I apologize for my lack of soccer coverage. This was mostly due to school and other Coaching commitments(yes I coach youth soccer). Now to the game, the Three Lions open up qualifying for Europe against Bulgaria at Wembley Stadium.
We all know what happened to England last time, when England made their qualifying run. England ended up failing to qualify to the shock of many and Steve McClaren was sacked immediately after. As an England fan its time for some good tactics as well some hope for the future of English Football. Fabio Capello has been criticized for picking the same old guys from the World Cup who played so poorly, however I'm one of the few who stand by Fabio Capello's decision to go with a more experienced roster for this match. After all, this a very important game for England and going with a younger roster would really put a lot of pressure on them.
Make no mistake this is a must win for England. They must take 3 points so they can head to Switzerland next week with 3 points in the bag. As Switzerland will definitely will be a tough road match. Bulgaria does boast some quality players, however Bulgaria will have to play without the services of Manchester United Striker Dimitar Berbatov as he retired from international duty in May. Bulgaria still boasts Bolton Wanderers Winger Martin Petrov as well as well as Aston Villa Midfielder and Captain of Bulgaria Stiliyan Petrov.
Despite the quality of Bulgaria, England should win this game as the home field advantage that Wembley provides as well as England's quality in the final third should be able to get the 3 points England need going forward.
And now for Lineups:
The Lineup that Fabio Capello will use...
-Hart-
-Johnson-Upson-Jagielka-Cole
-Walcott-Gerrard-Barry-Phillips
-Rooney-Defoe
Here you have your basic 4-4-2 that will drive fans like me nuts as this doesn't allow for much creativity in the midfield. Still a formidable lineup as long as guys like Walcott and Wright-Phillips can get space on the wings. So in this lineup I think Theo Walcott will be the X factor.
My Lineup choice:
-Hart-
Johnson-Upson-Jagielka-Cole
-Barry-Milner-
-Walcott-Gerrard-Young
-Rooney-
In this lineup you have the 4-2-3-1, a lineup where the roles in the midfield are clearly defined with a lone striker. It's considered more of an attacking formation which is the exact reason I like it. I feel England are solid with Hart in goal as well as with Upson not having to partner with John Terry. I was tempted to use Kierran Gibbs instead of Ashley Cole as Left Back due to Cole's tabloid issues but stuck with Cole. I decided to use this formation as this was the formation that worked well against Hungary last month. I slotted James Milner into the middle due to his performance at that position last month against Hungary. Most importantly, Steven Gerrard gets to play in his natural position, right under the striker. Which was a huge reason why Stevie G scored a brace against Hungary. I would use Jermaine Defoe, Adam Johnson, and Michael Carrick as impact subs in case of tactical changes.
Prediction: 2-0 England
As I said before, England should have the quality to beat Bulgaria and get the 3 points. I don't expect England to play fantastic, especially with a 4-4-2 but I still expect a semi-comfortable win. I think 2 moments of brilliance from some of England's aces. I think the opening goal will go to the red hot Theo Walcott and the other goal to go to Wayne Rooney as I think this is the game where Roo will finally get over the hurdle. There might be some hairy moments at the back but with Man City ace Joe Hart in goal a clean sheet is what can be expected.
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