Peter Crouch Closes In On World Cup Squad Place

Peter Crouch Secures His World Cup Place with Brace

After the stuttering performance in the Ukraine match it appeared the solidarity under Fabio Capello had suddenly gave way to the uncertainty and loose play that littered the reigns of Sven-Goran Eriksson and Steve McClaren. Fortunately the excellent goal scoring record enjoyed by Peter Crouch enabled England to win a vital match for keeping confidence high to end the qualifying campaign on a high comfortably beating Belarus 3-0 at Wembley. Football betting enthusiasts who have supported England throughout the campaign had a good win last night.

Crouch has an amazing record of scoring for England. He has scored 18 times in 17 starts. Normally his goals are against weaker sides that struggle to deal with his 6 foot 7 inch frame. Crouch also benefits from having an excellent touch on the ball that is rare for such a tall player. For someone so slim, he is not easily knocked from the ball and has learned throughout his career to make the most out of his physical stature and cause opponents the most problems. It is perhaps a characteristic of his record against minor teams that only the better defenders can adequately deal with the threats he poses.

We are foolish to try and second guess Capello who has gone from a hard task master to a downright ruthless selector. Whilst I agree that players should be kept on their toes I think it would be a good idea to let the core players know that they are probably travelling to the World Cup. Ferdinand’s mistake against Ukraine which subsequently led to Robert Green being sent off could easily have been caused by tension worrying about not making an error. The difference between the club players at international level is that they are much more certain about their position in the team at their clubs and their relaxed performances are testament to this, but at international level the pressure increases and this can lead to errors.

Wayne Rooney and Jermaine Defoe are the probable choices for first and second striker, but with two goals here and the way he could rip the group teams apart suggest Crouch is secure for the time being at striker number three. I saw little to suggest that Agbonlahor did enough to take the fourth striker position away from Carlton Cole or Emile Heskey. I think the position of fourth striker is very much up for grabs and a good performance in the Premiership by Michael Owen or Darren Bent may force Capello to take another look at them, with the other players far from convincing having all been given a few chances to stake their claim.

For the players involved or potentially involved with England next summer the rest of this season is all about performing well in each game and showing Capello they can execute what he will require from them at the World Cup. Capellos style is very much about picking the players who are playing well. There are only a handful of players who are confident of being in the squad but only three that I feel are guaranteed starters in any team Capello selects. They are Ashley Cole, John Terry and Wayne Rooney. You can probably add Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard to that list although these players could be sacrificed for better tactical options in certain formations.

Peter Crouch has done well to force himself into the squad. His place does look secure now. He could be particularly useful for England as a substitute against suspect defenders or in the group stages, which of course we must qualify from as easily as possible. His two goals for England against Belarus showed Capello that it is not a fluke he has scored so much for England it is down to his ability. That is likely to be rewarded by the performance driven manager who knows how vital a good goal scorer is to a single tournament. Crouch could be our trump card to the World Cup.

By Malcolm Clarke