Reuters Soccer Blog
World Soccer views and news
Should Capello bring Carragher out of England retirement?
Is Fabio Capello so short of defenders that he has to beg Jamie “I’d rather miss a penalty for England than Liverpool” Carragher to come out of retirement and represent his country at the World Cup?
Carragher walked out on England three years ago because he was unhappy at being in so many squads but so few teams, and when he was in he did not like being played at full-back when he wanted to play centre-back.
Capello names his provisional 30-man squad on Tuesday and the latest round of media speculation is that the 32-year old will be in it.
For those who feel playing for their country should be the ultimate honour, it will be tough to take. Carragher loves playing for Liverpool and wears his heart on his long red sleeve but he said himself via his autobiography that the passion dries up when he dons the white of England. After missing a penalty in the 2006 World Cup quarter-final against Portugal he said he did not share the emptiness of his team mates. “I confess, defeats wearing an England shirt never hurt me in the same way as losing with my club…I simply didn’t put England’s fortunes at the top of my priority list. You can’t make yourself feel more passionate if the feelings aren’t there.”
Liverpool have a lot to be concerned about
Last November Spurs beat Liverpool 2-1 at White Hart Lane just after Harry Redknapp took over a side that had slumped to the bottom of the table. Redknapp admitted after that game that Spurs had been lucky to win after being battered by Liverpool, who squandered an early lead and then hit the woodwork three times before losing.
Spurs beat Liverpool 2-1 at White Hart Lane again on Sunday and this time there was no doubting that Spurs deserved their victory.
Reality to bite for Spurs again?
As a new Premier League season comes into focus and the skies of expectation position themselves above White Hart Lane, it’s nearly time for another thrilling adventure for Spurs fans.
The summer’s rebuilding is virtually complete and soon the manager and the team will have to start delivering. With the increased likelihood of Berbatov and Keane sailing off into the distance, it’s already a worrying time.
