Is This The Time England Finally Produce On The Big Stage?

If England are to have a successful campaign in South Africa this summer then it is vital that our ‘big’ name players all step up to the mark.

Of course that pretty much means Wayne Rooney, and the hopes of the entire Nation seem to rest on the broad shoulders of the Manchester United striker. If he can reproduce the form he has shown for his club over the last nine months then we will certainly have a chance of lifting the trophy, but the 24 year old has ended the season with a series of niggling injuries and doubts remain over his fitness as we head into the World Cup. But are England really a one man team?

Wayne Rooney; The one man England need fit for the World Cup!

Well, on paper at least that does not seem to be the case. We do have other World class performers, particularly in defence where the centre back partnership of new captain Rio Ferdinand and former captain John Terry is one of the best in the World. However neither have enjoyed the best of seasons with their clubs and they looked especially shaky in the latest warm up game against Japan last weekend.

Will Terry and Ferdinand put their problems behind them in South Africa?

Ferdinand only played only 16 times for Manchester United in an injury hit campaign so while he is unlikely to suffer from burn out he is also likely to lack the necessary sharpness needed against some of the best forwards in the World, which was demonstrated in the match against Japan.

Meanwhile Terry has endured a torrid time in his personal life which affected his club form at the turn of the year and led to him losing the England captaincy. However he recovered well to lead his Chelsea side to the league and cup double and if he can carry that into South Africa then we will have one the best defenders at the tournament.

Another will be Terry’s Chelsea team mate Ashley Cole, who has once again proved to be one of the best attacking left backs in the World. Although he too has suffered with injuries this season, he finished the campaign in superb form and if he can put his much publicised marriage problems behind him he will be a vital player for England down the left flank over the next few weeks.

Ashley Cole; possibly the best left back in the World.

In midfield the debate remains as to whether Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard can play together, but the fact is that on their day they are both World class performers. Lampard has enjoyed his greatest season to date, scoring 27 goals in helping Chelsea to the double, and if he can replicate that sort of form this summer then he could be one of the stars of the tournament.

By contrast Gerrard has had a tough time at Liverpool this season where he has looked unsettled and suffered with speculation about his private life. Despite rarely reaching the form he reguarly displays for his club in an England shirt there is no doubt that Gerrard is a key player and what better way for him to put a disappointing season behind him then to help us lift the World Cup?

Lampard and Gerrard could hold the key in the England midfield.

Up front the big question is who will partner Rooney? Emile Heskey has been Fabio Capello’s first choice but his goalscoring record is not going to frighten the best defences in the World, although he does seem to bring the best out of his strike partners in much the same way as Peter Beardsley used to do.

Emile Heskey; under-rated but he remains favourite to partner Rooney.

Peter Crouch appears to be the other alternative, although doubts remain over his ability to score against the really top Nations while his Tottenham team mate Jermaine Defoe only seems to make an impact from the bench.

So can England finally bring to an end 44 years of hurt and lift the World Cup on July 11th? Well, if Terry, Ferdinand, Cole, Lampard, Gerrard and of course Rooney all hit top form over the next few weeks then maybe we could surprise a few people and go all the way…but then again haven’t we heard the same thing before every previous tournament since 1966?? The time for talking is over, now is the time to deliver…