The FAI are at serious risk of becoming a global laughing stock. Their most recent stunt to request an extra place at the World Cup is absolutely absurd. I have every sympathy for the manner in which the Irish left the competition but this is just one step too far. I know there has been more column space forHenry’s handball than Katie Price’s assets recently, but this one has me all riled up…

What really gets to me is that even before the handball incident the match was level – so how can a team go through to the World Cup Finals on a draw? What’s to say Ireland would have won if it had gone to a shoot-out? Or if France, with such quality as Anelka and Henry, wouldn’t have bagged one past the nervy defence late on anyway?

The idea of an extra team at the World Cup is not possible, not viable. And if the Irish FA don’t stop whinging about it soon then they could put any future qualification hopes at risk because FIFA are beginning to get fed up.

Sepp Blatter humoured them by saying he would “take the idea to the committee”, but let’s face it there was never a chance in hell that FIFA would put an extra team in the World Cup. It has a formula – an even amount of teams for a reason. An extra team would have thrown everything up in the air meaning byes here and there, extra matches being played. It would become a mess.

The Irish quite rightly got the hump about their exit – but get over it. This sort of thing happens all the time in football and there ain’t nothing you can do about it. You didn’t see Hull calling for a replay or points to be awarded when they lost to Burnley recently because of TWO terrible decisions (a penalty that never was and Geovanni’s free kick being disallowed). And that game was incredibly important to Hull and their manager who was staring unemployment in the face.

You can bet your life that the Irish FA would have been straight on the case if Chile had been thrown out of the World Cup too.

I think this time your luck is out boys. You lost. It was unfair, but it happened – France are going to the World Cup and, although he did cheat, Henry is still a great player.

Harry Hesp

Almost a fortnight has passed since Thierry Henry’s now infamous handball in the World Cup play-off against the Republic of Ireland. The Irish still harbour hopes of being the competition’s ‘33rd team’, but much of the media furore finally seems to be dying down. In an attempt to put the incident to bed once and for all, two of our writers have a final say on the matter.

Hand of Henry a slap in the face for Fair Play – Mike Dicker

Just about everything that could have been said about the now infamous Thierry Henry handball has found its way into print, onto television and across the radio airwaves.  As was to be expected, it has been more about vilification and condemnation than a balanced argument.  The vast majority of the world have expressed their outrage, anger, and possibly most significant, disappointment, at Henry’s actions.

I for one was sat screaming at the TV as the hopes and dreams of the Irish team, particularly the 30-somethings Shay Given, Kevin Kilbane and Damian Duff, who may not get such an opportunity again, were dashed by the outstretched hand of a desperate Frenchman.  I was absolutely enraged that the brave Irish team, just minutes short of a legendary result at the Stade de France, had their would-be victory so cruelly snatched away by the most bare-faced piece of cheating I have ever witnessed.

When the final whistle was blown, I was willing the Irish players to kick off in the same manner they did after the first leg defeat, and ensure that Henry was on the receiving end of the fisticuffs.  Since the incident, the Frenchman has publicly apologised, and it gave me a degree of satisfaction that the French F.A. was hesitant to say the least in coming out in his defence.       

I have tried to put myself in Henry’s talented boots.  France had struggled over two legs to beat a team who, on paper they should defeated comfortably; but superior individual talent does not always make a great team.  A formation that should, but does not seem to allow fluidity, allied to a manager who is France’s worst for years, has contributed to an underperforming team who were on the brink of embarrassment.  Henry, as the captain, must have felt that a good deal of culpability lay at this door, and literally took matters into his own hands.    

Granted, it is impossible to state indefinitely whether, in this situation, I would not do exactly the same.  But taking into account my own values and beliefs, I cannot believe I would.  Even little misdemeanours leave me with a conscience, and something on this scale would doubtless leave me disgusted with myself.  This is why I am so surprised with Henry.  I consider myself a decent judge of character and have always viewed him as a model professional.  Does this mean that I have made a monumental misjudgement, or simply that we could all be capable of such an act under the right circumstances?

