Beckham the answer for glory in SA 2010?

With England's group in South Africa 2010 confirmed (as the pundits put it 'EASY': England, Algeria, Slovenia and Yankees) the attention now turns to who will make Capello's final cut for the squad. Several names are guaranteed if fit; Lampard, Gerrard, Terry and Rooney to name a few. England's problems lay in goal, second striker and down both flanks.

James is old and error prone and has never really lost the 'Calamity James' tag from his Liverpool days. Green has not been used in enough competitive matches to be a serious contender for the No. 1 shirt. Inexperience has also cost Hart, Foster and Carson a real shot at being the first choice stopper. Robinson has been ditched due to his shaky confidence and doesn't seem likely to start either.

Not a great state of affairs in goal but every team has a weak spot or chink in the armour somewhere, right? Well no, but the good news for England is that the favourites don't always win (I'm thinking Spain deserve this accolade as favourites as they don't seem to have any weaknesses at all, even the mighty Brazil look far from convincing at left back).

The goal keeper conundrum aside the issue of second striker to support Rooney is the next glaring hole in England's arsenal. Heskey would be hard pushed to hit a bovine bottom with a banjo and he can't be relied upon to score anything. Sure Capello seems to favour the old BLUF (Big Lump Up Front) but who is knocking on Heskey's door?

Crouch would be my choice as he unsettles defenders with his unreal height and rangey stride and he has a terrific goal record but for some reason he never catches a break. Defoe is in sparkling form this season but is as useful as a glass hammer when in the air. Ashton is crocked and retired, Owen seems totally out of the reckoning despite being the most complete (if not a little injury prone) finisher England has.

Um, difficult to resolve the second striker role too, let's look at the wings instead.

Left wing, oh dear not much here either. Downing is just about the only natural left footer yet his runs are as predictable as Simon Cowell's hair-do, all straight lines and hopeful crosses. The other options aren't bad players, just not natural left footers; Joe Cole has the flair and creativity just the wrong foot. Milner again is right footed and has been playing in the form of his life playing off the striker for Villa, but at left wing he seems to drop his head and not pick his crosses as well as he could. It says a lot that Capello has picked Gerrard at left wing several times in qualifying despite him being a naturally right footed central midfielder (and a star one at that!).

Oh well lets try to resolve the sticky right wing issue instead. A bit more hopeful here with the likes of the improving Lennon, the promise of Walcott and that pesky Beckham. Beckham is an enigma to nobody except the very country he busts a gut to play for. Mr. Beckham is a very able crosser of the ball, fantastic at set piece situations, hard working when tracking the ball and a very respected leader on the pitch. Yet many England fans don't believe him good enough to be in the squad.

Speaking as a person who comes from a country (or principality if you must be a pedant) who's footballing aspirations revolve around trying in vain to beat the likes of Finland with a team young enough to make Arsenal look like pensioners, I can't see why Beckham isn't a clear cut choice to go to SA 2010.

Is Beckham too old?

Well Milan's fitness and physio staff believe Beckham to be fitter than many footballers ten years younger and they believe he will play until he is 40. So that's not the reason.

Is Beckham worse than Walcott or Lennon?

Well my answer would be this; How many English wingers are the likes of AC Milan trying to sign? One.

Beckham.

Is Beckham's heart in it?

He travels half way across the world just to sit on the bench and maybe play for the last ten, fifteen minutes of a friendly before travelling all the way back. He gives up his summer break to play continuously for both LA and AC Milan to stay match sharp enough. He wants this more than anybody else wearing the three lions, that is a fact.

Beckham has lots of experience at the top level in World Cups and Champions League, he has experienced football in different alien cultures like the USA and Spain and he is one of the few players in the world to have played for the biggest clubs in the world's top three leagues; La Liga, Premiership and Serie A.

Lets face it, Beckham is a truly quality player, a dedicated pro and more importantly he will do ANYTHING to play for England. He brings huge amounts of publicity to the FA, he has garnered worldwide interest and support from people who might not otherwise support England and yet he remains almost like the ghost at the feast.

Unlike Owen, Beckham has already managed the near impossible and made Capello complete a u-turn after being dropped by the Italian at Real Madrid. He just doesn't give up and this kind of determination is needed to win the big trophies (look at Greece at Euro 2004 – you can't tell me they won it by being technically more proficient than the other teams involved).

If the likes of Ryan Giggs (for Wales) and Jamie Carragher showed half as much dedication as Beckham does for his country both Wales and England would benefit tremendously.

The problem with Beckham is summed up by the old adage; “You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone”. When people look back on England's 'Golden Generation' in say 50 or 60 years time who will be remembered? (unless England win in SA 2010 of course); Beckham will be, for sure.

So to summarise can England win the world cup with no solid goalie, few decent left wing options and a dearth of quality in terms of strike support for Rooney?

Hell yeah they can, and I'll bet it will be a certain Mr. Beckham who bursts his lungs, wears his legs into the ground and sweats blood to make it happen. You don't know how lucky you are England.

Good luck!