Not everyone is smiling today, Fabio

Fabio Capello has sprung a surprise in his final 23-man squad for the World Cup in South Africa by leaving out Theo Walcott and including Michael Carrick and Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Less surprising is the omission of Darren Bent, Scott Parker, Tom Huddlestone and Michael Dawson.

England’s World Cup 2010 Squad

Goalkeepers: James, Hart, Green

Defenders: A. Cole, Ferdinand, Terry, G. Johnson, Carragher, Upson, Warnock, King

Midfielders: Lampard, Gerrard, Lennon, Barry, Milner, J. Cole, Wright-Phillips, Carrick

Strikers: Rooney, Heskey, Crouch, Defoe

I’m pleased with the inclusion of Joe Cole. Like Peter Crouch he offers something completely different and while it is starting to look like Crouch may start with Rooney up front against the USA on June 12th, for me they are both ‘impact substitutes’ – capable of coming on when things are tight and creating a chance where none would have occurred before.

Speaking of Crouch, he’s a lucky player – and I don’t mean that disparagingly. Every team needs a player that just seems to score any old how by being in the right place at the right time even if he didn’t mean to be. That’s Crouch in a nutshell. You need an element of luck to win an international tournament, he brings it.

If Capello does mean to start Crouch alongside Rooney, by the way, why bother with Heskey? He is NOT the player you want to bring on. You start him or you drop him in my opinion.

The left hand side is a problem. Gerrard will play there, I’m sure, but what if he gets injured? We rely on James Milner playing out of position. This is why I’m not too happy that Adam Johnson misses out in favour of his team mate Wright-Phillips. I just don’t see the point of taking SWP when Adam Johnson has shown far more this season. Age not an issue, Fabio? It seems it is.

And then there’s Carragher. He’s a cheeky sod just for agreeing to come back and I can only imagine he agreed to do so on the promise of making the final World Cup squad. For a player who quit international football because he wasn’t getting the starts to come back in the same situation is unbelievable. I don’t have an issue with him putting his club before his country, but he should at least stick to his principles.

Those who can consider themselves unlucky are Dawson and Baines. They have done enough this season to warrant their inclusion. Their problem is that so have Upson and Warnock and they are just that bit more experienced. Baines’ display against Mexico didn’t help him either. Like I said, unlucky.

The rest who miss out do so because they haven’t been good enough when it mattered. Namely during this training camp and in the two friendlies. Bent had a good season but he’s one dimensional and did nothing in the Japan game. Tom Huddlestone suffers the same fate for the same reasons. Just not good enough in the last two weeks. Presumably Scott Parker didn’t do enough in training to even warrant a start.

Why Michael Carrick is included, however, is a bit of a mystery. Poor form this season and a poor half against Mexico pointed to his exclusion and yet there he is. But if Gareth Barry can be given until the last minute then I presume Carrick can be given the benefit of the doubt on ability if not form. And let’s face it…the other options weren’t exactly inspiring.

The headlines will all go with Walcott missing out, just as they did when he was included by Sven Goran Eriksson. But why? Patchy form for Arsenal, only hints of his ability in the last two weeks – he simply hasn’t done enough and he needs to add more to his game and quickly if he is to realise his potential. He’s a one trick pony at the moment and that trick is simply pace. Nice to have, but useless if you can’t provide a final ball.

All in all then, I like the squad. Apart from the selection of Wright-Phillips over Adam Johnson it is pretty much who I would have picked from the 30-man provisional squad. I feel sorry for Dawson, Baines and Johnson and feel that Carrick is there by default but the rest is ok by me.

So come on…the next question is who will be the first XI? Let’s hear what you guys have to say in the comments!