Let\’s all be sensible about this young footballer.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored a hat-trick in Iceland last night.
He\’s 18 and a cool finisher and fun to watch. His first goal was good but the others were gross goalkeeping errors.
Iceland 0 England 3.
Half of the Iceland Under-21 side has moved up to the seniors, so they couldn\’t really give Stuart Pearce\’s boys a game last night.
Yes, AOC looks a good buy at £12m.
When Walcott was injured, Alex came in against Olympiakos and scored a lovely goal. After that vital early strike, we were all watching him carefully. I know I was.
Here is one of my main memories of that night at the Emirates: As the game went on, and Alex tried to take on their left back on the outside, he couldn\’t get past him. He took the guy on five or six times, at least, and couldn\’t get round him.
And eventually Wenger took him off. Which was the right call, I thought.
Montenegro? It\’s 4-2-3-1 again.
Fabio Capello is expected to start Bobby Zamora up front tonight, with Rooney, Young and Walcott behind him.
Zamora is a tidy team player who was unlucky not to go to South Africa.
Unlike Darren Bent, he can play with his back to goal and is good at knock-down football.
Zamora can take a centreback into a place he doesn\’t really want to be, and set up a shot for somebody else. If he can\’t shoot, he can pass to others who can and will. Sometimes Rooney will give Zamora the ball but mostly he’ll lend him the ball with a message on it: watch where I’m going, give me a nice pass back.
That’s what Capello has in mind. I’m sure. I reckon it will work well intermittently.
Tonight\’s game is on Sky and Montenegro, although proud, might play for a draw. They earned a 0-0 at Wembley.
At Roma, their centre forward Vucinic was a patient predator with pace, always waiting for that moment, a stealthy, technical assassin who strikes just after he\’s become invisible and forgotten.Vucinic does nothing, then scores.
The eye-catching Jovetic is super-nimble. A bit like Mutu in his prime, a cheeky player who can do wonderful things from time to time.
Probable Engerland team : Joe Hart : Phil Jones Gary Cahill JT Ashley Cole; Parker, Barry; Walcott Rooney Young; Zamora.
1.England 7-17
2.Montenegro 6-11
3.Switzerland 6-8
4.Bulgaria7-5
5. Wales 6-3