Okay so we qualified with ease, got Gerrard and Lampard playing together and tonked Croatia Home and Away. We turned the corner, we made the game look easy and we got pride back in our Three Lions. Yet we have been there before - Sven was a master of Qualification and yet always came up short in the big moments (v Brazil (02), v France & Portugal (04), v Portugal and Walcott (06)). Now is the time for Capello to earn his crust - even before we get to South Africa. The squad selections are the first indication of Capello's direction and confidence in his players and his team.

There are a number of dead-certs in the squad but putting down 30 names is a tough exercise - and if Capello is true to his word then players that are not in form will not be considered.

thebeautifulgame's 30

Keeper

David James - Rob Green - Joe Hart

Defence

Rio Ferdinand - John Terry - Glen Johnson - Ashley Cole - Ledley King - Matthew Upson - Michael Dawson - Gary Neville - Leighton Baines - Jamie Carragher

Midfield

Frank Lampard - Steven Gerrard - Theo Walcott - Aaron Lennon - Adam Johnson - Gareth Barry - James Milner - Scott Parker - Michael Carrick - Ashley Young - Joe Cole

Strikers

Wayne Rooney - Peter Crouch - Emile Heskey - Jermain Defoe - Bobby Zamora - Darren Bent

There are a few names in there that will cause an eyebrow or two to be raised - most notably Gary Neville, Joe Cole and my man Bobby Z. Right back is a surprisingly tough position to fill, and provide cover and with Wes Brown hopefully being over-looked for Jamie Carragher as 'utility man' I think Fabio will want to look at Gary Neville. Bags of experience and has been up there as the best right back in the Premier League for the 2nd half of the season - will probably not make the cut but potentially Neville is a stronger option than Carragher for Capello as he does pose a threat with his deep delivery, and Capello's puts so much on his full-backs to give the side the width and movement in midfield.

On Joe Cole - although he has not played much for Chelsea he is a top, top player who has performed for England at a World Cup. A few weeks of intense confidence building and team unity could mould Cole back into a key figure for England and with Barry's injury problem it could be that what England really need is a player to rove in from the left if Lampard and Gerrard pair up again in the middle (probably more likely than Carrick or Parker starting). I would love to have Joe Cole around the squad, even if just for the option of needing a goal in the latter stages when a player with his vision can make the difference.

For Zamora - I have been a passionate supporter all season - and hope that he plays in the final for Fulham and is fit enough for a call up. He has had an outstanding season and is a real handful - he also has that unknown quality, similar to Adam Johnson that I feel should be part of any World Cup squad, it gives an extra dimension to the squad and both have had great seasons. He deserves a chance in the warm-up matches and if he takes it, and is fit, then he should go as the fifth stiker. Darren Bent will be in the 30 but he has had chances for England before and not taken them so if Bobby Zamora gets the nod ahead of him then I will not shed a tear.

Come on Fabio - do me proud and match my 30, then we shall see about a final 23

 

There I was on saturday evening away from ESPN, and away from the Hull City v Arsenal match. I knew it was 1-1 and was constantly checking out BBC Sport on the Blackberry to see if Bendtner had scored me some Fantasy League points. It got to 88 minutes, still 1-1 and then my mind wandered and I thought about the wider context of the title race - if it was United then they would score, they just would.

However, the little faith I had in the Gooners to break down 10-man Hull meant that I did not check back to see if the score had changed, assuming that as usual all Arsenal players would stay true to their religion of not scoring, or even shooting from outside the box (I was startled to read last week about the Arsenal's warm up and the squad's favourite 'Never shoot if a pass is on' routine). As I watched MOTD on the Sunday morning, I was already congratulating myself on my decision and feeling that Arsenal were going to keep wasting chances no matter how much football they played against the tiring legs of Hull City.

Yet in the 93rd minute up pops Denilson to unleash from 30 yards, get a dodgy rebound and a very tidy finish by young Bendtner ensured that Arsenal walked away with the 3 points and left Hull feeling mugged after working their nuts off. This is real title form, being away from home and getting frustrated by a very average team yet still finding the goal you need to walk away with the points. Well done Arsene -for doing a United - and well done Denilson for having a pop.

