Goalkeeper: Scott Carson - by Chris Woods



I have seen a little bit of him and Nigel Martyn, who I coach at Everton, knows him from his days at Leeds. He tells me that he is a good goalkeeper and has got plenty of potential.


It is unlikely that he will play much of a part in the World Cup - the goalkeeper position is not one to experiment with in a big tournament. But just being part of Sven-Goran Eriksson's squad will be a fantastic experience for him and he can only learn from working alongside James and Robinson.


Stats:

Other England Goalkeepers: Paul Robinson (Spurs); David James (Man. City)


Defender: Jamie Carragher - by Terry Butcher


If you are asking for someone to provide that crucial quality of reliability, you will never find a more reliable personality than Jamie Carragher. He has had two outstanding seasons with Liverpool and has proved his ability to fill every position in the back four for club and country - he is the heartbeat of a football team.


You have to have characters and leaders when your back is up against the wall and Jamie is the personification of that.
England are well-blessed in central defence, but Carragher's versatility means he could end up playing a vital role at the World Cup. And one thing is for sure: he will not let England down.


Stats:

Other England Defenders: John Terry (Chelsea), Sol Campbell (Arsenal), Rio Ferdinand (Man. U), Ashley Cole (Arsenal), Gary Neville (Man. U), Wayne Bridge (Chelsea)

Follow up:

Steven Gerrard - by Chris Waddle





Everyone keeps saying if he can turn his Liverpool form on for England we will have one of the best players in the world. I think he has always been unfortunate having the likes of Lampard around him and he tends to be given the anchor role, which is not his best position.

With Liverpool he plays further forward, he has men behind him to do the defensive duties who allow him to play with the ball. When he gets in that final 30-40 yards he boasts a terrific shot and is as good as Beckham at crossing the ball and taking set-pieces.


He is a terrific all-round talent and I would like to see him allowed to show that ability for England. But if you ask him to play as a defensive midfielder you are taking 60-70% of his game away.
I just hope he gets the role where he can hurt teams rather than sitting in the defence where he is wasted.


Stats:

Other England Midfielders: David Beckham (Real Madrid), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Owen Hargreaves(Bayern Munich), Joe Cole(Chelsea), Aaron Lennon (Spurs), Michael Carrick (Spurs), Jermaine Jenas (Spurs), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough)



Peter Crouch - by Alan Shearer


Crouch is the sort of player defenders do not like to play against - he is a real handful. There are not many international defenders who will have played against a player like him. If you give him the right service he adds another dimension for the England forward line.

The England wide men will know that, without picking their heads up, if they get the ball in the box they have someone who is likely to get on the end of it.


He is a threat and hard to handle, particularly if he is coming on as a substitute in the last 20 minutes.
If Owen and Rooney are fit for the final stages then his involvement will be in coming off the bench as a super sub. But for the group stages, he obviously he has a much better chance of starting.


Stats:

Other England Strikers: Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Michael Owen (Newcastle), Wayne Rooney (Man. U)