The debate: Are England world beaters?

England have enjoyed a perfect start to their World Cup qualifying campaign under Fabio Capello with four wins out of four, but despite this historic achievement there are questions surrounding the team's prospects and personnel.

Are England a certainty to qualify for South Africa in 2010? Are they real contenders to win the tournament or does Capello have a lot more work to do?

Is Wayne Rooney the key to success after his return to goal-scoring form for the national team or are we too reliant on his talents?

Are you still unconvinced by Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard sharing midfield duties or do you feel that they have started to click?

And is it time to wrap Theo Walcott up in cotton wool again? The winger has done very little since his electrifying performance in Croatia. Would his development be best served by gaining experience with Stuart Pearce's under-21 side in Sweden next summer?

Have your say on England and their prospects by leaving your comments below.

Comments

[Robert Postuma]

Is this a joke or something?
More than 65% of the players in the Premier League are not British.
Does this tell you something?

[Mark]

Matthew Kemp makes good points. England have long had the individual talent, and now Capello is managing to get them playing as a team, but the strength in depth is not there. No real top-quality cover exists in defence or attack, especially for Rooney or Heskey. Owen is injury-prone, Agbonlahor not there yet, Bent never wil be. Look at the Spanish and Dutch reserves in Euro 2008 and compare them to Upson, Jenas, Green, Bridge. If England are to win SA 2010 then all 22 players have to be the highest calibre.
But then what do I know? I'm Scottish and we only have 2 players (Hutton and Ferguson)

[AJ]

World Beaters! don't make me laugh, at best we have a talented bunch of individuals but to often they let themselves and there nation down. The press don't help, building the team up and then knocking them down. I think Capello getting them back to basics and stripping them of there overblown sense of importance is the right approach. World beaters beat world class teams and win world class tournaments, when was the last time we achieved that feat......

[simon carrikfergus NorNirn]

Paul makes a good point

"Plus we must remeber that on route to the championships Spain were beaten by N Ireland in Belfast"

So debate over..Spain are Euro champs...we beat them...therfore by definition...NornIrn are worldbeaters (alright I know it was the euros...but close enough)

England???? ...yes we beat them too

Gods Country 1. Rest of World nil

i thank you.

[S K]

England of course have potential to be world beaters... they always did....under Sven in games they were "world beaters" (ahead against Argentina, Brazil, France, Portugal....etc) but importantly didnt end the game that way....they were 90% of the way there but the last 10% is what Sven, McClaren (etc) couldnt provide the team....the difference between QF penalty losers and Cup Final attendees...

Capello is now breeding confidence....more direction, fluency and inner conviction is coming....but it will also need those other x factors (off side decisions; inches past the post shots etc...) that affect games at the top level to go the right way..... with all this though - yes they can be world beaters....

but then in truth they were never really that far away....

Lets not forget there is only ever one winner...and 5-6 countries always feel they should "be there"...England though can feel optimistic that they really now can "be there"....

[Sandy P]

England fans have been spurned to many times by too many different teams and managers to to believe that we are world beaters yet. I don't think it is pathetic to get carried about the hopes and aspirations of the England team but there is a cautious reaction from the fans which are echoed in this debate.

I do think we should take a moment to think of our former manager and how he must feel. Capello has demonstrated all the necessary man management skills and tactical nous that we have longed for and which he did not possess.

In my heart I have always felt that we could be world beaters and that on paper we have an excellent team but this has never been translated into results. For the first time we are getting the results we deserve and who knows where this may lead. I have hope at last which feels better than despair...

[Alessandro Vella]

Capello is the best football manager in the world, in Italy we have known this for a while.
As he usually does, he is drawing controversy, his system is hard to understand. I was amused to read the English press judging England's recent friendly games, totally missing the point as it always happens when Capello is in charge.
Don Fabio is a genius, let him work, support your team, and England will soon be the world beater English football fans hope it will be.

Alessandro

[Robert Postuma]

The British press have just gone over the top. Under the last 2 coaches before Capello the press rated the lousy. Now they have womn a few games and the press thinks the team are world beaters.
The team basically has the same players. So what's new?
The press found a new way to sell papers.
Wait till they loose a game.
It's still the same old lousy team.
By the way-do the Brit journalsts earn more money when the play in a lousy division a win a few games?

[Bryan]

After last weeks TV expert Pleats Bleat, last night on Setanta we had the Waddle Twaddle. Why does he seem to hate Walcott so much? He took every opportunity to criticise him. We shall never have a world beating team if so called experts run down the players just for the sake of it. Remind me - at which clubs did Waddle make his unenviable reputation?

