Not only has he kept Man City in games and won them points on his own, but he's an agile, commanding young goalkeeper who could be England number one for years to come. He has been an ever present in the Man City team this year and so far he has only conceded 16 goals in 26 games, keeping 8 clean sheets and having a save percentage of 78%.
Behind Joe Hart, there are no real candidates who stick out to be England's number two (and three), there could be a toss-up between Rob Green (despite West Ham dropping to the Championship), he is still reliable between the sticks for the Hammers and despite his notorious gaffe in World Cup 2010 remains as one of England's top goalkeepers. A man who has slipped under the radar since his own international mistake is Blackburn stopper Paul Robinson, being behind one of the shakiest defences in the league has to be a tough job but Paul Robinson is handling it with as much dignity as his considerable frame can muster, he will never be England's number one again due to the emergence of Joe Hart but Paul Robinson still has what it takes to be a good replacement international goalkeeper. Despite keeping no clean sheets this season, Paul Robinson has won Blackburn most of their points with reaction saves which have kept his team in games. My choice for number two however would be West Brom goalkeeper Ben Foster. He is currently on loan from Championship team Birmingham but Roy Hodgson will do well to keep hold of foster who has proved to be a very good signing for the Baggies. He has conceded 28 goals in 26 goals which is just over a goal a game but he has also kept 4 clean sheets with a save percentage of 69% which is one of the best of the bottom half of the Premiership.
At left-back I would take Ashley Cole as a starter because he has consistently been at the top of his game since 2003 and is one of the best left-backs in the country. Second choice would probably go to Leighton Baines who would just edge-out the injury-plagued Kieran Gibbs due to his reliability at the back for Everton and his dangerous delivery from set-pieces.
Centre-back is the most troubling spot for England for me due to Rio Ferdinand's dip in form and John Terry's racial allegations trouble and subsequent dip in form, playing them together would be like allowing Hitler to play alongside a Jewish man (e.g. a bit awkward), I'm not sure whether I would take John Terry altogether, I definitely wouldn't give him the captaincy that's for sure. I think the centre-back's I'd go with would be Gary Cahill (despite the tough start he's had to his Chelsea career) I think as long as he settles into Chelsea well, he will be a good starter and a very good signing for them. I would also consider taking Everton centre-back Phil Jagielka who has proved to be a regular and consistent performer at the heart of the Everton defence with his commanding style of play and good reading of the game. I would also take Man United youngsters Chris Smalling and Phil Jones after both have had an excellent start to their Man United careers, give them experience in friendlies and both of them will be ready for the Euros. A man who has really emerged as a good shout for Euro 2012 is Man City defender Joleon Lescott, after doubts over his £24 million price-tag he is now starting to show signs of re-paying the fee after he has thrown together a good partnership and understanding with Vincent Kompany.
The right-back spot is the easiest to choose of who to take, but who would start is a tough-call. Micah Richards has had an excellent season for Man City, even being named as captain in a few games where Vincent Kompany has been unavailable, his explosive style of play, marauding runs forward and solidity at the back would prove vital for England, his versatility is also going to help him due to his ability to play at centre-back too. Kyle Walker from Tottenham has proved to be a revelation this year, after impressing on loan at Aston Villa he has slotted seamlessly into a Tottenham team which has been the best they have produced in recent years, with his pace, power, good defending and excellent delivery it would be a tough call over who to choose to start at right-back but I think Richards would just get the nod. An outside shout for right-back would be former England regular Glen Johnson, questions have been asked about Johnson's ability defensively but he is a rampaging right-back (often right winger) who can be devastating going forward.
England wingers have been much-maligned lately, with their end product often questioned. Ashley Young has been a winger who has consistently produced excellent crosses and delivery from set-pieces, able to play on both wings and good with both feet. After leaving Aston Villa for Manchester United in the summer for a reported £18 million, it was down to Young to deliver on the big stage he had craved for so long, and I think it's safe to say he certainly has with a fruitful first season at Man United boasting 2 goals and 6 assists in 15 games in the Premiership, but it's not just his stats that tell the tale, his overall performances have been very encouraging. The wingers who's product has been much-maligned start with Theo Walcott, the Arsenal winger seems to have all the pace in the world but half the time he failed to deliver a killer ball or instinctive finish, they say football is a game of two halves and that has never been more true in Walcott's case in the North London derby this weekend. Walcott's first-half performance was dire and Arsene Wenger said he was close to bringing him off at half-time, I bet he's double glad he didn't because two goals for Walcott after half-time and an overall more determined performance to prove his doubters wrong left Arsenal on the right side of a 5 - 2 result and the doubters (including myself) somewhat silenced. But Walcott will now have to produce that kind of form consistently to guarantee himself a place in the Euro 2012 squad, with interim England manager Stuart Pearce watching at the weekend, it couldn't have done his chances much harm. A man who arguably should have been involved in the North London derby but wasn't at the weekend is Aaron Lennon. Many Arsenal fans were dreading seeing him on the Spurs bench and many Spurs fans were itching to see the speedster come off the bench and try to rip the shaky Arsenal defence apart with his pace, but to no avail, Lennon stayed sat on the bench and Spurs capitulated to a 5 - 2 loss and didn't really trouble Arsenal in the second half. Liverpool winger Stewart Downing has been a player doubted due to his large, £20 million pound price-tag but there is no doubt that if given the chance he will work hard and his delivery can be the best of a left footer that England have available, the only problem with Downing (like most current England wingers) is consistency, can he pull it off at the highest level and can he do it consistently? The rest of the season will tell, hopefully after his good performance in the Carling Cup final and a Liverpool win will boost his confidence, and in correlation, his England chances. Adam Johnson is another left-footer with the ability to be a danger to opposition defenders with his pace, quick feet and sweet left-foot but he's rarely in Roberto Mancini's starting line-up which is a problem, if you can't get game time for your club, you're not likely to get picked for your country.
