England World Cup Squad Betting: 30 down to 23 is no easy task

England / Mike Norman / 18 May 2010 / Leave a comment Free £25 Bet

England boss Fabio Capello will soon have to point his way to the exit door for seven of his 30 man provisional squad

It's looking increasingly likely that Fabio Capello's 23-man England Squad will come from the 30 players that he named in last week's provisional squad; so we asked "Mystical" Mike Norman to predict the seven players that will miss out.

"Joe Cole could easily be the surprise omission from England’s World Cup squad simply because he hasn’t played enough games for Chelsea this season. Steven Gerrard has been preferred on the left side of midfield in recent games by Capello, and the fast-improving Adam Johnson is also very capable of playing in that position."

I've never bought into Fabio Capello's way of naming a 30-man squad, only to reduce it by seven a few days - or in this case - a few weeks later. It's a bit late to be 'looking' at players in meaningless friendlies only for the England boss to tell seven of them that they haven't made it - when they were probably never in with a chance anyway.

Why Capello doesn't just come out and name the 23 players he wants to take to the World Cup, with four or five reserves should any of his original picks not make it, is a bit mystifying. Perhaps it's Capello's way of keeping everyone on their toes; it's a harsh way, but that's the Italian in a nutshell, and it's difficult to argue with the results he's achieved so far as manager of the England national football team.

So just who will be Capello's un-magnificent seven? Here's who I think will miss out on the plane to South Africa this summer.

Nb: The price in brackets after each player's name is the price for that player to be INCLUDED in the final 23-man squad.

Stephen Warnock ([3.2]) - With Ashley Cole ([1.03]) now fit again, and Leighton Baines ([1.05]) getting the nod over Warnock when both were available for selection against Egypt a few months back, it looks very likely that the Aston Villa man will be one of the few defensive casualties from Capello's provisional squad.

Matthew Upson ([1.46]) - Another defensive casualty could be Upson. Fancied by many to make the squad but I'm not so sure. He has had an uninspiring season for struggling West Ham whereas surprise inclusions Ledley King ([1.23]) and Michael Dawson ([1.63]) are brimming with confidence after helping Tottenham secure a Champions League slot. Rio Ferdinand ([1.05]), John Terry ([1.01]), and Jamie Carragher ([1.09]) are certain to be going to the World Cup, leaving Upson as the unfortunate one to miss out.

Joe Cole ([1.47]) - Cole could easily be the surprise omission from England's World Cup squad simply because he hasn't played enough games for Chelsea this season. Steven Gerrard ([1.02]) has been preferred on the left side of midfield in recent games by Capello, and the fast-improving Adam Johnson ([1.56]) is also very capable of playing in that position.

Scott Parker ([3.4]) - I'm a fan of Parker, but put simply, England have enough quality in the centre of midfield to leave the West Ham skipper at home.

Shaun Wright-Phillips ([2.1]) - Capello's 30-man squad seems to be lob-sided with right-midfield players, hence why I think Wright-Phillips will definitely miss out. Johnson will remain in the squad because of his ability to play on the left and James Milner ([1.05]) will remain because he can play in the centre. Theo Walcott ([1.13]) and Aaron Lennon ([1.06]) appear to be the preferred choices of Capello, meaning it's goodbye to Wright-Phillips.

Tom Huddlestone ([3.0]) - Probably named in the provisional squad because of the doubts over Gareth Barry ([1.3]), but I have a feeling that the Man City midfielder will be fit in time. Even so, with Michael Carrick ([1.06]) being an able deputy should Barry suffer another setback, it's highly unlikely that Huddlestone will make the final 23.

Darren Bent ([3.1]) - Bent could hardly have done anything more to make the World Cup squad, it's just unfortunate for him that Capello seems to have settled on his four strikers a long time ago. It all means that Peter Crouch ([1.02]), Jermain Defoe ([1.01]), Emile Heskey ([1.06]) and Wayne Rooney ([1.01]) are the four strikers that will go to South Africa.

My squad in full then;

Goalkeepers: Joe Hart, David James, Robert Green

Defenders: Leighton Baines, Jamie Carragher, Ashley Cole, Michael Dawson, Rio Ferdinand, Glen Johnson, Ledley King, John Terry

Midfielders: Gareth Barry, Michael Carrick, Steven Gerrard, Adam Johnson, Frank Lampard, Aaron Lennon, James Milner, Theo Walcott

Forwards: Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, Emile Heskey, Wayne Rooney