The absence of Rooney would be a huge blow to England’s World Cup hopes, but let’s not despair - England could still have an excellent 2006. Rooney stood out at Euro 2004 as by far our best attacking player. However, as a result of England’s malformed team structure, it was only a dynamic loose cannon like Rooney who had the capacity to shine. England fielded the most absurd midfield ever assembled on one pitch, comprising three attacking central midfielders, Scholes, Gerrard and Lampard - with Beckham on the right. It’s like a band in which everyone wants to play lead guitar but there’s no one on drums…or like a fishmongers where everyone wants to be Head Fishman but no one wants to sweep the floor. No defensive midfielder and a central midfielder on the left - quite a masterplan, but imagine the fuss if Sven had left one of his superstars out. No other nation would have tried to shoehorn its big names into one midfield in such a haphazard fashion, and Greece eventually demonstrated that a starless team could triumph.

If the England team is better arranged this year then the impact of Rooney’s loss should not be as great as in 2004. If Sven continues with 4-4-2, with Crouch and Owen up front, then the ‘compulsory’ inclusion of captain Beckham creates problems in midfield. Playing Gerrard and Lampard together in the centre without a defensive midfielder behind them is such nonsense it makes me feel nauseous – it just doesn’t work and neutralises the ebullience of two energetic and rangy attacking players. The “erm well when he goes forward I stay back” strategy could come unstuck against Trinidad & Tobago, never mind Brazil. And if Sven plays Carrick behind Lampard, then Gerrard will be pushed out left which won’t suit him, and the increasingly important Joe Cole will be relegated to the subs bench. (WCH has harped on about it more than enough, but if Beckham could be dropped and Gerrard played on the right, 4-4-2 might have more appeal.)

The 4-3-3 formation has been discussed on these pages [here and here]. It could well be worth a try but as mentioned before we don’t see where Beckham fits. The midfield triumvirate should consist of Carrick, Lampard and Gerrard – with a striker supported by two wingers. In our previous articles we’ve envisaged Crouch leading the line with Joe Cole and Rooney supporting. Now SWP or the possible wildcard Aaron Lennon would joint the frontline. I can’t really see Owen operating as a lone striker in a 4-3-3 formation, but with him and Rooney both absent, the team would look a little light on goal threat.

Therefore the solution is 4-5-1. Carrick behind Gerrard and Lampard in central midfield, Joe Cole on the left and Beckham on the right. There’s still a chance Owen could be isolated up front but hopefully Lampard and Gerrard, freed-up by the inclusion of Carrick, will be able to provide adequate support. If Owen remains bereft of reinforcements, this formation can mutate slightly to 4-4-1-1 with Gerrard pushing on into a support striker role. If Lampard and Gerrard work well together in the middle, England still have a good chance of winning the World Cup. Of the two, I think Gerrard is England’s most important player – a persistent underachiever at international level, if he finds his feet in an open central role we might soon realise that our hopes don’t just hang on Rooney’s broken toe.

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