I ask this because I have since spoken to people who have said they “don’t blame Henry,” and that it was Ireland’s fault for losing the first leg at home that they did not get through, or the official’s responsibility for not spotting the incident.  I cannot find it in me to advocate either view.  Such a denunciation of responsibility, especially in the context of a game currently battling a diving epidemic, cannot be accepted.  Players need to know that such behaviour will not be tolerated, and if this means a mass re-education of today’s footballers, so be it.  It’s either that, or the game as we know it is doomed to be forever farcical.    

Thierry Henry: a reputation in ruin? – Gary Taylor

Thierry Henry is and has been a phenomenal football player but he might have left his footballing legacy in the game last Wednesday night at the Stade de France.

The double handball in the 1-1 draw against Ireland that sent the French to the World Cup finals was a blatant act of cheating and even though he has since issued an apology, it will not be forgotten.

It is all good and well owning up after the match but the damage was already done and he didn’t look to concerned when he ran half way round the pitch to celebrate.

Henry has always been a great ambassador for football and is admired and respected by the footballing world.

The French striker was the man behind Nike’s Stand Up Speak Up campaign to stamp out racism in football and is also a part of the UNICEF – FIFA squad in which players promote football as a game that must be played on behalf of children.

But Henry sent out the opposite message to children around the world watching that game.

Henry fell victim to the ‘win at all costs’ mentality that plays a huge part in modern day football around the globe.

It is a theme being repeated far to often in football and was evident in the Premiership involving Liverpool and Birmingham City, when David Ngog dived to win a penalty.

Henry insisted throwing his arm towards the ball was natural instinct but since when did footballers naturally use their arm to control the ball to gain control of it?

The referee that night, Martin Hansson, considered his own retirement from refereeing in light of the criticism he received after incident and all to often the officials are being blamed for the players deceit and cheating.

OK the officials should have seen the handball considering it was not exactly disguised but it is up to the players to play the game in the right spirit and not look for a scapegoat when they get caught.

The Barcelona striker could now face the same fate as Maradona did after his infamous ‘Hand of God’ against England in Mexico 86.

Although rated as one of the best footballers ever, Maradona is still remembered by some as a cheat and that will never go away.

FIFA have scheduled a meeting to discuss the Henry incident and they have ruled out the possibility of a replay which I agree with.

To replay the game would be unfair for all the other French players who worked for 120 minutes to gain qualification.

But if FIFA have any sort of authority and integrity then they will punish Henry because if he is not it will set a precedent for all players to cheat when necessary.

As far as Thierry Henry goes, he will have to work extremely hard to rebuild his reputation but it could already be to late.

“Everything I’ve learned about human morality and duty, I’ve learned from football” – Albert Camus

We might like to think that what Albert Camus said was true. We might like to believe that some footballers are still Corinthians, happy to play just for the love of the game. We might like to believe that honesty, integrity, and fair play are at the heart of the game we love. We might like to believe that the best team always wins.

But that’s not football. It never has been, and never will be. At the end of the day, football matches are won and lost in part due to luck, in part due to skill, and in part due to an ability to bend the rules in the favour of one side. Football, like life, is fundamentally unfair and often disappointing.

Ireland learned this lesson (again) in the harshest possible fashion yesterday evening when they were robbed in Paris by a blatant handball by Thierry Henry. First things first though: Ireland were magnificent last night. It was arguably the best performance by an Irish side since the 2002 World Cup and should silence Giovanni Trapattoni’s doubters, chiefly Eamon Dunphy and Johnny Giles. Not only did Ireland defend brilliantly for 120 minutes against one of the world’s most potent front lines, they also played some brilliant football. On numerous occasions, Ireland split the French defence with some slick passing moves and would have avoided extra time if Duff or Keane had put away their one-on-ones (There’s a sentence I thought I’d never write). Who needs Andy Reid? Ireland have taken huge strides under Trapattoni and can be immensely proud of their performance over two legs against France.

