IT’S all doom and gloom around England again following friendly defeats at the hands of Chile and Germany in the past week.

Just when we thought we were getting somewhere, recording good wins over Montenegro and Poland, the team seemed to take at least one step backwards.

Of course, Roy Hodgson wasn’t able or chose not to field a completely full-strength team for either game, so we shouldn’t read too much into the results, but there were lessons to be learned.

The England manager chose to field a very experimental side against Chile last Friday. Chile were at full-strength, so to begin with, I was not overly concerned to see the home side lose 2-0.

However, on reflection, every England player who took to the field plies his trade in the Premier League, while Chile had to call upon numerous players from weaker leagues, including the Championship. Surely England’s Premier League stars should have had too much for them?

More worryingly, an almost first-choice England side then went down 1-0 to a second-string German outfit. Even more concerning was the fact that the home side looked bereft of ideas in the final third.

So what have we learned?

Well, first and foremost, you cannot get away with playing 4-4-2 against top international sides. England’s lack of creativity against Germany stemmed from them being outnumbered in midfield, meaning their attacking full-backs had less license to go forward.

They kept the ball pretty well, but there was no penetration.

In terms of players, Hodgson should have a better idea who will make up his squad and even team for the World Cup.

In goal, Fraser Forster did little wrong against Chile but his kicking was appalling. Joe Hart is a shoe-in to start in Brazil, assuming he can force his way back into the Manchester City line-up.

The four full-backs almost pick themselves. Neither Glen Johnson nor Kyle Walker are great defensively, but unless Micah Richards starts playing on a regular basis, one of them, probably Walker, will be first choice.

On the other side, Ashley Cole remains one of the best defensive left-backs in the world. Leighton Baines’ deficiencies were highlighted by the mistake he made to allow Chile to score their first goal, but there is little denying his threat going forward.

I would pick Cole, but it may be a case of them sharing the role, depending on the opposition. If they are likely to sit back and defend, Baines may be the right call, but against the better sides, it has to be Cole.

Centre-back is an area of concern, which is why I cannot fathom the absence of Michael Dawson in the squad. He may be older, but surely the Tottenham man is a better bet than Phil Jones and Chris Smalling, who rarely start games in the heart of defence for Manchester United?

Gary Cahill and Phil Jagielka are a decent first-choice pairing but if one of them gets injured we may have serious problems.

In midfield, there are plenty of decent players, but finding the right balance is proving a bit of a problem. Frank Lampard probably needs to up his game a bit if he is going to make the trip, while Tom Cleverley and James Milner offer very little and I’m starting to wonder whether Jack Wilshere may be over-rated.

Michael Carrick and Steven Gerrard are the key men. They are both in their 30s. Another worry.

It’s in the wide areas that England are possibly strongest. Andros Townsend has taken to international football like a duck to water, while Adam Lallana did pretty well in his first two games.

We still have Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck to throw into the mix, but Jay Rodriguez didn’t do enough to earn a recall.

Wayne Rooney is still the main man in attack, while Daniel Sturridge continues to impress, but I’m not sure the two work well as a pair. We may need Rooney to drop into midfield to get the best out of both.

Rickie Lambert and Welbeck are decent back-up, while Andy Carroll could force his way in, if he ever gets fit.

My Team for the World Cup

(4-2-3-1) Hart; Walker, Jagielka, Cahill, Cole; Carrick, Gerrard; Walcott, Rooney, Townsend; Sturridge.

My World Cup squad

Goalkeepers: Hart, Foster, Butland.

Defenders: Walker, Jones, Smalling, Cahill, Jagielka, Dawson, Cole, Baines.

Midfielders: Carrick, Gerrard, Lampard, Wilshere, Townsend, Walcott, Lallana, Barkley.

Forwards: Rooney, Sturridge, Welbeck, Lambert.

Let’s see how close I am come June.

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