Carling Cup champions Carroll and Downing are IN
Roy Hodgson has announced his England Euro 2012 squad.
Here it is:
Goalkeepers - Joe Hart, Robert Green, John Ruddy.
Defenders - Leighton Baines, Gary Cahill, Ashley Cole, Glen Johnson, Phil Jones, Joleon Lescott, John Terry.
Midfielders - Gareth Barry, Stewart Downing, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Scott Parker, Theo Walcott, Ashley Young.
Strikers - Andy Carroll, Jermain Defoe, Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck.
Standby - Jack Butland, Phil Jagielka, Jordan Henderson, Adam Johnson, Daniel Sturridge.
A few notes on those included and those excluded:
- Michael Carrick, Micah Richards, and Peter Crouch did not make the cut
- Kyle Walker and Darren Bent are both out through injury and did not make the squad
- Downing and Oxlade-Chamberlain are both included – which may raise some red flags by the so-called “pundits,” but as Hodgson has always liked the 4-4-2 and pacy wingers, this makes sense to me, as both should be bench options with Ashley Young and Theo Walcott grabbing the two starting roles on the flanks. Ox and Downing are just here for the bench.
- Rooney, as we all know, is suspended for the first two matches. That means Carroll could start the first two with one of Defoe or Welbeck alongside him.
Related posts:
Hart
Jones – Lescott – Terry – Baines
Barry – Parker
Walcott – Lampard/Gerrard – Young
Rooney
Please no Johnson at the back. Play Welbeck or Carroll until Rooney is out, they are equally bad. Hooper should play as a striker instead.