In the end, they were undone by an unlucky deflection in the first match and an act of cheating in the second. Nothing could really be done about the first, it was luck, pure and simple. The second, on the other hand…Unlike many people, I will not be blaming the referee or linesman. They both had pretty good games, with the linesman correctly giving a close offside call against Govou just before the goal and the referee combining well with the linesman to ignore Anelka’s tumble over Given. The latter decision was particularly good, because those decisions so often go the way of strikers, who aim to fall over a prone ‘keeper, rather than run around them. It wasn’t a dive and it wasn’t a penalty.

For the hand of Thierry, neither official was at fault. In a crowded penalty area, it was impossible for either of them to see Henry’s hand, which was hidden from the referee by McShane’s and Henry’s bodies, and from the linesman by Given. Do you know who could see it though? The fourth official, who has access to a video screen, could have seen exactly what Trapattoni could; judging by the latter’s reaction.

What should have happened in this case and should happen in the future would be for the fourth official to have a word in the ear of the referee. How long would have that have taken? Thirty seconds maybe? In general, I am not hugely in favour of video evidence being brought into football; football is far too fluid a game to be constantly stopped so that managers/players can challenge the referee. However, in situations in which the ball has already gone dead (for example, the ball has gone in after a suspected handball, or the ball has gone behind after a possible penalty), surely the referee, if he, even with the help of his linesman, is unsure of what decision to give, could throw it over to the fourth official, who has access to video. It would certainly have prevented France’s goal last night (as would the Europa League’s fifth official, incidentally).

Sadly, for Ireland, any rule changes will come too late. France won the game, unfairly, yes, but they’ve won. That’s it, that’s the game. There won’t be a replay, France won’t be kicked out of the World Cup, Thierry Henry won’t get a ban. Unfair and cruel in all its glory, that’s football.

Still, it’s just a game, eh?

Shane Murray

This is causing a bit of a furore in the football world – the Irish fans are calling for a replay, but Giovanni Trapattoni has realised how unlikely that is.

Trappatoni said in the press conference that he doesn’t blame Henry, although many supporters feel that he should have owned up. Instead, the Ireland boss asked FIFA to explain the process of appointing referees for such important matches.

What do you think? Should the game be replayed, or were Ireland just unlucky?

The Republic of Ireland have been bitterly complaining about the decision to seed the play-offs ever since it was announced, but to be honest, the Irish only have themselves to blame.

Ireland might have emerged unbeaten from their group, but they also failed to beat anyone of note in their group, drawing twice with Bulgaria, Italy, and Montenegro. Ireland, on the evidence of their results, don’t automatically deserve to go through. As well as failing to prove that deserved to get a tie against Slovenia, Ireland threw away the opportunity to beat Italy and win the group in their second last match.

The question is whether Trapattoni has taken the current crop of Irish players as far as he can. There is probably only one player of truly world-class quality (Shay Given) and a couple of class players (Robbie Keane and Richard Dunne), with a lot of very average Premiership and Championship players making up the rest of the side. Even if Stephen Ireland and Andy Reid did come into the side, Ireland would struggle man for man against France.

Luckily for Ireland, football is a team game, which is why quite a few Irish fans were actually relatively pleased that they’re facing France. French coach Raymond Domenech is famously a little bit odd, occasionally choosing players based on their star sign, rather than on form, suitability for the position or quality.

Despite having one of the most talented squads in Europe, Domenech has regularly contrived to make a mess of qualifying tournaments, with his team only making the 2006 World Cup because he begged Zizou, Thuram and Makelele to return to the side, while they were deeply disappointing during Euro 2008, which they only qualified for when Scotland contrive to lose to Georgia. Equally, they’ve struggled this time out, initially losing to Austria and Serbia, before staging an uncertain comeback that featured a nervous draws against Romania and Serbia.

In contrast, Trapattoni has a clear and successful, if somewhat rigid, game plan for Irish success, which is simply to grind opposition teams into submission and then score from a long punt up field or set-piece. Ireland under Trapattoni have been dreadful to watch…unless you’re an Ireland fan. Compared to the reign of Steve Staunton, the brutalist efficiencies of Trapattoni’s side have been a joy to watch. Ultimately, he has decided to sacrifice creativity and passing ability for defensive solidity and work-rate.

