There's still 22 days until the final squads for the World Cup have to be announced, let alone the 54 until it actually starts (and by the way, thanks to everyone who expressed an interest in our World Cup blog - we've now got as many people as we need and will get in touch again very soon), and already Mexico and Trinidad & Tobago have named their preliminary squads. An opportune time, then, to revisit the squad we picked for England last October and see how it needs changing...

Robinson, Kirkland, James, Neville G, Young, Cole A, Bridge, Terry, Ferdinand, Campbell, Carragher, King, Lampard, Gerrard, Parker, Beckham, Wright-Phillips, Cole J, Downing, Owen, Rooney, Defoe, Johnson

To get the easy replacements over with first, Chris Kirkland's long-term broken finger injury means he'll lose his place in the pre-match ball throwing to Robert Green, Andy Johnson is scoring again but surely won't impress at high enough a level to force his way past Crouch or Defoe, and our dark horse Scott Parker is out for the season. In defence there's an actual injury crisis brewing as Sol Campbell's return looked assured until he broke his nose but that shouldn't keep him out for the rest of the season - indeed, word is he might be back next weekend - unlike Ashley Cole, who's played about an hour's worth of first team football since October. Arsene Wenger says he'll be ready for the end of the season and Sven looks like giving his first team regulars leeway with regard to injuries, but he has a readymade replacement in Wayne Bridge now he's getting regular games. Both will probably go, which leaves open a potential two places. Jamie Carragher will surely get the nod for one as much for his adaptability as his scintillating form, but Luke Young has injured ankle ligaments, although Alan Curbishley is optimistic. Might Sven go with the trusted utility man Phil Neville (who, oddly for a 52 cap man, has never been in a World Cup finals squad)? Given injuries elsewhere, don't rule it out.

The trouble with naming what we've always had down as seven midfielders is the first four pick themselves and then it's perm any one from a whole host of options. Of the three we picked out one's more than likely out, Stewart Downing hasn't recovered his earlier form after injury yet and Shaun Wright-Phillips is likely to go despite not enough first team chances this season. Who else, then? Most probables - Dawson, Lennon, Nolan, Reo-Coker - won't go simply for lack of experience, which leaves the rapidly becoming highly unpopular Jermaine Jenas, Kieran Richardson who can deputise on the left but doesn't play a lot, Owen Hargreaves who must be of some worth as he's been highly rated for his regular performances in a title-winning side for a few years now but nobody in England trusts in the slightest (clearly Hugo Boss haven't been concentrating) and Michael Carrick, who's most likely to go of these few in case King needs to slip back into defence. As for the other position, if we assume Owen, Rooney, Crouch, Defoe is the first choice strikeforce, might Sven look at the injury situation and gamble on a fifth striker, almost certainly Darren Bent, instead of reinforcing a midfield that as it is can call on two anchors, three wingers and two playmakers? You have to say it's an angle worth pursuing and Eriksson has made noises in the direction of having plenty of attacking options, which would finally makes the squad...

Robinson, James, Green, Neville G, Neville P, Cole A, Bridge, Terry, King, Ferdinand, Campbell, Carragher, Lampard, Gerrard, Beckham, Cole J, Wright-Phillips, Carrick, Owen, Rooney, Crouch, Defoe, Bent

And may St George go with them. While we're about it, did this really ever look like a World Cup winning squad in 2002?

Seaman, Martyn, James, Mills, Cole A, Bridge, Ferdinand, Campbell, Brown, Keown, Southgate, Sinclair, Beckham, Scholes, Hargreaves, Cole J, Butt, Dyer, Fowler, Owen, Heskey, Sheringham, Vassell

They say the past is a foreign country, but it does seem like much longer since Keown, Southgate and Fowler were in an England squad - indeed the former won his last cap in a warm-up game and Fowler as a sub in the second round game against Denmark. Gerrard was injured during the warm-up games, Lampard plain not picked despite having already been capped. Still, though, let's recall how against Argentina Hargreaves was replaced through injury by Trevor Sinclair and give thanks for how much stronger the squad has got in the four years since.
- posted by Simon @