Looking at the run-ins from the 3 top teams it seems that the real chance of a remarkable double comeback is on. Remember when Arsenal were destroyed by United and Chelsea at home, 11 points off the top spot. Now it is a real three horse race and with United having to play Chelsea and Liverpool it bodes to be a very interesting few weeks.

In fact, the team who comes out on top could well be the team who gets knocked out of the Champions League first - so Arsene might bizarrely be cheering on Carlo and the boys at the Bridge tomorrow night.

One thing we can be sure of is that this race will go down to the wire - United look in great form at the moment and if Rooney can keep it up then that should be enough for Sir Alex, and Chelsea seem to have their power back and have moved on from Terry-gate - but I think Arsenal could sneak it - especially if they keep the faith to shoot, the faith to grind out wins and Bendtner has more Porto's than Burnleys.

8 games to go (9 for Chelsea), the tightest race in Premier League history? I love football.

I just don't get it? Okay he has had a shocking time in his personal life, but it feels like the media are trying to make him feel better about everything by stating that it is leaving England's World Cup plans in ruin. Bridge always has, and always will be, a very average player - a solid one but still very average. Looking at the current state of play I am delighted that he has come out and confirmed he does not want to be part of party down in Bafokeng. That gives chance for Capello to look at players who can offer a bit more in that position.

It is a given that Ashley Cole is the best Left Back in England - he is in with a great shout of being the best in the World - and he rightly has the #3 shirt. However, given his ankle injury it will now be really interesting to see who Capello picks for next weeks match against Egypt and to go as Cole's understudy in the Summer (assuming Ashley makes the plane).

If I had to pick the team today I would look no further than Everton's Leighton Baines. He has been tremendous all season and seems to be getting better and better. He has pace and a great left peg giving England great delivery for the new Les Ferdinand (Wayne Rooney's new found heading ability) and an option for free-kicks on the right of the penalty box, and given it is a World Cup, he can also take a good penalty. However, what I like most about him is his defensive qualities and I can't remember any game this season when he has been seriously caught out by anyone. I would have him start next week.

However, I also think that Stephen Warnock will get a chance. Capello has had a couple of looks at him and think it is between these two and unfortunately Lescott. 

I hope Baines gets 90 minutes at Wembley to show his potential and then maybe the media can leave Wayne Bridge alone and start worrying about Glen Johnson again and talking about Baines as the perfect option to replace Ashley Cole - and of England's new Number 10, Bobby Zamora.

We shall see on Wednesday.

 

 

 

 

 

I have been lucky enough to see great players playing football. I have seen Cantona, Gazza, Zidane, Ronaldinho, Messi, Henry, Beckham, Rooney but I have never felt that I have seen a true legend walk onto the park. You hear stories of fans that saw Maradona at Napoli or Pele for A Seleção - even if just on the TV.

Looking ahead to 2010 there seems to be potential for a name to be added to the level of Maradona or Pele. We have to be talking about someone who is able to take the game to another level where he alone can play. I think that the original Ronaldo was a fantastic player and had he not had the bad luck of injuries and the bizarre end to FIFA '98 then he could be the one that is the player who of my generation is the one. For me Japan / South Korea in 2002 was a poor World Cup in terms of standard.

However, for me it is his namesake Cristiano who has the potential to tear up the future of the game. CR9 is in my eyes the most modern footballer on the planet - he has the power and the athleticism to match his ball skills and footwork. Okay he is arrogant as hell but I doubt if there is anyone who does not have that as a characteristic for either Pele or Maradona. People love to see him play and I doubt if anybody would name a World XI and not have Cristiano Ronaldo in the team.

If football clubs were able to genetically modify their youth teams then I think Cristiano Ronaldo would be the template.

Obviously World Cups are the greatest stage, and the one that made the names of Maradona and Pele into legends - both good and bad - but absolute legends none the less. To date CR9 has not quite delivered on the International stage at a major tournament. He came close in UEFA EURO 2004 and 2008, and again in Germany 2006, but his form over the past two years for Manchester United and now for Real Madrid have seen him move his game to a whole new level.

