Walcott Rightly Dumped From England Squad, But Is His Replacement Any Better?

The moment that edges the World Cup ever closer has arrived, as Mr Capello finally reveals his 23 man World Cup squad and as ever there’s an omission that has caused consternation amongst certain members of the press.

Theo Walcott has grabbed all the attention this lunchtime as he has failed to make the cut and the headline writers have ratcheted the drama up to eleven as a result.

His absence from the squad though is surely not the great surprise it’s being made out to be, is it?

Unfortunately for Walcott he now carries with him the weight of hope and expectation having scored that fantastic hat-trick in Croatia during the qualifying campaign, but he has shown no where near the same form since.

In particular, his performances against Mexico and Japan were woeful.

Now I’m sure that comment will anger many Arsenal fans, but the fact remains that he has failed to rediscover that clinicism that he showed in Zagreb when he bagged his only goals for his country.

Capello has previously shown faith in the pacey winger by selecting him for many of England’s outings in the run up to the World Cup, but repeated disappointing performances have cost him.

There’s no doubt that the boy has potential and this was seen at a very early age by $ven, but this season hasn’t been the year when he fulfils his great promise.

Domestically he’s had a frustrating time of it and whilst he’s shown consistency, it’s been for all the wrong elements of his game.

He has electric pace and posses a good touch of the ball, but has consistently failed to provide a killer final ball, often seemingly uncomfortable and lacking in confidence when choosing between shooting or passing and often choosing neither.

Despite this, I feel the same way about his replacement in the squad, Shaun Wright-Phillips, who has made a career out failing to fulfil his potential.

So whether one frustrating winger is better than the other is unclear in my mind (but seemingly clear in Capello’s), but if both players have failed to shine this season, why then not take a player who has impressed greatly and even kept Wright-Phillips out of the City team?

Adam Johnson has had an exceptional season at Eastlands since signing from Middlesbrough in January and has kept his place in the starting line-up and even excelled in a team of multi-million £ stars.

Admittedly he is inexperienced at international level and even relatively inexperienced in the Premier League, but if he is going as an understudy to Aaron Lennon or Joe Cole, who are more likely to start for England, then why not take a player who is in excellent form?

After all Capello has always maintained that he will pick players who are in form ahead of perceived reputation and he even said so as part of his reasoning for dismissing Michael Owen as a potential squad player, before he suffered his injury in the League Cup final.

A lack of form has also cost the unfortunate Leighton Baines, who after two less than effective performances against Mexico and Japan has been replaced by Stephen Warnock, despite the Villa defender not featuring in the two warm up games.

The other names not making the trip to South Africa are less surprising and they are: Michael Dawson, Tom Huddlestone, Scott Parker and Darren Bent.

The 23 who have made the cut have avoided the headlines today, but over the next coming month they’ll face a barrage of press attention, hopefully for the right reasons.

Posted By Dan Mobbs - Tuesday June 1, 2010.
Tags: Theo Walcott, England