Tom Cleverley’s selection aside, it fails to excite and only reinforces the idea that England will struggle to get out of the group stages at this summer’s European Championship.
Just three centre backs were picked in a display of naivety from Pearce. Gary Cahill has had an awful season and has shown little to suggest he is international quality. Phil Jones is good and will be a star but needs experience alongside him at the moment, as does Chris Smalling. Rio Ferdinand and John Terry are not in the squad, nor should either be. But where is Michael Dawson, so impressive and consistent for Tottenham? Or club mate Ledley King?
In midfield the limited James Milner is selected again. Milner is the epitomy of all that is wrong with England. Highly promising, hard working, energetic, but limited. Without the creative skill or intelligence to work his way out of a difficult situation. Yet where is Leon Britton, so impressive for Swansea this season and one of the best performing English central midfielders? Theo Walcott gets a hard time, sometimes undeservedly, but it is obvious to most that Alex Oxlade Chamberlain is a better bet right now. And Stewart Downing has only proved his average-ness, if that is a word, since joining Liverpool.
Steven Gerrard was good once, but is now past his best, and the only bright points from selection were Cleverley, Scott Parker and Adam Johnson.
Up front is a mixed bag. Wayne Rooney is in there, obviously, but then he is suspended for the first two games of Euro 2012. After him, Fraizer Campbell is simply the latest in a long line of average English centre forwards. What he has done to earn selection only Pearce knows. Competent in the Premier League, hopeless on the international stage where solely having the ability to run and a half decent finish is not enough. England produce far too many forwards of this nature. It is ironic that the best striker left out, Jermain Defoe, is quick and with a good finish. But unlike most of his rivals for a spot, he actually has some other skills. The same goes for Daniel Sturridge and Danny Welbeck. These three are fast, good finishers but also skilful, with the intelligence and patience to play at the very top level. Unlike Campbell, unlike Darren Bent and other countless average forwards we produce.
The squad just shows the worst of English. There is no way England will even get to the quarter finals this summer with a squad of this nature. It simply isn’t even up there with the French, let alone a potential match for the Spanish or Germans. We have some good full backs, a top class goalkeeper and some promising midfielders. Two promising strikers and a suspended Wayne Rooney does not a tournament make. Against a Swedish team England traditionally struggle against and a Ukraine team on home soil, we will be lucky to make it out of the group stage. This team is the most mediocre we have had in years.
