Thinking Of Backing England For 2010 World Cup Victory? Let's Have A Look At Their Likely Squad

No one doubts that a lot of a football team's success is due to the manager and the back stage staff. Understanding the team of players that they have, their strong points, weaknesses and where best to play them, along with having an in-depth awareness of any opposing teams, a manager can be the driving force behind the success of any squad.

Whilst this may be true, without quality players, successes are almost impossible to come by and therefore a mixture of both a knowledgeable manager and skilled players is the perfect formula for a successful football team.

In the World Cup, England have only one the tournament once, back in 1966 when they beat Germany 4-2 in extra time. Reaching quarter finals and semi finals regularly ever since, many are hoping for England to trounce on the opposition in 2010 and if you are one of these optimistic hopefuls who is planning on betting Fabio Capello can get the job done, it's important that you have a good idea who is likely to be in the 2010 World Cup squad.

The following squad members are taken from a combination of potential squads provided recently by several newspapers, including the Telegraph and Daily Mail.

Goalkeeper. The primary goalkeeper in the England squad is a little difficult to determine, as the pundits are edging their bets between the experienced but out-of-form David James and the younger but in-form, if not a little peak-and-trough-like, Robert Green.

Defenders. Possibly the most difficult choice for Capello as he has several world class defenders at his finger tips, expect to see John Terry, Rio Ferdinand and Ashley Cole feature heavily. The fourth place could be taken up by one of any number of quality players, including Glen Johnson, Wes Brown and Leighton Baines.

Midfielders. Unless struck down with injury, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard should both be guaranteed inclusions. The other two spots are a little more difficult to fill and most were expecting David Beckham to be involved for what could potentially be his last World Cup, as by the time the 2014 World Cup starts, he would be 38. Whilst footballers older than this have competed in World Cups (David James is currently 39), for a midfielder to be 38, they re often considered to be just past their prime.

Unfortunately, his Milan match against Chievo on 14 March saw him pick up an unfortunate Achilles tendon injury that will rule him out of the tournament. Expect to see Aaron Lennon, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Theo Walcott and Stewart Downing all competing for his - and the remaining - place.

Forwards. The only absolutely definite forward to be playing in the World Cup is Wayne Rooney, but that doesn't mean there is a lack of quality or choice, just that Capello has tried so many different combinations in previous matches, it is difficult to see who he is going to field in the World Cup.

Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch would be good betting guesses, whilst Bobby Zamora would be a good option if you think Capello might include someone not in the mainstream.