To watch La Liga now it sometimes looks as though Cristiano Ronaldo is the big kid in the playground - the one that the defenders can't cope with and look scared of. He is able to win games on his own. If he can stay fit and focused he will be a real threat in South Africa and I think the fact that he and Portugal have been drawn in the 'Group of Death' will only help him step up and lift his team. In qualification he was subdued - he did not even score - but I am sure the fanfare of the FIFA World Cup  and playing Brazil and Ivory Coast in the Group Stages will bring the best out of him and maybe in July I wont be the only one listing Cristiano Ronaldo alongside Pele and Maradona.

Then it is just a matter of getting out to Madrid to watch a game.

 

 

 

 

Where is the world of football headed? It's a new year and a new decade and I am fascinated to see what developments there will be in the game.

What if....

The money pouring into the game through TV revenue and new club ownership continued to grow - not just in England - alongside the money pouring out of the game in player wages and agent fees and both became more and more erratic and unstable. Massive institutions like Manchester United are already in the process of relieving their huge borrowed debt by issuing bonds to achieve a lower interest rate - it is pretty scary stuff and the future of football could see some extreme results.

Potentially we could get to a point where multiple clubs collapse mid-season - not just fall into administration, but totally collapse - be shut down and games and points earnt during the season become null and void. The domestic league becomes more and more of a reserve league to support the evolved FIFA Champions League (like the UEFA Champions League but a global version) and the World Cup would become a sideshow much as the Carling Cup is today.

The best clubs in the world would evolve alongside the competition they play in. They would have massive squads and have a squad network spread out across the globe. There would be a Chelsea in Johannesburg and one in Shanghai and players would rotate between the regional squads of the super clubs - probably about 20 globally. The smaller clubs would be bought up and you would find Fulham, Brighton, Charlton, Crystal Palace and Gillingham acting as the reserve teams and youth teams of Chelsea -  their sole purpose to maintain the squad of the new Chelsea with zero ambition or infrastructure to be anything more.

With the lack of stability and massive amounts of money involved in the new global FIFA Champions League football players would become more like mercenaries or free-lancers who could change teams on a monthly or weekly basis just based on who would pay the most. Fans would no longer support clubs but follow these players and be more interested and excited by the individual performances and skills than the result of the game. The majority of fans would only watch highlight packages subscribed to and streamed on YouTube than tune in to the live games but when they do download or stream the 'live' game there are differences to how 90 minutes play out now.

We could have multiple substitutions for specialised tactics. Players would be able to play till 50 as they could have one and only role in the team - the penalty taker, the long throw in, the corner taker etc. Each time he came on the pitch he would carry his own brand sponsorship and once his role was complete he would return back to the bench. Technology would ensure all aspects of the game are fair and tight. Digital replays and referees with A-class celebrity status would run proceedings. There will be commercial breaks built around the additional digital replays and substitutions.

Players themselves will also evolve as the physical capacity of the football player is taken to the next level. The average height of a FIFA Champions League player would be 6ft9" and most could do 100m in under ten seconds. The game would be the pinnacle of physicality and young players will be genetically tested by the age of 6 to see if they have the physical potential to reach the top of the game. The other fascinating evolution will be the emergence of a number of Chinese superstars who dominate the game and the commercial success to a much higher level than David Beckham does today.

Who knows what will happen, we might not see the end of football - but I certainly feel that there is an evolution on the way, we shall see if there will be a time when we have a global Chelsea FC - I hope not

 When I decided that this was going to be my final post of the year I thought it would be an easy thing to pull together - just sit down and think of the best bits over the past few seasons. However, I soon had a list of about 25 - and that was just an initial thought. A few days deliberating and I have come to think of the below as my key highlights and Cristiano Ronaldo does not even get a mention!