This is why Andy Reid will probably never play for Ireland under Trapattoni, despite his recent good form and weight loss. This is a good decision, considering Ireland play a 4-4-2. Reid is not good enough to merit the re-building of the team around his attacking talents and he would massively unbalance the current system, leaving Ireland more open at the back. At the same time, Ireland would not have enough possession for him to create significantly more opportunities that could compensate for this openness.

Ireland’s best hope of beating France is therefore to stick what has already frustrated Italy and Dimitar Berbatov. However, considering this system has not really produced any wins, Ireland will be attempting to win on away goals, a difficult strategy to execute. Ireland will have to defend with everything they have this evening just to stop France messing up their plan. The last time this happened, in a qualifier for the 2006 World Cup, Ireland were coping fairly well, until Henry pulled a goal out of nowhere. Without a Plan B, Ireland lost 1-0.

Ultimately, this is Ireland’s problem. Despite Domenech’s manifest incompetence, France are still an incredible attacking force. Karim Benzema vs. Kevin Kilbane? Florent Malouda and Patrice Evra vs. Liam Lawrence and John O’Shea? Thierry Henry and Yohan Gourcuff vs. Richard Dunne and Sean St. Ledger? Does any of this sound good to Ireland fans? Ireland will have to score goals in order to qualify and if at any point they fall behind, they will have to open up and risk counter-attacks from some extremely effective and quick players.

More to the point, every Ireland fan already knows what will happen even if Trapattoni’s plan works. Ireland, in a superb display of guts, mettle, and backs-to-the-wall defending led by Richard Dunne, will hold France to a tactically impressive 0-0 draw in Dublin and then go 1-0 up in Paris when Robbie Keane scores from a flick-on from Doyle. And then…and then John O’Shea will lose concentration and then…Ireland will be eliminated in the last minute of the game.   

Football blog prediction:
As noted above, we’re going to lose in a sickening, logic-defying, throwing-things-at-the-TV fit of stupidity by one or more of our players just when it looks like we’re safe. Supporting Ireland is a bit like being a horror movie in that sense – no twist is too ridiculous and you’re doomed no matter what you do. I had a brief, ill-advised moment of confidence when we were 2-1 up against Italy, but now I’m just steeling myself for the inevitable.

In South Africa, France will appear to be doing OK, then embarrass themselves in some unlikely and amusing fashion, going out in the first round. Domenech will be given an extension on his contract.

Shane Murray

The Football Blog continues its look at the teams still harbouring ambitions of qualifying for next summer’s World Cup, with a preview of three of the four European play-off games. We’ll be looking at the Republic of Ireland vs France in depth tomorrow, but in the mean time here is what you can expect from the other games.

Greece vs. Ukraine

Otherwise known as the game you don’t want to watch, Greece against Ukraine is the game that pits the worst seeded team against the best un-seeded team. Theoretically, that ought to make this play-off incredibly close, the most difficult and interesting to predict. However, we all know that Ukraine will win.

Greece, still dining out on their Euro 2004 triumph, stumbled unconvincingly to second place in their group, behind the mighty Switzerland, drawing with Moldova on the way. They’re still managed by Otto Rehhagel, who master-minded their extremely unlikely 2004 victory, but that result looks more and more like a fluke. The organisation of the side remains strong, but a return to more attacking football in more fluid formations has rendered Greece all too beatable.

Ukraine, meanwhile, proved their quality by beating an England (although they had already qualified), and eventually finished ahead of a rather good Croatia side. They also have talented players like Shevchenko, Bayern’s Anatoliy Tymoschuk, and Barcelona’s €25m defender Dmytro Chyhrynskiy. Greece have got Georgios Samaras.

Football Blog prediction:
Ukraine are going to win, but it will be exceptionally dull. Ukraine will then be reliably dull in South Africa and go out in the second round on penalties.

Portugal vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina

The cruellest game created by FIFA’s last minute decision to make as much money as possible seed the play-offs, this match-up pits the laziest, most feckless of the seeds against the pluckiest of the un-seeded teams.

