[Eaglesfan27]

May 29, 2014 -

Cristian Chivu broke his jaw in practice today and will miss about a month. The guy seems to be suffering some bad luck this past year.

I've been asked to name my 23 players for the World Cup which begins very soon.

GK's:

Paul Robinson - This 34 year old veteran still appears to be the best keeper in England. Kirkland might be better, but he and I will never work together again.

Paul Lancaster - This 26 year old keeper from Aston Villa is quite talented except for bad positioning at times.

Chris Taylor - Other than a weak ability at rushing out, he really is a very good keeper and I probably should use him more at Manchester United.


Defenders:

Ashley Cole - This 33 year old is starting to show his age, but he is still one of the best left backs in England.

Owen Hargreaves - This 33 year old defender/midfielder can play any side of the pitch which is very important in my picking him. He is still very fast but he isn't a great tackler. I actually feel my fullback positions are somewhat weak but there is no one waiting in the wings to take over for these 2 guys.

Gareth Barry - This 33 year old defender/midfielder can play either position on the left and his versatility will get him some PT, but he isn't the same player he was a few years ago.

Ben Bennett - This 25 year old centreback doesn't have great footspeed, but he does everything else well and has become one of my likely starters at centreback. I've removed Ferdinand who is slipping too much and I hope Bennett doesn't let me down.

Wayne Dunn - This 23 year old centreback has excellent speed, jumping, and heading. He will get a start or two most likely.

Ledley King - This 33 year old veteran is starting to slip, but he is still one of our best centrebacks and will get quite a few starts. However, his slipping positioning worries me.

John Terry - This 33 year old centreback is still on top of his game, and he will be a key to our defense.

Wes Brown - There aren't any other better options at right back. Hargreaves might start there, but Brown will certainly get some of the starts as well. Despite slipping, he is one of the two best right backs in England.


Midfielders (I wouldn't duplicate the hybrids mentioned previously)

Joe Cole - This 32 year old is not close to his peak, but he still can be a valuable sub. He will play some behind Downing and will come on frequently as a sub or if Downing is too tired.

Stewart Downing - He is 29 and is slowly starting to lose just a touch of ability, but he still had 30 assists the last season. He is the premier left winger in England.

Jamie Cook - I haven't even used him that much this past year, but this 22 year old midfielder is one of the best midfielders in all of England. I will use him more next year, and I will use him quite a bit as a sub and perhaps as a starter. This guy just does so much right.

Jermaine Jenas - This 31 year old has started to lose a bit of his skill. but he will be a key player in our midfield and I will likely play him inside our right winger.

Shaun Wright-Phillips - Despite being 32, he is still one of the fastest men on our team. He is a very good passer and will play quite a bit at right wing and will sometimes slide inside.

Christopher Eagles - This 28 year old right winger had a disappointing season for Valencia. His lack of footspeed hurts him, but he does everything else right and will be a big contributor to this team and will start quite a few games.


Forwards:

Wayne Rooney - 34 goals and 16 assists this past year. Enough said.

Jermain Defoe - This 31 year old striker had a very good year with 20 goals and 6 assists last year. He is a great finisher still and I will use him plenty this WC.

Craig King - This 24 year old striker is one of the best forwards in England and is arguably the best passer in all of England at the forward position, although his passes lack flair at times. I'll use him a fair bit this WC.

Luke Moore - This 28 year old striker is an excellent finisher. He has great foot speed, excellent all around physical abilities. He will be used quite a bit. It is unclear whether he or King will be #3 on my depth chart.

Steve Wilson - This 22 year old striker with Zaragoza has developed very nicely. He does everything well, but nothing truly great. I'll use him if the other guys are quite tired.

Wayne Worthington - This 22 year old striker is a great finisher. I might use him as a sub some.