England Squad: Wilshere should be the new heartbeat

1Feb 2013

Betfair

In the midst of the deadline day chaos, Christian Crowther reacts to Roy Hodgson's England squad for the upcoming friendly with Brazil...

With Wednesday night's game against the Samba boys on the horizon, Roy Hodgson has opted to play a textbook straight bat with his latest England squad.

Among the limited surprises is the decision to go with just two goalkeepers in Joe Hart and Jack Butland in light of injuries to John Ruddy and Fraser Forster, though the chances of three stoppers getting game-time were going to be virtually non-existent anyhow.

There is a slight question mark over Jermain Defoe's inclusion, as reports suggest that he is playing through the pain barrier at present for Tottenham as he continues to receive treatment for a pelvic problem.

Depending on Hodgson's preferred formation and Defoe's fitness, this could give rise to a chance for Liverpool's new signing Daniel Sturridge, who has impressed in a red shirt in his first five outings, scoring three times.

Arsene Wenger's deployment of Theo Walcott in a central role in some recent games is also food for thought for Hodgson, though Wayne Rooney's return to form makes him the obvious candidate to lead the line in either a 4-5-1, 4-4-1-1 or a 4-3-3.

Despite Leighton Baines' heroics for Everton, the full backs will probably pick themselves if Hodgson opts for his strongest side with Glen Johnson and Ashley Cole first choice at right and left.

Cole is in line for his 100th cap against Brazil, which seems like a fitting fixture to honour one of England's greatest performers of a generation.

The central pairing will be one of the hotter topics. Phil Jagielka seems like an obvious choice given his level of performance for Everton and regular starts for England recently, but the second place is more debatable.

Though he has played recently with everyone else absent, Joleon Lescott has fallen down the pecking order at Manhester City and Gary Cahill has looked error prone in recent weeks, however, the Chelsea man's regular inclusion in the Blues' line-up could earn him the nod.

Once again, it's in midfield where the manager will probably have to make the toughest calls.

Jack Wilshere's re-emergence makes him hard to leave out after some masterful displays since the last squad was announced. Wilshere has been the driving force for Arsenal since his return from injury and possesses the guile to play as the furthest forward of potentially three centre midfielders if required.

This probably leaves two other places up for grabs, as Hodgson is unlikely to play 4-4-2 against Brazil. Michael Carrick and Steven Gerrard would be the obvious choices. Carrick is enjoying his best ever season for United, while Liverpool's skipper still offers the best range of passing from a deeper role.

Roy's boys can be backed at 2.74 to beat Brazil with the draw available at 3.3

Full Squad: Joe Hart, Jack Butland; Leighton Baines, Ashley Cole, Phil Jagielka, Joleon Lescott, Chris Smalling, Gary Cahill, Glen Johnson, Kyle Walker; Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Michael Carrick, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Jack Wilshere, James Milner, Tom Cleverley, Leon Osman, Theo Walcott, Aaron Lennon; Danny Welbeck, Jermain Defoe, Wayne Rooney, Daniel Sturridge