Right-midfield

This is the first tournament for many years that David Beckham has not been an automatic selection at right-midfield. We have ranked his potential successors below.

1. A controversial squad inclusion for Germany 2006, Theo Walcott is now established at club and international level. His three goals against Croatia in the second qualifier for 2010 both demonstrated his ability and kick-started England’s bid for South Africa. His performances in the following qualifiers did not quite measure up to this showing in Zagreb and then injury limited his input. Walcott is quick and classy and, whilst he can look suspect defensively at times, he is probably (when fit) Capello’s first choice right-midfielder.

2. Walcott’s injuries enabled Aaron Lennon to break into the England starting XI for the concluding qualifiers. He took this opportunity to re-establish that he is a viable alternative for right-midfield. Lennon previously performed well as a substitute for England at World Cup 2006, and Capello has provided him with the opportunity at international level again. Like Walcott, Lennon is quick and likes to take on his marker. It has oft been stated that Lennon’s delivery lets his game down, but it looked reasonable enough for England in the qualifiers.

3. Joe Cole has usually been deployed on the left-flank for England, but his absences through injury have meant Steven Gerrard has now become settled in this berth. Cole perhaps favours playing centrally and has been used by his club Chelsea at the attacking tip of a midfield diamond. But, with Gerrard on the left and England’s central positions pretty settled, Cole could be used on the right (he was also back on the right-wing for Chelsea in last weekend’s fixture against Sunderland.) Cole is probably the most skilful option available to Fabio Capello. However, as a result of his playmaking tendencies he’s likely to want to drift infield from his flank to influence play and, with Gerrard operating in a similar fashion on the left, this could cause congestion.

4. Whilst he is principally a defensive midfielder, Owen Hargreaves did play for Manchester United at right-midfield in the 2008 Champions League Final. Hargreaves was England’s player of the tournament at the last World Cup and is a versatile and talented performer. He would be a more pragmatic, defensively-sound choice than Walcott or Lennon. As a result he could be a good partner for the attack-minded full-back Glenn Johnson. However, whilst he offers good pace and distribution, he’s not likely to consistently beat a full-back. For Hargreaves to be considered (for any position) he needs to return from injury soon.

5. Shaun Wright-Phillips has been on the fringe of the first team for several years but has never quite made the leap to ‘indispensable’ status. He even missed out on a squad place at the last World Cup. Wright-Phillips holds a place down at star-laden Manchester City, but I think his performances over the qualifiers for England were lacklustre. He offers similar attributes to Walcott and Lennon, but on recent international form he should be behind them in the pecking order.

6. Currently England’s first-choice right-back, Glen Johnson has looked brilliant on occasions supporting attacks, but he is prone to defensive lapses. Could a move to right-midfield bring out the best in his game?