Wednesday 27 January 2010

Who should partner Rooney in the World Cup.



Much discussion has taken place on the difficult solution to finding Wayne Rooney's partner for the 2010 world cup in South Africa, so who would best fit this role? The height of Crouch? The form of Defoe? Of course not ruling out the possibility of perhaps Emile Heskey and Carlton Cole who's physical dominance on the pitch could prove to be invaluable.
Doubts surround all the candidates, does Crouch get found out against the better teams, is Defoe out of his depth and does Heskey quite simply not score enough goals? Love him or hate him, when called upon, Heskey has evidently provided a target to hold the ball and allow Rooney to to really be the focal point of the English team. But, it takes no fool to realise that his goal scoring abillity is abysmal and has been for quite some time, will this cost him his starting place? Crouch on the other hand has an excellent goal scoring record for England scoring 18 goals in just 35 caps. However, the problem i have with Crouch is that when coming up against a higher ranked team, he fails to find his goal scoring form that he has against the likes of Andorra and Macedonia. Why? Because a striker like Crouch strives of his height, and when he comes across the experience of Puyol and Lucio, their world class abillity is overwhelming for Crouch and leads him to being marked out the game. Perhaps a better option would be to play him against the teams we face in the group stage, but will that lead to a lack of consistency in the team and more significantly not having a best starting 11. Defoe has clealry been on fine form, perhaps the finest of his life, realising his potential it is clear that Defoe desperately wants his ticket to South Africa and he hasnt done his chances any harm. He remains the most likely to take his place next to Rooney as his sharpness, pace and desire all contribute to him being a top contender for the role. But could the occasion be too much for him? Is there a need for experience up front with Crouch who has already played consistently in the 2006 World Cup or is this Defoe's time. Lastly, I feel it is noteworthy to mention Carlton Cole who has also been on great form since switching to the claret shirt of West Ham. His physical presence and agillity put him in good stead against the Netherlands where he was suprisingly excellent. Can the combination of physicality and an eye for a goal be potent enough to secure him a place next to Wayne Rooney, only time will tell. Please leave your opinion of who should play up front with Rooney and any additional comments on the post as a whole. Thank you.

8 comments:

  1. Good article. You're right that the combination of Carlton's finishing and his physical presence could be critical.

    I'd go for Cole or Defore.

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  2. this is a great artical mate defernatly agree with what you have said about all the strikers. got to say that i would put wayne and defoe up front together because they have proved that they can come up with the goods when they and england need them two. again great article

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  3. nice article.

    defoe and rooney for me. i hope that capello plays them together more in the upcoming friendlies so we can really gauge to see if this is better than rooney/heskey

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  4. Heskey every time.

    He may not score goals himself, but England score more goals with him in the side than any other. If our best player is at his best with Heskey, I can't see any other argument for replacing him with fleetingly in form strikers.

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  5. i agree, its not always who has the bigger reputation, the England team should be picked upon who is best for England and not their clubs, and if that be HEskey, the heskey it is

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  6. i dont think we should go for a 2nd striker. Hear me out here, personally how about this formation?

    4411?

    Same old back 4, have barry and lamps in the centre, wingers such as milner/cole/SWP/lennon then have gerrard dropping off rooney?

    This gives rooney more options and possibly more goals?

    just a suggestion :)

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  7. yeah its a tricky one, i understand where your coming from. Should maybe try it in a friendly.

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  8. Not Defoe. Against top oppo he fails to deliver. Crouch not great but better option as gives more to the team and variety of tactics

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