Bosnia-Herzegovina were put in a group with Belgium, Turkey and Spain. This basically meant that it was nigh-on impossible for them to win the group, but they brilliantly kept up the pressure on Spain and beat Belgium home and away, before holding Turkey to a draw to all but secure their play-off spot.

By contrast, Portugal got themselves into this situation by drawing 0-0 three times in a row early on in qualifying, including once against Albania. Nevertheless, even if Portugal raise their game (as they did for their last few games), Bosnia have still got a good chance.

They’re coached by the wily, if eccentric, Ciro Blazevic, who guided Croatia to 3rd in 1998, and have several quality attacking players from the Bundesliga, with Dzeko and Misimovic of champions Wolfsburg, and Ibisevic (18 goals in 17 last season) and Salihovic of Hoffenheim, whom the latter captains. Even better, Portugal won’t have Cristiano Ronaldo, but will be playing Nani.

Football Blog prediction:
In qualification, Portugal have looked bereft of ideas without Ronaldo and in general, look like a team in transition, incapable of functioning as a team. Bosnia-Herzegovina, however, have the required hunger to qualify for their first ever major tournament, and their bold attacking style could upset a shaky Portuguese side.

It’s still a toss-up though, as to who will win, but I’m backing Bosnia-Herzegovina. It’s difficult to say how well they’d do at the World Cup, but they’ll undoubtedly be more exciting than Portugal would be.

Russia vs. Slovenia

Plucky Slovenia are matched up against Guus Hiddink’s evermore fearsome Russian side that only narrowly missed out on automatic qualification, succumbing to an even more ruthless German side.

Hiddink is a master tactician and has players of the quality of Arshavin, Zhirkov, Stuttgart’s Pogrebnyak, and everyone’s new favourite goalkeeper, Akinfeev at his disposal. Impressive at Euro 2008, Russia look set to continue their return to their place as a major footballing power.

Slovenia have done incredibly well, considering it has a population of only 2 million people and finished above Poland and Czech Republic, but this, despite previous play-off upsets against Romania and Ukraine, is almost certainly a bridge too far.

Football Blog prediction:
Russia will, barring a miracle, beat Slovenia with ease. They will then almost certainly make the quarter finals at the World Cup and have more than an outside shout of winning the tournament.

Shane Murray

Africa is the last qualifying zone that still has to finish off its group stages, and the final round of games are to be played this Saturday, with one team qualifying from each of the five groups. Here at The Football Blog, we get the opportunity to sound incredibly cosmopolitan by filling you in about the latest developments in the African qualifiers and predict which African teams might make a splash in South Africa next year.

Group A

At the top of the group, Cameroon and Gabon are separated by one point in a two horse race for the qualification spot. Despite having the talents of Samuel Eto’o, Alexandre Song, and Marseille’s highly rated Stephane M’Bia in the side, Cameroon had a dreadful start to the group, losing to Togo and drawing with Morocco at home. The arrival of Paul Le Guen as manager in July, however, has seen them win all of their since then, allowing them to edge ahead of early group leaders, Gabon.

Gabon haven’t got the big names (their front line will be led by Daniel Cousin, of Hull), but retain an outside chance of qualifying for their first ever world cup. They face a trip to Emmanuel Adebayor’s Togo, while Cameroon face a potentially tricky trip to Morocco, a former African powerhouse yet to win a game in the group, knowing they need to match Gabon’s result to qualify.

Football Blog prediction:
Le Guen has transformed Cameroon into a winning machine and anything but a win in Morocco seems unlikely, especially with Eto’o available. Cameroon are unlikely to shock the world in South Africa as they did in 1990, but with an experienced manager and a strong spine to the team of Eto’o, M’Bia and Song, and Bassong, they will be a difficult proposition for any side and I wouldn’t be surprised if they made the second round

Group B

It’s Tunisia against Nigeria in this group in the race for qualification, with the Super Eagles looking as though they’ve already lost out. Two points behind Tunisia going into their final game away to Kenya, Nigeria are now relying on a major slip up by their rivals, who face Mozambique. Despite having big names such as John Obi Mikel and Obafemi Martins in the side, Nigeria have failed to take their chances, most fatally drawing against Mozambique, and are now staring a second successive failure to reach the world cup in the face.

