England – World Cup Preview

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There is a great feeling in England that this could be the year when the 44 years of hurt since they won their only World Cup will finally go away. Sadly, it feels like that every four years and invariably ends in bitter disappointment – usually a defeat on penalties.
Bad luck (mainly with the penalties) is a curse England always struggle to shake off, and this tournament is no exception as captain Rio Ferdinand was struck down with a training injury which ruled him out.
Into the breach as skipper strode Steven Gerrard, a perfect replacement in the sense that his combative and skilful approach on the field means he leads by example.
How much Ferdinand will be missed in the heat of the England defence, though, remains to be seen as Fabio Capello needs one of his second-choice players to rise to the occasion and form an effective partnership with John Terry.
Theoretically, England should have a powerful attack led by Manchester United star Wayne Rooney. His sending off four years ago against Portugal, though, is not a unique insight into his volatile temperament and it is a certainty that teams will try to needle him during games in the hope that he explodes once again.
Apart from 1966, England have only ever reached the semi-finals once, in 1990 when yet again the penalty jinx struck. Whether this side has the all-round ability of that group of players remains to be seen, and in particular there have to be question marks about the goalkeeping role with David James, Robert Green and Joe Hart all battling to be no. 1.
The cooler conditions of a South African winter may favour England’s style of play, and certainly the team has been re-energised under coach Capello. England won nine of their 10 qualifying matches, and lost only to Ukraine once their passage to South Africa had already been booked.