[Daniel FitzHenry]

England , world beaters..... Who would have thought we'd be saying that after the wally with the brolly?! It's obvious that Capello has instilled some discipline into a team that, by their own admission, were more interested in their WAGs during the Sven era. England are now starting to look like the team that the fans (occasionally blindly) believe that they are, and the brilliant display against Croatia shows that we are certainly capable of being world beaters.
A key feature of England's success is undoubtedly the electrifying form of Wayne Rooney. With five goals in his last three games, and breath-takingly effective displays, he is leading the way, and there is no doubt that if he plays well, England generally follow suit.There is obviously a danger that we may rely too heavily on his talents but the fact is that Capello has one of the greatest players in the world at his disposal, so of course he should make the most of him!
The Gerrard / Lampard debate will always rumble on, regardless of how well they are playing together, but for critics to say that they can't play together is ridiculous. The job of the manager is to make the team play well together, and both players prove every week for their clubs that they are world class, so are we to believe that the England team can only accommodate a few world class players? The debate will undoubtedly heat up when Joe Cole returns to fitness, as he is another world class player, so it will be interesting to see how Capello includes him in the midfield. The obvious solution would be to drop Gareth Barry, so a central midfield pairing of Gerrard and Lampard could work, and both could be allowed the freedom that makes them so successful at club level, as long as they share the covering duties. Failing that, Rooney could always play the lone role up front, which although frustrating for him, would allow a holding player such as Barry (or Carrick or Hargreaves) back into the team.
The very fact that there is so much strength in depth suggests that the national team is in good shape, and it is an interesting conundrum for Capello's consideration, but that is after all why he is being paid so much money. To answer the question of whether so many great players can play in the same team, we need look no further than the World Cup winning Brazil squad of 1970, which fielded Tostao, Jairzinho and of course the great Pele, to name but a few.
There is no doubt that England are looking better than they have for a long time; it seems that we are playing with genuine belief, and this is absolutely vital if we are to not only get to the World Cup, but to actually have a chance of bringing it home. Fan support is integral, so the fans cheering out the boos directed at Ashley Cole prove that we are moving in the right direction, and despite the influx of foreign talent to the Premiership, we are seeing the emergence of some fantastic talent which can only serve us in good stead for the future.
In short, we have a long way to go before we can call ourselves world beaters, but what is undeniable is that we are doing the right things to get there; if we keep improving and working hard, I genuinely believe that we will see a World Cup winning England team in my lifetime!

[nyb]

English football press...pathetic!
No wonder the Scots and just about every other nation hate us. From also rans to world beaters in 4 games; I don't think so.
We are just so pathetic and predictable, and it's all down to our second rate, headline obsessed press.

[Mark]

The English press are rediculous. 4 games in and suddenly England are world-beaters again....to become world beaters you have to overcome far tougher opposition than Belarus, Croatia, Kazahkstan and Andorra...not exactly a sparking list of footballing superpowers that England have overcome is it. This is exactly the kind of pressure and hype that has caused the team to fall apart in the past. Take it easy, lets let them qualify first before prophecising the return of the World Cup.

[Matthew Kemp]

Worldbeaters? Possibly but not yet. There are still frailties in the squad but the signs are looking good. One thing we can rule out is any doubt over the man in charge. Step forward Mr Capello and take a bow.

Our success in 2010 will depend greatly on the development and progress of the U21's and players coming through. James cannot expect to still be 1st choice in 2yrs time and at present there is still no player putting him under threat. The back 4 looks weak beyond the 1st choice and with Heskey getting no younger how will his performances fair when he is putting in current shifts twice a week in a major tournament.

With the U21's qualifying for the tournament next summer it is a chance for the likes of Hart, Richards, Taylor, Young and Agbonlahor to gain valuable experience. If we are to beat the best these players need to progress and make the step up. Only then will we have a squad to challenge in major tournaments.

All the signs are positive but we need to be realistic. As always we go to extremes when talking about the England team. We are either being talked about as perennial under achievers or world beaters. The truth lies somewhere in the middle. We have proven nothing yet however for the first time in a while fans, players and staff can look forward with quiet confidence. Only time will tell as the team develops over the next 2 years

[David Postle]

No.

[Lee]

Can everyone stop being English please. We're so pathetic at times.

If we develop a lot over the next 2 years then we can challenge but everything at this point is speculation.

