Former professional football player, Tony Cascarino, has said that England will need Peter Crouch more than Wayne Rooney in South Africa this summer.

Crouch came off the bench to bag a brace in the win over Egypt on Wednesday night. His dominance and physical presence seemed to transform the fortunes of the England side on the field.

Rooney played from the start of the game and gave a typically busy performance, which was capped by a TV clip that showed the Manchester United front man yelling at the entire team in the first half.

Cascarino said: “Who’s the more important striker for England, Wayne Rooney or Peter Crouch? Guess again: it’s Crouch. I’d argue he’s England’s most important attacker – potentially the team’s most important player, in fact.”

“Not the best player, you understand; but there’s a difference between “best” and “most important”. Crouch is one of those players who can make the entire team more effective just by his presence. He’s not the most individually talented, he need not even have an especially good game; but as we saw on Wednesday, when he’s in the team, England are improved.”

“It’s because of what Crouch does to opponents – he scares defences who are intimidated by his height – and what he does to his own team-mates. He adds a dimension to England’s attacks that isn’t present when two small forwards such as Rooney and Jermain Defoe are up front. And by doing that, Crouch influences England as a whole, because they become less predictable and more confident, whether he’s seeing much of the ball or not.”

“There’s enough flair in the England side to create chances without a tall target man, but Crouch gives an extra option. Wingers can cut inside and pass short to onrushing midfield players such as Frank Lampard or Steven Gerrard, or send over high crosses and feel optimistic Crouch will get on the end of the ball. They’ve got more choice when Crouch is there. And not being able to predict what will happen makes defences nervous and more vulnerable.”

It is highly debateable to say that Crouch is a better player than Rooney. Any football fan or pundit would pick the United striker ahead of the Spurs player. The point is that together they can become formidable.

Rooney has the work ethic and the skill to create something out of nothing while Crouch gives them something at the very top of the pitch. Just the sheer size of the Tottenham player makes him a daunting striker to play against.

The two need to combine and start working towards making England a threatening attacking team to play against. Teams have worked out how to play against Crouch but not when he has Rooney snapping at his heels as well.

Hopefully the two will bag enough goals to be able to send England into the later stages of the World Cup when literally any thing can happen.

Frank Lampard has insisted that selecting Rio Ferdinand as the next England international captain was the right choice for everyone concerned.

After John Terry was stripped of the role, there were calls emerging for great transparency within the England team and all players concerned. Fans and pundits alike seemed to want a new figure to represent England as opposed to a player with a damaged past.

Now England have a captain that was banned from football for missing a drugs test and a vice captain who has been in court for assault. Not to mention John Terry’s latest activities, which do not exactly inspire confidence down the spine of the team.

The point is that historically, Fabio Capello and England have both liked a defender in the role as captain. The defence is often seen as one of the most tactical areas to play in a football team and many captains like to lead from the back.

Lampard said: “John and Rio are both big personalities. The England captain has to be someone vocal in the squad and (Ferdinand) has always been a popular fella in the dressing room and he is easy to get on with.”

“The controversy of the changeover and everything is unfortunate but now it has changed Rio deserves it and will give it a great crack.”

“Wayne is our best player, especially at the moment, and he is the one that can really make things happen for us off the cuff. To burden him at that age (24) would have been the manager’s decision, but I think it is a good idea not to.”

“I think he will be England captain one day for sure. This has brought up a whole talk about England captaincy but you need a few captains on the pitch.”

England need to be structured and strong if they are to have any chance of success in South Africa this summer. Ferdinand already has experience of captaincy in the Manchester United side so it is important to look at the positives instead of the negatives.

Hopefully the team will pull together at just the right time and put all of these bad feelings and bad pasts behind them. On too many occasions, the best football players in the country are in the headlines for all of the wrong reasons when we just want to see them playing and doing well.

There had been strong calls for Wayne Rooney to be given the armband but the decision not to is probably the right one. Rooney needs to focus entirely on himself and his own game and not have to worry about other responsibilities. This will mean he can be ready and willing to rip the heart out of many sides.

If he was made skipper and then did not perform as well as everyone hoped then there would have been uproar and Rooney probably would have been forced to give up the role. Ferdinand has the job now and it’s important that we all get behind him and the team.

Chelsea midfielder, Frank Lampard, has leapt to the defence of his England teammate, Joleon Lescott, after he was subjected to a booing from England fans in the recent friendly win over Slovenia.

Lescott recently moved to Manchester City in a high profile, big money move that has led a number of fans to say that Lescott effectively left Everton to go and play for bigger money, suggesting that the player does not wear his heart on his sleeve and is in effect a mercenary.

However, Lampard himself is no stranger to criticism and booing from his own Chelsea and England admirers and simply says that the criticism should make Lescott more determined and a better player.

The Chelsea star said: “Maybe people respected the fact I stepped up and took that penalty at a very difficult moment, particularly because it had been a funny period for me before then. Booing is part of modern culture. It is unfortunate but as players we have to take that as the way it is. I have had a little bit of it, Ashley has too, but the only benefit out of it is people will come out stronger. It makes you tougher.”

