England coming to terms with Rooney absence

Rooney was seen as the pivotal figure in England’s plans, a player of genuine world class capable of conjuring up a match-turning moment of magic at the very highest level. But with Rooney now highly likely to miss the tournament with a foot injury, Eriksson must go back to the drawing board as England prepare to tackle group B rivals Paraguay, Sweden and Trinidad & Tobago. The most pressing issue is in attack, where Eriksson will be praying that Michael Owen can regain fitness after a long recuperation from a similar injury to Rooney’s.

Who will partner Owen remains a moot point, with Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, and Darren Bent still having plenty to prove at international level. Eriksson may choose to solve the conundrum by packing his midfield, employing a holding player such as spurs’ Michael Carrick in order to give Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard licence to roam forward in attack. On the right flank, skipper David Beckham will supply the crosses and looks to be back to something like his best form after a solid season with Real Madrid. Chelsea’s Joe Cole has made the problem position on the left side of midfield his own, but could be moved into the middle to take on Rooney’s role as the link between midfield and attack. — AFP