England Fortunes On the Wayne
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by Tyduffy
Yes, a terrible pun, but bear with us.
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has become the latest England star to be ruled out from EURO2008 qualifiers due to injury. He received a hairline fracture in his left foot, after it was inadvertently stepped on by Reading defender Michael Duberry late in the first half of Sunday's season opener. Though the injury will not require surgery, Rooney will miss 6-8 weeks, completely ruling him out of England's crucial qualifiers against Israel and Russia. Arguably England's most talented player, the loss adds to an already extensive injury list.
Three of their top four center halves could miss the qualifiers. Jonathan Woodgate and Ledley King are definitely unavailable as they recover from knee surgery. John Terry is also doubtful with knee ligament damage, though the indestructible captain will most likely make a go of it and come back two weeks sooner than anyone expected, particularly with Chelsea's woeful defensive display at the weekend. The national squad will also most likely be missing fullbacks Gary Neville (ankle) and Wayne Bridge (hip). The inevitable Ashley Cole injury hasn't occurred yet, but there is still almost a month to go before the qualifiers. In the words of Bear Grylls, the state of the defense is "not ideal."
Rooney's injury will create a crisis up front as well. Michael Owen (surprise, surprise) has been hampered by a thigh injury, and Liverpool sub Peter Crouch is suspended for the match against Israel. England will most likely have to rely upon Tottenham bench buddies Darren Bent and Jermaine Defoe to shoulder much of the burden.
There are also questions on the right side of midfield. Spurs athlete Aaron Lennon has thus far been sidelined with knee problems, and perennial spark-plug David Beckham has still failed to start a match in MLS due to his lingering ankle injury. The most likely result will be the ever-successful duo of Gerrard and Lampard once again running into each-other in the center of midfield.
The England squad is reeling from injuries, but they still far out-class their opposition. Israel's two best players are subs for Liverpool and Chelsea. The Russian squad features only one player based outside of Russia, who plays in Germany. They will also have home-field advantage, with both matches at Wembley. For a squad that, at least on paper, should be one of the world's elite squads, these matches against second-tier European opposition should not present too great a problem.
However, we are talking about the England squad led by mastermind Steve McClaren. One can picture it now.
McClaren failes to muffle pre-match expectations by blaming injuries. JT dips into his boy scouts book of meaningless maxims. England come out with a stultifying 4-5-1 that cannot break down the 11 men parked behind the ball. The one Englishman who can truly pull the needed goal out of his ass is half-way across the world. Lampard gets booed. England look listless in an insipid 1-1 draw followed by a 1-0 defeat (Somehow, this will equate to $20 of pay-per-view entertainment in the United States). The English media will circle around like vultures. McClaren will inexplicably keep his job. The story will repeat itself in October.