“I don’t know Joleon well but, from what I’ve seen, he’s tough. The timing of his move was unfortunate. He is just trying to forward his career in an upward direction but, because it was so prolonged, people make a lot of judgments. He has never shown me he is not putting in 100% effort and trying to do his best.”

The reason that a lot of fans seem to have a problem with Lescott is the fact that his former club, Everton, gave him a great opportunity to show his commitment to the side as they obviously did not want him to leave. Ashley Cole was subjected to similar booing and criticism when he joined Chelsea from London rivals Arsenal and says it is now just part of the game.

Cole added: “[Against Kazakhstan last summer] What was I thinking [at the time]? I want to go off. You just want a hole to open up and go in it.”

The players need to realise that they are at the very top of the sport they play in and the fans pay more money than ever before when they go to see a game. Therefore when they see a top player under performing or making a basic error, they feel as though they have a rigght to stand up and have a boo if it makes them feel better.

Lescott is professional enough to let it wash over him but it is something he may just have to endure for the rest of his career.

England manager, Fabio Capello, says that he will have to be ruthless if his defensive players do not tighten up. Capello was visibly annoyed during the 2-1 home friendly victory over Slovenia at the weekend but the manager says there are worries in defence.

England won the match thanks to goals from Frank Lampard and Jermain Defoe but were worryingly loose in defence, which was shown when Slovenia grabbed their consolation goal.

Capello has a history of dropping players without a second thought and has been previously involved in a number of heated arguments and exchanges at a variety of clubs he managed at before taking the England job.

Capello said: “Sometimes I shout but this time not. I will explain what I want them to do – if they want to stay with me.”

It is unlikely that Capello will make huge changes ahead of England’s World Cup qualifying match with Croatia on Wednesday. If England win the match then they will become one of the first teams to secure a place at next summer’s World Cup in South Africa.

However, the point is that another bad performance in defence from England could lead to a number of players falling out of favour with the coach and it could open up a corridor of possibility for fringe players that would not have been expecting a chance.

England have the team and the ability to do very well at the World Cup but the fundemental basis of Capello’s game is built around having a tight defence. Mathew Upson has not impressed since he was given the nod to replace Rio Ferdinand and Capello may opt to go for less experience but more desire in future games.

England’s strongest defensive pairing is still John Terry and Rio Ferdinand but the worry is what comes after this. Capello has already tried a variety of combinations that have for some reason or another not worked and the reliance on big name players is worrying.

There is no room for egos or mistakes in what the Italian is trying to achieve with the English national side. As he has said himself, there is room to do big and great things but this requires commitment and focus in every single national game that is played. England will not get off so lightly against better opposition.

Any lapse in concentration against an Italy, Germany, Spain or France, even for the smallest amount of time could be the difference between failure and success for England. Complete and utter focus is necessary if the side are to have any chance of winning a major tournament that they can do.

AC Milan playmaker, Andrea Pirlo, has played down the links that have said he is about to join Carlo Ancelotti in moving to Chelsea. Pirlo was said to be upset at the way that Ancelotti left the Italian giants and was rumoured to have already negotiated a deal that would take him to West London.

However, the player insists that although it would be nice to sign for Chelsea, the quotes that originally linked him to the club were complete fabrication. This may come as a shock to many Chelsea fans that would have been hoping that Pirlo could come in and stabilise the midfield, doing the job that Deco was not up to.

Pirlo said: “Perhaps it’s possible that I could join Ancelotti in London. He is a great coach, perhaps I could play with him again. I have never spoken to the Irish Independent [one of the newspapers which carried the quote]. I have not made any of the comments that have been attributed to my name.”

Pirlo could be the exact sort of player that Chelsea are looking for. At 30 he still has a couple of good years ahead of him and he is the sort of player that mirrors Andres Iniesta of Barcelona in the respect that he does not ever give a pass of longer than ten yards because he is that good at being able to position himself.

However, the problem that Ancelotti is faced with is that he probably has more funds available at Chelsea than he ever did in the time that he was AC Milan manager. He also does not have the ability to rely on Kaka any more who went to Real Madrid in a huge financial package.

It could be unlikely that Ancelotti would be willing to buy players that he had worked with before unless he was certain that they could match the technical ability and talent of any player that he can effectively now buy. His options have been opened wide up because of the funds he has available and he may choose to sign a number of other, less mainstream players who can use youth and talent to make Chelsea great again.

Pirlo obviously would not fit into this category but what he would take to Chelsea would be a lot of experience and he could pass this onto the youths at Chelsea who are struggling to break into the first team. Chelsea are maybe outside the top four football academies in the country and the more experience that you can get in through the door the better as the chances of helping younger players progress would be better.

The story comes just days after Ancelotti was rumoured to be trying to get Paolo Maldini to move to England and take up a coaching role and it shows that he does have some faith in old experience and ability. The likes of Frank Lampard are not getting any younger and the arrival of Pirlo could create a new enthusiasm within the team.

Frank Lampard has refused to get carried away with England’s impressive form and believes success in South Africa will define their progress. Fabio Capello has a perfect record in qualifying for the World Cup with seven wins from seven games in his first campaign with the latest win a 6-0 drubbing over minnows Andorra.

