Sao Paulo. Thursday, June 19. With 85 minutes on the clock in England’s vital 2014 FIFA World Cup group stage match against Uruguay the scores are locked at 1-1.
England look like they’re back in control of their own qualification.
Steven Gerrard leaps for an innocuous punt up field, aiming to clear the ball. But instead he flicks it on to Luis Suarez to score and leave England on the brink of elimination and qualification entirely out of their hands.
Fast forward to July 21 and Stevie G announces his retirement from international duty, leaving England without a captain and a mainstay of central midfield. Fast forward even further and we find ourselves looking towards a game against Norway and the beginning of Euro 2016 qualification with a trip to Switzerland.
So, who will Roy Hodgson select to not only lead England in September, but also towards France 2016 and presumably for Russia 2018? Here, I’ll look at some of the leading candidates.
Jordan Henderson
Liverpool fans will tell you that the man likely to replace Gerrard at club level should also do it for the national team. Though he had a poor World Cup and only really cemented his position as a top player last season at Liverpool.
Henderson should concentrate on cementing his position in midfield for club and country while soaking up knowledge from Gerrard.
Verdict: Not this time, but has potential.
Wayne Rooney
The most talented footballer England has produced since the days of David Beckham and Paul Scholes, and easily the best player in the team. He’s just been named the captain of Manchester United for the current season and he can only help the senior leadership team in the national squad.
The issue is whether he is a leader. Wayne Rooney doesn’t encompass the word passion, nor is he a man you really want representing the country on the world stage. At times in his international career, he has seemed to falter under the weight of a nation’s expectation.
Perhaps, for these two reasons, he should be left to play his natural game and not have the burden of leadership as well.
Verdict: Not captaincy material.
Jack Wilshere
Wilshere burst on the scene a few years back and was considered by many to be the future captain of both club and country. The issue is that since his breakthrough season, Jack hasn’t really improved a great deal.
This could be put down to his poor injury record. It throws you to think that he is still only 22 and is passionate to play and win for his country, so maybe the captaincy would be beneficial in the future. But at this point, I don’t think you can award the captaincy to someone who will likely miss internationals through fitness issues.
Verdict: Co vice-captain.
Gary Cahill
Cahill is a man who has really blossomed into a quality centre back since his move to Chelsea from Bolton. He’s a quiet man who goes about his job in an efficient and tidy manner.
Assured of his place, some are calling for the Chelsea man to be given the armband, and although he’s a big talker on the pitch, his seemingly introverted demeanor could count against him.
Verdict: Co vice-captain
Joe Hart
Captains need to be leaders and lion-hearts. It seems obvious doesn’t it? Yep, it’s a stupid statement. Or is it?
Would Chelsea have won the Champions League in 2012 without the leadership of John Terry, Frank Lampard and company, coupled with the pure passion of David Luiz or Didier Drogba? I don’t so.
Joe Hart is a player who falls into that category. He’s a man who wears his heart on his sleeve- over the moon in victory and inconsolable in defeat. Type in to YouTube ‘Joe Hart reacts.’ and you will see examples of his leadership and devotion to the cause.
Hart’s a man who has all the characteristics to be a successful captain. Last year when he was dropped after a poor run of form, he did all the right things until he was back in the team again. He didn’t bad mouth the manager, or chuck a hissy fit. He knuckled down, saw the weaknesses in his game and worked to eradicate them.
A truly great captain requires passion to win at all costs, inspirational leadership, first team status, presentation as a role model and respect among teammates.
All the players above have a combination of these qualities, though Joe Hart has them all. That’s why I think he should be the next captain of England.
Verdict: Captain
After all that, for what it’s worth, I think Hodgson will still select Rooney.
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