  1&2: The Gerrard Finals (UEFA Champions League Final 2005 & FA Cup Final 2006)

  I think that these two would be on most peoples lists. Hopefully Gerrard will have one of these matches on the International stage next summer. But in Istanbul in 2005 and in Cardiff in 2006 Gerrard was simply immense. Both matches were brilliant to watch and I distinctly remember both games and how the momentum swung so dramatically. They are two of the best Finals I have ever seen - and on both occasions you could feel the Liverpool skipper grab hold of the games in the second half determined that he would get his hands on the trophies - incredible.

  3: Jose Mourinho (Chelsea 2004-2007)

  From nowhere to beating United at Old Trafford, lifting the UEFA Champions League with Porto and then machine like victory with Chelsea. He was a breath of fresh air to the English game - his charm, passion, confidence and ability meant he became a housewife's favourite and the 'special one' became talk of many a pub table and he delivered trophy after trophy for Chelsea. I hope he comes back to the English game soon, its not the same without Jose around.

  4: Fat Ronaldo (2002 FIFA World Cup)

  I remember being in a bookmakers before this tournament started and looking at the top scorer / champions doubles and I opted for Christian Vieri and Italy at 10/1. A little down the list was Ronaldo and Brazil at 20/1 - at the time it seemed like short odds considering how his career had dipped since the 1998 FIFA World Cup Final and how not much was expected of those in yellow and blue. What followed was a bizarre haircut, the comeback of the toothy grin and the instinct that saw him walk away with the Golden Boot and the winning goals in the Final. Fair play Ronnie.

   
5: The Untouchables (Arsenal Premier League Champions 2003/2004)

  When Wenger gets it right he really gets it right. I have been lucky to watch the Gunners on a few occasions over the past few seasons and every time have been blown away by the way they play football. In the 2003/2004 season they were quite literally untouchable and went the whole season undefeated. Looking at the team they had, and the style they played it was even more poetic that they lifted the title. It really was what the beautiful game is all about.

So the rumour mill is in full swing. Liverpool are in crisis - we all know that - especially after the terrible performance on saturday that saw Liverpool lose their 7th game of the season to bottom of the league Portsmouth and now sit an incredible 14 points from Chelsea at the top of the English Premier League. One of the main issues this season for Rafa has been the injuries to his two star players. El Nino and Stevie G.

Now the injury to Gerrard could actually become a crisis as it seems that Gerrard needs an operation to rectify his groin that has cut back his usual ability to make the difference for the Reds week in week out. Obviously, Gerrard now has the FIFA World Cup in his sights (if he can get beyond Europa League victory) and wants to get the operation in now so that he can get it sorted and be fully fit for the match on June 12th in Rustenburg against the USA. To me that makes perfect sense - mind you I am an England supporter.

However, Rafa must be sensing the chop from up above. With Mark Hughes not doing enough at City  after losing just 2 Premier League matches and getting the club to its first semi-final in 28 years he must really be feeling the heat - and thinking his American bosses might also get the trigger finger. The last thing he needs is Gerrard to take two months out and face the prospect of a midfield of Lucas, Dossena, Spearing and  Benayoun. With or without Torres, it will be tough to cope with no Gerrard, Mascherano (always suspended) and Darren Anderton...sorry Alberto Aquilani.

With the developments at Eastlands, there must be an increase in pressure on club owners. In a world where commercial success is changing the requirements and expectations of club supporters - never has the term glory hunter been more relevant - the stakes are much higher for a manager, and it seems that they are even higher for the owners who now demand instant success. I read something interesting this morning by Mark Bright who posed the question of how long away are we from players being sacked for giving a series of poor performances?

It is clear that boards and club owners and therefore managers need to clarify what is deemed by success. Looking at Mark Hughes release via the LMA it seems that the goals that were agreed with his owners at the start of the season were still very obtainable and I am sure that Hughes would of strengthened his defence in January, but it still was not enough. It seems that his targets and his owners were actually very different.  

