No you don’t get the lap dance, but we are inviting you to pick your England team!
With perhaps the exception of Sepp Blatter and Phil Brown, the great thing about football is that everyone has their opinion. For us at 90minutesonline an article without your comments and opinions is like a transfer window without a new signing - or a World Cup without England. So on that note.
This week the 90minutesonline team got together to share our ideas on who and how we think Capello should send the boys out next week. We're inviting you to slate and debate them, or even better send in your own lineup for us to do likewise.
Let us know your thoughts on our selections and if you send a .jpeg file of your England team using the BBC Squad Selector we’ll post it up on the site (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).
El Benjamino's 11
The Spain/England friendly left it quite clear for me that when it comes to interational football England has quite some catching up to do. Possession is absolutely crucial at the top level now and for that reason I've picked a squad I feel are all comfortable in receiving, passing and running with the ball.
Nevertheless, as Capello himself said, we can't expect England to play like Spain. I'd say we could, however, expect them to play a bit like 'Spanish Liverpool' as they call them here in Spain (at least once Real Madrid are knocked out)
Therefore I'd put Carrick or Barry in the Maschereno role and Beckham would serve as a Xabi Alonso style quarterback, but both players would have the chief objective of hitting Lennon and Gerrard on the flanks as quickly and as early as possible to counter-attack at speed.
Cole and Rooney would form a typical big man/ little man partnership upfront and the likes of Barry and Lampard on the bench would keep the team on its toes. I'd play Cole out of position on the right, as for me Glen Johnson just doesnt inspire confidence defensively.
The Mofster’s 11
When you come to actually selecting an England team you can see why they struggle. This is not a good international squad.
I’ve gone for an attack minded team because we really should be putting Slovakia to the sword.
Starting at the back, David James is out in favour of Ben Foster. It’s criminal that he’s 25 and still not playing regularly. He was excellent in the Carling Cup and seems the best bet for England’s future number one.
The defense is standard, but I differ from El Benjamino in thinking that Glen Johnson is worthy of a start. He’s come on leaps and bound since he left Chelsea and he gives a lot going forward.
The midfield is a bit controversial. Out wide I’ve gone for two players who can run at people. Wright-Phillips will have to play on the left and the in-form Lennon on the right. They’ll provide some penetration.
To balance that I’ve gone for Lampard and Barry in the centre. Against Croatia they were impeccable. They were disciplined and intelligent enough to play as a two-man midfield – something Steven Gerrard struggles to do.
Up front Rooney, with Heskey as the foil. It seems to allow Rooney to do what he does best.
All in all a standard 4-4-2, but seeing as it’s Slovakia I’d want the full-backs to push on as much as possible and the wingers to run at people whenever they get the ball.
The Rome’s 11
Green in goal. I think he's been the most consistent English keeper in the Prem for the last 2 seasons.
Ferdinand and Terry centre backs. They practically pick themselves, someone will have to do a lot to dislodge either of them.
Johnson & Cole full backs. Not exactly a lot of options and they're both capable enough.
Given the form of that bastard Stevie G, I'll go for a formation that puts him in an AMC role, because I trust him to score at international level over Crouch, Heskey or Cole.
Carrick & Beckham to play deep, break up the play and spray the ball around.
Lennon on the right flank as he's got a ton of pace and is in good form. Downing on the left, I don't really rate him, but I don't like square pegs in round holes so in he goes. I would rather have Joe Cole, Ashley Young or even Matty Taylor ahead of him though.
The churlish Roon-Dog up front. Calm down, calm down, don't get yourself sent off you surly, stroppy bastard!
Ian Shine’s 11
The make up of any decent side has to be based on form, and this is the reasoning behind a few of my picks.
Robert Green has three clean sheets in his last four, so he’s in. Plus, being 29, I think he offers a combination of the wise-headed veteran that David James possibly is and the raw youth of Ben Foster.
Form also sees Gerrard and Lennon in the side, but this doesn’t mean the absence of Beckham.
This is because I’ve returned to a 3-5-2 Hoddle-esque wing back formation, mainly because Beckham has to be in the side to take advantage of dead-ball situations against poorer sides.
There’s no way Downing is ever getting in any England side of mine, so Wright-Phillips can have a go on the left and Carrick can play the holding role.
At the back Ferdinand picks himself, while the disgustingly overrated John Terry can sit on the bench. Lescott is in because he’s a great team player, consistent, hard working, scores a lot of goals and rarely makes a fool of himself.
In a three man defence I’m not so sure about chucking in Ashley Cole, but there’s not really any one better, and he could provide some nice overlaps with little Shaun on the left.
As for the strikers i’m a bit stumped. Owen should be in the squad, but he’s not, and as some bloke wrote on a BBC message board during the transfer window: “If Carlton Cole's worth £8m, I must be worth somewhere approaching £7.5m.”
Heskey is much maligned, but he’s always performed for England, so he’s in. Crouch also has a pretty good England record, but as we only have three players of true world-beating calibre, namely Gerrard, Ferdinand and Rooney, all of those three have to be in the side.
Simon Ruuth’s 11
