By Rob Kelly
At long last the idle (and in many cases erroneous) speculation is over, and Fabio Capello has finally put us all out of our misery by announcing his provisional squad for the World Cup. And while there were certainly a few raised eyebrows over the Italian’s final selection, the dominant sensation I felt when studying the squad was one of being utterly underwhelmed.
Matthew Upson – solid, but essentially mediocre. Shaun Wright-Phillips – not even good enough to start for Manchester City. Emile Heskey – gone backwards at Aston Villa. Jamie Carragher – seriously, has it really come to that? Just what has Phil Jagielka done wrong to be excluded from this distinctly average squad?
Of course, there were some pleasing inclusions, too, and I am delighted to see the likes of Michael Dawson, Scott Parker and Adam Johnson rewarded for their impressive club form by being named in the 30-man squad. The former has been magnificent for Tottenham this term, and thoroughly deserves his space in the squad, while Parker has been the beating heart of a struggling West Ham team and would bring commitment, energy and bite to any midfield he graces. Johnson, meanwhile, has been one of the signings of the season, and could be England’s wildcard in South Africa.
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