Commentary
Eriksson's Forward Selections Could Backfire
By John Matelan
May 10, 2006
Jermain Defoe is not part of Eriksson's final 23 man roster.
England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson is mad! What other possibility could it be? Maybe he can blame it on bad beef, but the man is MAD!
What other possible explanation can there be for the decision to include a 17 year old on the roster for the 2006 World Cup? Even more compelling evidence is that the young man in questions, Arsenal's Theo Walcott, has yet to play in a Premiership game.
What makes this selection all the more stunning is the decision to make Walcott one of four forwards on a team bereft of healthy forwards.
Michael Owen has played less than a full half since December, and Wayne Rooney went down for the count on a challenge against Chelsea in the title clinching-match with another broken foot. Whether he can be a factor in Germany depends on the length of time England remains in the competition and the fitness of Rooney, a notorious carouser. The fourth forward is the very tall, incredibly skinny Peter Crouch, a terror in the air but suspect on the finish.
It's not as if Walcott was Eriksson's only option at striker. Charlton's Darren Bent had a fine season and finished as the top scoring Englishman in the Premier League with 18 goals. But that wasn't even good enough to make England's list of alternates. Tottenham's Jermain Defoe had a subpar season but he's a proven goal scorer in England's top flight. Defoe at least received the honor of being named as an alternate.
The best guess here is that Eriksson believes that his team will see its scoring come from the potent collection of midfielders selected for this squad, including noted goal strikers like Chelsea's Frank Lampard and Joe Cole and Liverpool's Steven Gerrard. It could even be that he will experiment some more with a 1-5-4 formation with midfielders making run after run in support of a sole striker. Or it could be that Walcott will be come the second youngest player on the world's grandest stage. Or, maybe the man is a master saboteur playing with the emotions of football-mad England.
Fortunately, the backline is almost an embarrassment of riches, led by perhaps the best defender in the game today, John Terry. Players like Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, Ashley Cole and Sol Campbell should keep most of the heat off of the goalkeepers. This will be a good thing since Eriksson's personnel decisions may make goal scoring at a premium.
The best part of this story? Almost an entire narrative on the English team and this is the first (and only) mention of David Beckham. Yes, he is on the team, and hopefully, if called upon to take another penalty, his attempt will not wind up in the Rhine.
Maybe we just need to start looking forward to 2010. After all, three ties at nil might be enough to sneak into the second round, but after that there has to be a goal in the knock-out phase.