England centre-midfielders have been the centre of the so-called 'Golden Age' which we just came out of after the disaster which was World Cup 2010, after that everyone knew change was needed. A definite starter would be Spurs midfielder Scott Parker, his determination, work-rate and passion are a shining example to all footballers. Not only does Scott Parker have the best mindset of most footballers but he is a sound reader of the game and also is technically sound, Tottenham got probably one of the signings of the season after grabbing Parker for probably half his value from relegated West Ham United for a fee of around £3 million. If he was fit for this season I would say Jack Wilshere would be a definite starter too but unfortunately for the 20-year-old playmaker he has been out since August with injury and isn't likely to play this season, however if he did, he would be a definite. Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard are midfielders who have been compared since 2004, questions have been asked; can they play together? do they like playing together? are they too similar? All are irrelevant, both are quality players who have been consistently amazing for their respective clubs and on the amount of money they're on, they should be able to play together and both would go, not necessarily as starters but for the invaluable experience both hold. Gareth Barry has developed into a steady, reliable holding midfielder for Manchester City over this season, striking a good understanding with the beastly unit which is Yaya Toure. But despite being questioned, Gareth Barry has had a very good season for Man City and since World Cup 2010 has become a mainstay in the City and England team. The criticism of Barry during World Cup 2010 was harsh in my opinion, to put so much responsibility on a player who had just come back from injury was a little stupid on Capello's part and he should of been eased into action rather than thrown in. Another Man City midfielder who has a good chance of being on the plane due to his good club form is James Milner. The versatile midfielder has been able to adapt to his role at Man City, he can play on either wings, play-maker or as a defensive midfielder and goes about his job with no fuss with a good reading of the game, determination and good delivery with both feet he has developed into a consistent performer for club and with a bit of outstanding form he could become a consistent performer for country too.
Strikers have been another one of England's problems; who will partner Rooney when he's available? who's scoring goals? who's playing well? The biggest question being asked about the strikers was should Rooney be taken due to his ban, the answer to that question is simply, yes. Wayne Rooney is a quality striker who can change games with his quality on the ball and determination and will to win. If he carries on his form and stays injury-free, Rooney can be a potential tournament winner for England, bearing in mind his tendency to not perform in major international tournaments, but there should be no question marks over Rooney being picked. Many strikers have been mooted to both; a) replace Rooney in his ban and b) partner Rooney when he returns. Two young English strikers that should be allowed the chance, given their form and potential are Danny Welbeck and Dan Sturridge. After impressing on-loan at Bolton Wanderers for the last part of last season, Dan Sturridge then forced his way into the Chelsea set-up and with 11 goals and 5 assists in 26 appearances in all competitions from right-wing (which isn't his favoured position), if he keeps up the form until the end of the season, I would definitely take him to Euro 2012. Danny Welbeck would be my ideal candidate to partner Rooney (upon his return) due to the bond they've forged at Man United, Welbeck is a good young striker who boasts a record of 9 goals in 27 games in all competitions which isn't bad for his first major season in the Premiership, he has been keeping last season's top scorer Dimitar Berbatov out of the Man United team as well which is no easy feat. Peter Crouch is a striker who's England scoring record is outstanding. With his 6 foot 7, lanky frame, he is often a thorn in opposition sides due to his targetman link-up play and ability to be in the right place at the right time. If he has a good season for Stoke, it won't be his goal-scoring which will put him on the plane alone, it will be his ability to cause teams problem's.
My 23-man Squad
Joe Hart
Ben Foster
Paul Robinson
Kyle Walker
Micah Richards
Glen Johnson
Phil Jones
Chris Smalling
Joleon Lescott
Ashley Cole
Leighton Baines
Scott Parker
Steven Gerrard
Frank Lampard
Gareth Barry
Theo Walcott
Ashley Young
James Milner
Aaron Lennon
Wayne Rooney
Danny Welbeck
Dan Sturridge
Peter Crouch
Players who JUST missed out, think of them as reserves : Gary Cahill, Jack Wilshere, Jermaine Defoe, Stewart Downing, Phil Jagielka.
Feel free to comment and leave your own squads and discuss why I'm right/wrong. After all I can't say you're wrong, it is all opinion-based.
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