England Football Formation

Lineup (3-5-2)

I chose this formation, as I believe England simply do not have the technique to compete at the high standards of international football. So I've decided to play to England's strengths, which is pace and power, which this formation has in abundance and it should be played on the counter attack similar to Walter Mazzari's Napoli side who defeated the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea and also made a title charge in Serie A last season. This formation includes the players should be able to sit deep, then hit teams on the break, at breakneck pace. This is where the wingbacks come in to play. The wingbacks Kyle Walker and Leighton Baines have pace, as well as a telling delivery to play crosses in the attacking third, also they are able to bomb forwards and backwards tirelessly and they like to overlap which is a quality needed to be a good wingback in this system. Also, using this system we are able to play through the middle as we have Gerrard and Carrick, as well as the raw talent of Ravel Morrison. If Ravel Morrison wants to attack at pace with the ball at his feet he can do so without any defensive shackles, as Gerrard and Carrick are shielding the back three. You may be wondering why I have decided to play Ravel Morrison? The reason why is because he is a phenomenon, he can dribble, take players out of the game, has good link up play and he has good technique and he is simply quite devastating in the final third, just ask Tottenham what he is capable of. He is a young man who has the world at his feet, international teams outside of England, are unaware of his quality and we should use this to our full advantage, plus because of his age he is simply without fear, as he just wants to play football. We should use this stage (World Cup) for him to really explode on to the scene, and who knows he could be a household name. You may be questioning why I have decided to play 3 at the back, it's because I feel in order to progress through the group stages and knockout stages at the World Cup, we must fully exploit the plethora of midfield and attacking talent to really make an impact, plus I feel our defence is quite solid with Jones,Jagielka and Cahill who have a wealth of experience between them. The 3 of them have pace,power,composure and I feel they are able to read into tactical situations in matches, which shows how useful they are for club and country. I think Phil Jones is best as a sweeper, because he can play as a centre back and as a defensive midfielder. The sweeper position requires you to read the game well, which is Phil Jones's major strength, and it requires you be able to play with the ball and carry it forwards and give it to the midfielders, again another strength in Phil Jones's game, and finally he's good with both feet. These are my reasons to why I think he's perfect for the sweeper position. As you can see Rooney is playing of Sturridge, as I feel that's his best position on the pitch, as he likes to drop off and link up with the midfield and he drives forward across the pitch while playing on the counter attack. Just ask the Arsenal back four in the Champions League semi-final 2008/2009 when him,Ronaldo and Park Ji Sung broke at pace and penetration, and also in the 2009-2010 season in the Premier League, when him,Nani and Park Ji Sung started of a lethal counter attack vs Arsenal. This system again plays to his strengths. With Sturridge, it's the same for Rooney, he can counter attack at pace, and I feel his finishing is as clinical as a surgeon's scapel operating on a patient. Similar to Rooney, he likes to drop off and also he can come short, he likes to mix his game up. He's not essentially a number 9, he's a 9 and a half. With Carrick, I feel he doesn't get the plaudits he deserves, as he has good passing range and distribution, and he is a really good recycler of the ball. And most importantly, he is very good at shielding his back four. Finally with Hart, he's a goalkeeper that's simply world class. He has feline reflexes,good ball distribution, good shotstopper, good at one on one stops and he commands his back line efficiently and with class. He possesses great power and poise also.