It's not a complete disaster by any means: a decent squad will board the plane next week, but it's make-up is weaker than it could be, and preparations have been inadequate. Here's why:
The Players
My main gripes are the omissions of Michael Dawson and Adam Johnson. Michael Dawson played nearly every game in a Spurs team that clinched fourth place this season, and is now ready to step up a level. The rock in an ever-changing Spurs defence, was brilliant throughout the whole campaign, and was a major factor in achieving the lowest ever number of goals conceded in the Premier League era for Spurs. I believe only Chelsea conceded fewer goals. Speaking of Chelsea, Dawson is very much in the mould of their captain, John Terry. Both can be described as classic English centre-backs, gritty and determined, and while Terry still has the edge, Dawson has a bit of pace that all-too-frequently proves a costly flaw in Terry's game. Dawson also has the advantage of not being a bastard. But who should have Dawson replaced? Matthew Upson, the shoddy West Ham centre-back who, in a team with a good number of international players, only just crawled home 17th. With Upson we know what we're getting - a decent but nevertheless sub-international standard defender who suffered a poor season at a poor club and has never excelled when called up into the first team. Dawson is something of a wild card - but if we find ourselves shorn of Terry and Ferdinand, Dawson could just excell himself, particularly if he is pair with Ledley king, with whom he shares good communication.
Adam Johnson, the young Manchester City left-winger, is a similarly unknown quantity. He is a very tricky player, intelligent and swift, who can provide a touch of inspiration that the England team sorely lacks at times. He is more-or-less unproven at international level, but in the 10 minutes he played against Mexico he was sharp, certainly sharp enough to warrant a run-out on Sunday against Japan, but the call never came. Again, the question is: who should he replace? This is tougher one - all the England midfield seem to be sound selections - but I would argue drop a goalkeeper. Goalkeepers are unlikely to be injured or booked, so just the one back-up will suffice. If one gets crocked it is a risk to have no replacement, but to quote the Spurs motto "He Who Dares Wins". Drop James, take Johnson.
Preparation
The ru-up to the World Cup has been horrendously disjointed, with the likely first eleven having hardly played a game together. Fabio was split in two minds: do I give everyone a run out or do I stick with a team early and give them a few games to gel? He did neither, with a large number of the 30-man squad getting 45 minutes, or in Adam Johnson and Michael Dawson's cases, 10 minutes or less. That is not enough to establish whether they are good enough at the top level or will fit in the team. Players can take ten games or more to feel comfortable, and while I recognise that is an amount of time that Fabio simply didn't have, he should have decided upon a formation on a game-by-game basis, and given the unknowns time to show what they can do. What this chop-and-change method achieved is to leave the team in an uncertain position after the Japan game. Without any qualifiers for nine months the first eleven will possibly be strangers to each other, and since 45 minutes is not enough time to judge a player, replacement will be ill-judged.
Perhaps one element that Fabio can be forgiven is the lack of games played. England have played 3 internationals this yeah; Japan had played 6. However, if you look at the number of games each English player had played in comparision to his Japanese counter-parts it is clear that there simply isn't enough time to fit more internationals into an already packed schedule. Still, there's no doubting that Fabio could have made better use of the recent friendlies.
EDIT: Apparently it's against the rules to take only two keepers, but I still think Johnson should go, this time in place of Shaun Wright-Phillips. I quite like SWP but he has recieved a bit of a bashing from the press - he's direct, fast and can run through broken play perhaps even more adeptly that Aaron Lennon, but we need a left winger, and SWP can't play there. Without bothering to fully check, it appears that Ashley Cole and Stephen Warnock are the only left-footers in the team (not even sure about Warnock), and it is absolutely important we have that capability. Joe Cole can operate on the left, as he did last time round, but it is not his best position, likewise for Gerrard. SWP could be a lethal impact substitute, but it is more important to have a balanced team across the 90, instead of relying on a goal in the last ten minutes. SWP can't cross; Johnson can, so if our game plan breaks down, bring on Crouch and have the Johnsons and Lennon swing crosses onto his head.
EDIT 2: So Ferdinand is injured, Dawson gets a call-up!
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