As it is, we are close to worthless if Heskey or Rooney were to get injured, whereas most other leading nations have experienced players to replace even their most influential players without needing to call in an oxygen tent, or even better, Uri Gellar; to magically cure the player through the power of thought.

Let's take it easy shall we?

[Nils]

Are England world beaters? I like this - one decent streak of success (including one really big win (in Croatia) and 3 wins against actually second/third etc. tier teams) and suddenly they may be world beaters. Come down to earth! :)

I'd suggest to wait till England start to beat serious teams on regular basis, which is not the case as yet. Beat frequently the likes of Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Brazil, Netherlands, Argentina, Portugal, etc. - and then we'll talk.

At the moment England is way below all of them, maybe except France. At least England now have really great coach, so they may be up for something. Still I do not see England as nr.1 team in coming years.

[Dr Derek Darke]

England are certainly progressing under a manager who seems to know what he is doing. This is all the more important if or when the team make it to the World Cup, perhaps the second-most important sporting event on the planet, after the Olympics.

It will make a refreshing change from Ferdinand's astonishing admission that England apparently forgot why they were in Germany in 2006; getting confused about the relative importance of football in competition with women and shopping is an easy mistake to make when you're not the brightest light on the chandelier. Let's hope that Capello can offer timely reminders, shouls we actually get there.

[Mike Duggan]

England have some very good players who now seem to be playing together as a cohesive unit. However they have nowhere near enough squad depth as epitomised by the need to play Bridge and Upson who are not great. Before major tournaments (if they have qualified) someone inevitably gets injured, usually Rooney breaks a metatarsal, or the now vital Heskey will probably succumb to some sort of injury woe.

[kritter]

Once England find that perfect combination in midfield with barry gerrard and lampard i think that england can go forwards as one of the favorites for south africa. i do not think that England can win the world cup, they have not proven themselves against really tough opposition spare croatia. Where as teams like Germany, Russia and Spain have prooved themselves against powerfull opposition in the last 8 months. having said that, England and Spain are the only teams to have won 4 from 4 so far so who knows maybe it is their turn.
Still we all know Australia is going to win it so this debate is kind of pointless isnt it.

[jimmy shelter]

Not world beaters yet, but we're looking a lot better. We've started dealing efficiently with the weaker opposition in qualifying matches again, which is something of a relief.

Its also a relief to have some idea of what England's best team is again.

[David Webster]

There seems to be a pride and belief swelling back into the team that comes from respect and trust of the manager and more importantly the results.

One problem was it previous knock out stages England did not simply believe they were good enough to win if Plan A wasn't going well and didn't trust the team and the manager.

What is so admirable about Capello is that his tactical changes have been spot on and his substitutions are generally the right players at the right time. He seems to read a game and has the ability to change a game more than any other manager I know.

England can win the world cup but only if when the chips are down they truly believe they can pull the mach out of the fire or come from behind to win, or and hope for no penalty shot-outs.

[Paul]

England as ever have the potential and players to win the world cup. We may natter on about how Heskey won't score many or how the defense looks suspect. But come on most teams in the world would love the wealth of talent England possess.
Spain recently won the Euro championships. They ended there hoodoo of recent years. And on paper they have a similar strength team to England. Are iniesta, xavi and Senna better than Lampard, Gerrard and Barry ???
Plus we must remeber that on route to the championships Spain were beaten by N Ireland in Belfast.

So yes they can become world beaters and win the world cup, they have proper star players and a decent pool of back up options.
But as with everything in football, things need to come right at the right time and of course you need luck on your side.

PS - Fabio's biggest challenge may be to get 5/6 of his players to actually take penalties properly. good luck with that.

[kastury]

england will be wc chmps in SA....
accroding to football manager games..of 2010 that i played...
england will be the winners!!!

beating france at final.....1-0

[Noel]

The English never can get it right can they? The national team is neither a bunch of duffers nor are they world class. To ask if they are world beaters after beating Kazakhstan and Belarus is frankly ridiculous. They've had a good couple of back-to-back wins, but lets not forget they've only performed in the second half of each of those games. I still think Gerrard and Rooney are the only truly top class players in the team. Walcott is nowhere near ready to be a first teamer and SWP needs to learn how to pass. I think Joe Cole has been missed. And you still have a dodgy keeper.

[Nick - Hants]

Ofcourse we're not world beaters, but at least we have started to look like a team who care rather than the random collection of "over inflated egos" who so spectacularly failed earlier this year.
Will we qualify? Yes... Will we be crowned World Champions in South Africa? No... But lets play entertaining attacking football everytime...oh and leave Theo Walcott to get on with it...not judge him just yet!!