Goalkeepers: Joe Hart, Ben Foster, Fraser Forster
Defenders: Glen Johnson, Leighton Baines, Gary Cahill, Phil Jagielka, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Luke Shaw
Midfielders: Steven Gerrard, Jack Wilshere, Frank Lampard, Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Ross Barkley, Adam Lallana, Raheem Sterling, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Strikers: Wayne Rooney, Daniel Sturridge, Danny Welbeck, Rickie Lambert
My Starting XI
My Opinion:
Roy Hodgson opted to go for a more youthful approach which I believe was the right way to go. There is a good blend between the more experienced players and the prosperous younger talent. People will question why Ashley Cole, who was most notably left out of the squad, as well as Michael Carrick. However, I think Roy made the correct decision to leave out both of them. Cole has hardly featured for Chelsea at all this season whereas Baines and Shaw have both shone throughout their very strong campaigns. Carrick was part of a very poor United team and has been overlooked once again for the likes of Gerrard, Lampard, Henderson and Wilshere who think are the better options to have. There was competition for places between the strikers but I'm really glad that Lambert got the nod ahead of Defoe and Carroll as he really deserves his place on the plane. What a story it would be if he came off the bench to score a winning goal in one the matches.
I think the defence pretty much picks itself and there won't be many disagreements on who should be in the starting eleven. However, there will be different opinions on how England should play offensively. I agree with Paul Scholes on this subject and suggest England try and replicate the attacking style that Liverpool have adopted and benefited from so well. This means that they should pick more Liverpool players who are already comfortable playing in that fashion. Thus, I've gone for Sterling ahead of Welbeck on the left whilst Henderson to play alongside Gerrard in a deeper role. Lallana is a classy player who should start as he is great on the ball and is capable of producing a bit of magic in front of goal. I would rather see Rooney play behind Sturridge as he should be looking to get more involved and create more opportunities. This should leave Sturridge to be the main focus point up front and should be looking to score the majority of England's goals.
The cover on the bench is pretty decent but inexperienced. Hopefully, we'll see the likes of Shaw, Barkley and Sterling shine and come into their own as they may be called upon if injuries start to creep into the squad. I'm feeling optimistic about England's chances and believe they will progress out of the group stages. The draw for the last 16 is favourable as the Ivory Coast look to be the biggest threat England could face and I would expect them to move into the Quarter-Finals. However, that's where I think England will be knocked out. Potential opponents include Brazil, Spain and the Netherlands. Now they have much stronger squads and will be far superior favourites to beat England. Yet, on their day, England could beat anybody and you just never know. Unfortunately, past World Cups suggest that England will be knocked out in the Quarter-Finals on penalties. Hopefully, this time we can progress further, whether it's via penalties or not, but I'm sure it's going to be an extremely tense watch if England manage to make it that far.
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