Friday, June 16, 2006
Saturday, June 10, 2006
England Team
Coach: Sven-Goran Eriksson
Star Players: Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, John Terry
Tournament Best: Winners 1966
Last Time: Lost to Brazil in Quarter-finals
Qualifying: Top of European Group 6
Top Scorer In Qualifying: Frank Lampard 5
England go into this World Cup with a huge weight of expectation behind them, and it is easy to see why.
Sven Goran Eriksson has perhaps the best squad of players England has seen since Italia 90 and they will be expected to go at least as far as Bobby Robson's semi-finalists.
With Wayne Rooney in the side, anything is possible. He can be the one genius that any World Cup winning team needs.
In Ashley Cole, John Terry, Rio Ferdinand and Gary Neville, England boast the best defence in international football.
The only question marks are in midfield, where a lack of a holding player or any orthodox wingers means England give their defence little protection, and have no width.
Eriksson will have to come up with a plan B this time, and if things start to go wrong, he will have to know which of his squad players can make the difference.
Star Players: Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, John Terry
Tournament Best: Winners 1966
Last Time: Lost to Brazil in Quarter-finals
Qualifying: Top of European Group 6
Top Scorer In Qualifying: Frank Lampard 5
England go into this World Cup with a huge weight of expectation behind them, and it is easy to see why.
Sven Goran Eriksson has perhaps the best squad of players England has seen since Italia 90 and they will be expected to go at least as far as Bobby Robson's semi-finalists.
With Wayne Rooney in the side, anything is possible. He can be the one genius that any World Cup winning team needs.
In Ashley Cole, John Terry, Rio Ferdinand and Gary Neville, England boast the best defence in international football.
The only question marks are in midfield, where a lack of a holding player or any orthodox wingers means England give their defence little protection, and have no width.
Eriksson will have to come up with a plan B this time, and if things start to go wrong, he will have to know which of his squad players can make the difference.
David beckham
7 David Beckham
Position: Midfielder
Born: 02.05.75
Club: Real Madrid
David Beckham will mark a decade in international football by leading out his country at Germany 2006. He is one of the most recognisable sportsmen in the world and will be the figurehead for England's quest for a first world crown in 40 years.
The Real Madrid midfielder fulfils many roles - icon, trademark, ambassador, celebrity - which matter little on the pitch. Beckham's critics suggest Sven-Goran Eriksson values these almost as much his skipper's footballing skills, but nevertheless, those skills are plentiful.
Creativity with commitment is the combination on which Beckham has built his reputation. Few can match his passing range, even less can deliver a ball with the deadly accuracy that has provided countless of England goals in recent years. And when the going gets tough, Beckham clearly relishes the fight, and his stamina levels remain formidable.
However, his desire to win has been known to develop into something of an appetite for destruction. A series of red cards for club and country in late 2005, and the struggle to calm another England hothead in Wayne Rooney, have increased the calls for a change in captaincy.
France 98 notoriously ended in disgrace for Beckham, while injury prevented him from showing his true class at Japan/Korea 2002. One hopes it will be third time lucky when football's biggest superstar appears in the 'greatest show on earth' once again.
Thnx to ITV.COM
