While he does respect Fabio Capello's decision to leave him out of the World Cup squad, Theo Walcott wants to play better for his national side, starting with the Friendly match against Denmark.
After putting on some dismal performances for England at the World Cup in South Africa, Wayne Rooney endured some very challenging and difficult first few months of the season. His personal life was the main topic for the press and they were all main page headlines.
The game is a chance for both countries to continue their rehabilitation after disappointing World Cup campaigns that failed miserably to live up to expectations.
England had the majority of possession in the first half, but failed to find a cutting edge. Ashley Young and Adam Johnson on the wings were England’s primary form of attack, but the Montenegro backline held firm to go in at the break tied at 0-0.
Statistics tell that Wayne Rooney hasn’t scored for the Three Lions since September last year as he was goalless as well throughout the World Cup in South Africa. The 24-year-old is also yet to score from open play for the Red Devils since March.
However, his penalty goal for Manchester United against West Ham United in the English Premier League last weekend declares that Wayne Rooney has recaptured his goal scoring touch, according to Coach Fabio Capello. The Italian manager gave his thoughts concerning the striker’s performance in United’s 3-0 win over the Hammers as he spoke from England’s team hotel. Capello proudly stated:
Ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament, LiveSoccerTV.com takes the immense pleasure of figuring out and analyzing the coaches that are expected to make an impact through their wisdom in South Africa. Among the top 10 list which has been cut into two are Diego Maradona and Fabio Capello.
1) Carlos Alberto Parreira - South Africa
Why not start off our exploration with the man that will lead the host nation throughout the world’s most prestigious sports event, the World Cup? His name is Carlos Alberto Parreira, the famous Brazilian native manager who has his name in football’s history as one of the only coaches to have led four different nations to the World Cup. But more importantly, Carlos Alberto Parreira is remembered for guiding Brazil to victory at the 1994 World Cup and for his heroic achievements as a Fluminense boss back in the 1980s and 1990s. So Parreira will be equaling Bora Milutinovic’s record by guiding a fifth team in the name of South Africa. Most analysts doubt the potential of Bafana Bafana but Carlos Alberto Parreira’s experience could just be what it takes for the hosts to enjoy a positive tournament.
England boss Fabio Capello today announced the final 23 man squad for the trip to South Africa. With an abundance of talent at several positions it couldn’t have been easy for the Italian.
The big surprise was Arsenal midfielder Theo Walcott, whose omission this time may not be quite as shocking as his inclusion four years ago, but it's a big surprise nonetheless. Others left at home will raise an eyebrow or two, as might a few of the players selected for the trip to South Africa.
So first take a look at who’s in the squad; then we’ll look at the left-behinds.
High flying teams meet their challenge
Two countries famous for their football meet in what could be one of the most exciting friendlies of the year.
After a very smooth qualification process for England winning 9 out of 10 in their group, Fabio Capello will look to try out his team against an equally impressive Brazilian side.
Brazilian coach Dunga, also with a strong showing in the South American qualification process, winning with 34 points, will try out his European based players to test the waters abroad.