With the annocuncement of the English national team to face Spain this week the is and always was going to be just one name we were going to be looking for... David Beckham. And surprise surprise, there he was to lead the list for the upcomming freindly. And to be fair, he is probably the most in form player going into the game. But then, of all the in form players coming into this game, not many of them would be on this team sheet.
With the likes of Phil Jagielka, Ashley Young and Carlton Cole being called up along with Mr. Beckam, there is a clear mixture of fresh young talent and sheer quality and experience breathing a refreshing breath of fresh air into the England setup. Jagielka has been heralded as "Unstoppable" by David Moyes, Martin O'Neil called Ashley Young "World-class" and Carlton Cole has begun to find the net on a very regular basis and at the same time Becks has been hailed the world over.
If played on Wednesday, Beckham will match Bobby Moore's record of apperances for an outfield player for England and in my humble opinion, he is perhaps Englands greatest player since the late Moore. A lot of people would simply dismiss the last statement and quote names like Shearer, Hughes, Robson, Adams and Lineker, but truely, have any of those great names really taken England further than Beckham? None of them is the sad answer. And on top of his playing skills, Beckham also brings leadership and experience to the table.
If I can say this without putting the mockers on it, I think Fabio Cappello's willingness to blend fresh raw talent with quality and tried and tested experience, I think this squad stand as much a chance of winning next years World Cup as anyboby else. Cappello must also be commended for breking the mould of having a starting 11 and then altering the fringe players for each of his squads. All he needs to do now is to finally drop Stuart Downing!
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