But what a chance for Mancini. He has turned up in his tailored Italian suit and taken over a squad bursting with attacking talent, sitting in a great position in the league and already in one cup semi-final. If he approaches the task in hand with the same kind of rigour as Capello has done with England then he will achieve the UEFA Champions League ambition of his billionaire owners. All he needs to do is identify the problem and fix it. England were individuals and now they play as a team. Man City can't defend for toffee, let alone 3 points, so the best signing Mancini could make, he has made with Brian Kidd. If he can focus his role as a defensive coach and calm City's nerves from any kind of pressure then they could really kick on in the New Year - especially as United, Arsenal and Chelsea will all be back in battle in the UEFA Champions League.

It will be very interesting to see who he signs in January. I am sure there will be at least two big signings made to reinforce the defence and the midfield  probably as many as four, again in the same area of the team. Given, Barry and Bellamy have been superb and depending on the way Bellamy takes to his new manager (after Sparky apparently personally contributed to the transfer fee to sign him). The worst move the Mancini could make could be to add yet more options to his attack. For his apparent faults Hughes has got all his front players flying and scoring goals (apart from Robinho that is) and I have never seen Craig Bellamy play better or more consistently. In Tevez and Adebayor / Santa Cruz the team possess a potent spearhead, and if Robinho turns up (probably not till the snow has gone away) then they will score goals no problem.

Who knows what will play out over the coming weeks and months, if Mancini fails to get to grips with the ego of his squad then come May both Mancini and Rafa could follow Hughes to the JobCentre. The game feels like it is on the verge of going crazy, and I expect lots of cash to be spent this January and I would say there are only 3 managers safe in their job Fergie, Hodgson and Wenger.

 

 

Last night Thierry Henry won the tie for France by gaining an advantage and using his hand to keep the ball in play. Nine times out of ten the referee would see it, award a free-kick and Henry a yellow card. However, last night the referee and assistant missed the key moment and the cat calls from the media this morning have been that Henry is a disgrace and a cheat and should be thrown out of the Finals.

Let's not forget this is the same player who graced the Barclays Premier League and earnt the respect of fans, media and players across England.

Personally, I do not think that Henry is the real cheat - sure he gained an advantage but you can think of hundreds of examples where players instincts have taken over and they have gained an advantage. Think Michael Owen in France '98, think about any Goalkeeper coming off their line on a penalty, think of anytime you may have been the one trying to clear the ball off the line. It happens all the time, sure this was a big moment with World cup Qualification at stake, but I do not believe that any player in that scenario would stop his nation celebrating and announce that he had touched the ball with his hand. That is the referee's job, not the player.

For me the real shame here is that this tie even happened. The Republic of Ireland had an amazing qualification and were easily on a par with France on their qualification performance. The fact that Platini and Blatter created the seeding for these play-offs is the real cheating, it created a bias towards the bigger teams of France and Portugal - and stars such as Henry and Ronaldo - and was not in place until they realised which teams were in the Play-offs and the prospect of France v Portugal.

The Republic played great last night, but instead of looking at Henry as the cheat I think there is another Frenchman who should take the real blame.

Ever been tempted to change you fantasy football team on the eve of a big weekend? Certain that Stevie G is due a big match and feeling like Lampard is struggling in the new diamond formation under Ancelotti?

More often then not I look back gutted as the player I put in failed to deliver and the guy subbed out, well he ends up having the game of his life.

Usually this is based on my gut instinct - and I am sure that others who dabble in fantasy football, or even betting do the same - make a call based on instinct or what the chap on BBC Sport is saying.  Even when going down the pub I always want to look out for, and be armed with that killer shout and prediction for the match. I love being right, and especially when it comes to football.

Through Twitter I picked up a notification about the Castrol Rankings, and think I may have found my answer to my friday dilemma. Is Gerrard in form? Should I pick Gareth Barry? Or who is going to make the difference in the UEFA Champions League next week? You can compare players, look up form over the season and also read up on some interesting predictions based on stats and facts (interestingly they even support one of my previous blogs about Manchester City).

Apart from the site being grey - its a pretty interesting resource and if like me you like to tinker with your fantasy team, or look out for that prediction before the game then well worth checking out.. www.castrolfootball.com