It’s perhaps a sign of my age
that I’m having to do a bit of
reading up as to who Pitbull is.
I’ve heard of him – I’m not that
old – but ask me to name one
of his songs and I’d struggle.
I’ll also confess to only just
discovering that he’s
responsible for the official
World Cup song ‘We Are One’.
I’m yet to listen to it. Instead,
it’s been the words of Wayne
Rooney that have been music
to my ears.
Rooney, clearly in (Pit?)bullish
mood, has warned Italy that it
is them who should be worried
about the threat England pose
in their Group D opener, not
vice versa. The striker’s
comments may have come in
part as a reaction to the
suggestion from Paul Scholes
that Andrea Pirlo could
“destroy” England – Rooney was
upset by previous comments
from his ex-team-mate
suggesting that he may already
be past his best – but I like to
think that Rooney meant what
he said and, after months of
playing down England’s
chances, it was refreshing and
exciting to hear a key member
of the squad speak out in such
positive fashion.
Above anyone else, Rooney will
be desperate to succeed in
Brazil. 2010 was a disaster for
him, and despite my belief that
Scholes was wrong in
suggesting that he may have
peaked as a player already,
Rooney will have few better
opportunities than this to make
a true impact on the world
stage as the poster boy of the
team.
With Brazil kicking off the
tournament with their game
against Croatia later today, it’s
hard not to draw comparisons
between Rooney and the great
Brazilian hope, Neymar. Both
player have their faces
plastered over marketing
campaigns the world over, and
both are the first name on
their respective manager’s
team sheets.
Both also carry with them the
hopes of a nation, and it will
be intriguing to see how the
pair of them cope in their
separate bids to make history.
Rooney has spoken of how he
plans to enjoy this World Cup,
and I have no doubt that if he
manages to do so, we’ll all have
reason to celebrate. You never
know, I might even listen to a
bit of Pitbull.
Quite apart from the surge of
positivity and national pride
that Rooney’s rallying cry
inspires, I think he has a
point. Italy are obviously a
world-class side and will
provide England with an
incredibly stern test, but this
isn’t the England of old. This is
an England side emerging from
an era of mediocrity, a squad
made up of a potent mixture of
experienced pros with
something to prove and young
bucks without a care in the
world. If Hodgson can handle
the ingredients correctly, he
and England just might have a
winning formula on their
hands.
In Joe Hart, England boast a
confident and trustworthy
goalkeeper, playing behind a
settled and solid back four. The
midfield area is awash with
options and, despite a concern
over the fitness of Danny
Welbeck, the team is blessed
with plenty of attacking variety.
The first XI is almost certainly
sorted bar a final choice or two,
but England can utilise an
array of talent from the
substitutes’ bench, many of
whom are in the form of their
lives. The strike from Rickie
Lambert in the friendly against
Ecuador was particularly
pleasing to behold. The
youngsters in the team will
hopefully be free to play with
the flair and freedom that
earned them their call-ups,
whilst the players left from the
old guard such as Steven
Gerrard and Frank Lampard will
be determined to finally leave
their mark on a World Cup
finals.
that I’m having to do a bit of
reading up as to who Pitbull is.
I’ve heard of him – I’m not that
old – but ask me to name one
of his songs and I’d struggle.
I’ll also confess to only just
discovering that he’s
responsible for the official
World Cup song ‘We Are One’.
I’m yet to listen to it. Instead,
it’s been the words of Wayne
Rooney that have been music
to my ears.
Rooney, clearly in (Pit?)bullish
mood, has warned Italy that it
is them who should be worried
about the threat England pose
in their Group D opener, not
vice versa. The striker’s
comments may have come in
part as a reaction to the
suggestion from Paul Scholes
that Andrea Pirlo could
“destroy” England – Rooney was
upset by previous comments
from his ex-team-mate
suggesting that he may already
be past his best – but I like to
think that Rooney meant what
he said and, after months of
playing down England’s
chances, it was refreshing and
exciting to hear a key member
of the squad speak out in such
positive fashion.
Above anyone else, Rooney will
be desperate to succeed in
Brazil. 2010 was a disaster for
him, and despite my belief that
Scholes was wrong in
suggesting that he may have
peaked as a player already,
Rooney will have few better
opportunities than this to make
a true impact on the world
stage as the poster boy of the
team.
With Brazil kicking off the
tournament with their game
against Croatia later today, it’s
hard not to draw comparisons
between Rooney and the great
Brazilian hope, Neymar. Both
player have their faces
plastered over marketing
campaigns the world over, and
both are the first name on
their respective manager’s
team sheets.
Both also carry with them the
hopes of a nation, and it will
be intriguing to see how the
pair of them cope in their
separate bids to make history.
Rooney has spoken of how he
plans to enjoy this World Cup,
and I have no doubt that if he
manages to do so, we’ll all have
reason to celebrate. You never
know, I might even listen to a
bit of Pitbull.
Quite apart from the surge of
positivity and national pride
that Rooney’s rallying cry
inspires, I think he has a
point. Italy are obviously a
world-class side and will
provide England with an
incredibly stern test, but this
isn’t the England of old. This is
an England side emerging from
an era of mediocrity, a squad
made up of a potent mixture of
experienced pros with
something to prove and young
bucks without a care in the
world. If Hodgson can handle
the ingredients correctly, he
and England just might have a
winning formula on their
hands.
In Joe Hart, England boast a
confident and trustworthy
goalkeeper, playing behind a
settled and solid back four. The
midfield area is awash with
options and, despite a concern
over the fitness of Danny
Welbeck, the team is blessed
with plenty of attacking variety.
The first XI is almost certainly
sorted bar a final choice or two,
but England can utilise an
array of talent from the
substitutes’ bench, many of
whom are in the form of their
lives. The strike from Rickie
Lambert in the friendly against
Ecuador was particularly
pleasing to behold. The
youngsters in the team will
hopefully be free to play with
the flair and freedom that
earned them their call-ups,
whilst the players left from the
old guard such as Steven
Gerrard and Frank Lampard will
be determined to finally leave
their mark on a World Cup
finals.
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