The win put England 10 points clear of Croatia and Ukraine in Group 6 and their form has prompted many England fans to suggest the squad are well equipped to win the tournament next summer. Lampard netted his second of the campaign in the Andorra rout but has called for calm heads as England near automatic qualification. “Going into the World Cup on good form can be a good thing, as long as we do not get carried away and have the right attitude,” he said.

“As a group we are not overconfident. We are playing well, but we realise there is still a long way to go. “We just need to keep the form going into the World Cup and then get our minds right. “We are scoring regularly, there is a confidence about us and it is important we carry that on and qualify as soon as possible. We have always had good individuals, but now we are playing as a team. After missing out on the European Championship finals last summer, Fabio Capello has restored pride in the national team after a change in personnel and formation rejuvenated the England team.

Lampard came under scrutiny during the last campaign for failing to strike up a working partnership with fellow midfielder Steven Gerrard. The pair failed to gel in the centre of the pitch under former boss Steve McClaren, but Capello’s changes have seen both Lampard and the Liverpool captain operate in new roles. “The manager has tweaked it a little bit and everyone is happy,” said Lampard. “We are both playing slightly different roles than we do for our clubs, but we are happy because we are in a winning team and it is gelling.

“I basically stop a lot more, am playing more of a central role. “The manager wants discipline in the centre of the park. Stevie has more freedom to roll in off the left where he can be very dangerous even though it is not his Liverpool position. The emergence of Gareth Barry as regular in Capello’s side has seen an improvement in the midfield’s performance and Lampard admits that a bond has formed as a result of their good form.

“We were playing well for our clubs week in and week out, but never hurt teams as a group. Now we are. “There is a togetherness about us, you can feel it in training every day, and that is the difference. “At the moment it is all clicking, but we will be judged at the end of the World Cup rather than winning games against Andorra.” “I feel the hunger even more with the more experience I get. I am enjoying my football for both Chelsea and England. “I am feeling more confident and just want to keep playing. There is a big season ahead for me.

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has also benefited from a return to international form as he took his tally to 10 for the campaign against Andorra. England teammate Lampard has hailed the 23-year-old’s form and believes it is down to finding the right balance in his approach play. “Wayne has been up there for quite a while and now he is scoring a few more goals at international level people are sitting up and taking notice. But he is right up there with the best,” said Lampard.

“Maybe he occupied himself a bit much with dropping deep and trying to put people in and do everything. “Now he has found that medium where he is doing that stuff, but also getting in the box on the end of things.”

As the saying goes, “You can’t win the lottery if you don’t buy a ticket.” Well, England are one win away from their ticket to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and it would be a disaster of monumental proportions to blow it now.

They almost guaranteed next summer’s trip with a 6-0 whitewashing over Andorra today (June 10th) at Wembley Stadium in London in their group six qualifier. And once again Wayne Rooney led the way by banging in two more goals. He now has 24 in 52 England matches, 10 in his last seven games for England and eight in seven World Cup qualifying matches. It looked like he could have had a hat trick in the first few minutes if the ball had bounced his way.

Manager Fabio Capello made a few changes from the squad that started last Saturday as David Beckham made played a full 90 minutes and Peter Crouch started up front for a change.

England did something unusual for them as they got off to a good start finally and the Manchester United star opened the scoring in the fourth minute with a fine downward header after being left alone just yards in front of the goal and being picked out by Glen Johnson.

Frank Lampard made it 2-0 in the 29th minute. Johnson then laid in a lovely cross for Rooney in the 39th minute and he met it beautifully and guided it into the net for a 3-0 lead. Johnson set up three goals and was the man of the match.

Capello brought on Ashley Young, and Jermain Defoe at half time for Steven Gerrard and Rooney. While Young didn’t make much of a difference, Defoe showed why he’s a lot better option up front than Heskey.

Wayne Bridge came on for Ashley Cole in the 64th minute and England put the ball in the net a minute later but it was ruled offside. Defoe was denied by an excellent save from Andorra’s keeper Alvarez in the 69th minute as the England striker met a cross just a couple of yards in front of the net.

However, Defoe made sure he got on the score sheet just five minutes later and then he doubled his output in the 76th minute as Alvarez couldn’t hang onto David Beckham’s long-range free kick and Defoe pounced on the rebound and tucked it home. But Defoe wasn’t finished there. He made a great run into the box in the 80th minute, but mistimed his shot, however, it fell right into the path of  Crouch and he just tucked it over the line to make it 6-0. It was Crouch’s 14th goal in 17 starts for his country.

Today was England’s biggest win in a competitive game since 1999 and although they have done very well so far in the Qualifying stages, some factions of the English press are getting a little carried away already by suggesting 2010 is finally going to be the year England breaks their 44-year drought and will be crowned world champions, for the first time since 1966.

While England has just as good of a chance as anybody to win it, perhaps even a better shot actually than some teams, let’s not forget the games are won on the pitch, not on, and in the paper. They still have a lot of bad habits and sloppy play that needs to be eradicated before next summer. Assuming they make it.