Sir Bobby Charlton’s Thoughts on England

By Oliver Sparrow, writing from London

Sir Bobby wrote an interesting article about his perceptions of England chances in South Africa that was published in the Daily Mail today. In it, he expresses his worries that Fabio Capello will deploy Wayne Rooney in a lone-striker’s role. This is a worry that I don’t necessarily share with the great man.

This lone-striker role is one that he has fulfilled on many occasions for Manchester United this past season, and has excelled in. His impressive goal tally of 34 for the 2009-10 season stands testament to this. Playing on his own up front allows him the freedom to attack any space he chooses and his constant switching of position vexed so many Premier League defences this season. I see no reason why this wouldn’t be the case for England at the World Cup. Another writer for the Daily Mail, Jeff Powell, also seems to think that deploying Rooney on his own up top is a good idea, placing him at the tip of a Christmas-tree formation of his all-time greatest England team. According to Powell, Rooney is an…’astonishing physical specimen - squat but not short, raw muscle yet dexterous of touch, built like a brewery dray but thoroughbred quick - is a hybrid sent by the gods of football, the traditional English No 9 and the contemporary mobile forward rolled into one dynamic package.’ Praise indeed.