Tunisia, by contrast, have been ruthlessly efficient and successfully held Nigeria to two draws, with their successful form thanks in no small part to their Portuguese coach, Humberto Coelho. However, they will need to win on Wednesday because of their relatively poor goal difference, keeping the pressure on as they seek to qualify for their fourth successive world cup.

Football Blog prediction:
This is a pretty difficult one to judge, as Mozambique are no mugs at home, but Tunisia still look more likely to qualify. Whoever does qualify will be unlikely to make waves at the world cup, as Tunisia unfortunately don’t have the quality in their squad to escape the group stages, and Nigeria have so far failed to gel convincingly as a team.

Group C

The greatest and fiercest rivalry you’ve never heard of, this Wednesday’s group decider between Egypt and Algeria in Cairo will make Milwall-West Ham look like an under-9s friendly game. The calculations for Egypt, currently lying in second place, are simple. If they win by two goals or more, they overhaul Algeria and qualify.

Anything else, and they fail. As the game approaches and Egypt seek to restore bragging rights after their 3-1 defeat earlier in the campaign, Egyptian captain Ahmed Hassan has cranked up the tension. He said, “Algeria once said that their trip to Egypt will be joyful and full of entertainment, but I assure them that it won’t… The venue will turn into a stadium of horror.”

It promises to be the most intense game of the week and probably the most intense since the 1989 “hate match” between the two sides that led to Algerian star Lakhdar Belloumi being banned from travelling outside Algeria. After a contentious defeat marred by accusations that the referee had been favouring Egypt, the Algerian players attacked the officials, the VIPs, and Belloumi bottled the Egyptian team doctor, before fleeing the country. Hopefully, things won’t get quite that out of hand this time round.

Football Blog prediction:
Egypt have won the last two African Cup of Nations and are theoretically the best team in Africa, but they’ve failed to impose their will on the group so far and Algeria have looked pretty handy…but, this might as well be a knock-out game, in which anything can happen. Whoever gets through will be fairly handy, but unlikely to get beyond the second round.

Already qualified

South Africa (as hosts), Ghana (Group D), and Ivory Coast (Group E) have all already qualified. South Africa have been dreadful (they recently lost to Iceland and Norway) in the run up to the world cup so far, and, although there had been signs of improvement, having sacked their coach Joel Santana only 8 months before the tournament, their goal at in June will be damage limitation.

Ghana and Ivory Coast, on the other hand, are Africa’s best chances of winning the World Cup. Both teams have an excellent chance of getting as far as the quarter finals and both have brilliant talismans leading them in the Chelsea duo of Michael Essien and Didier Drogba. The difference between the two is that Essien, although he can play anywhere on the pitch, will probably have to take up some kind of defensive role in the midfield, which means that Ghana don’t have a match-winner in their side.

Drogba, on the other hand, is one of the world’s best strikers and a constant threat, whoever he plays against. For that reason, I think the Ivory Coast ought to be mentioned as in the same breath as Brazil, Spain, and England as potential World Cup winners.

Shane Murray

With most of the World Cup qualifying groups now decided, the list of the 32 participants at next summer’s tournament is almost complete. The matches at the weekend and last night provided a fitting climax to what has been an intriguing qualifying campaign. The Football Blog takes a look at what we’ve learnt over the past few days.

England are not invincible

The last two qualifiers will have been a wake up call for those who thought that Fabio Capello’s men would stroll to the final in South Africa. A poor performance against Ukraine and an unconvincing ‘Plan B’ againt Belarus prove there is still work to do. Whilst some players have promoted their cause (Peter Crouch, James Milner), others will fear their selection prospects have taken a step backwards (Michael Carrick, Emile Heskey).

Write off the Germans at your peril

Many had Russia has favourites to progress as Group 4 winners ahead of Saturday’s game against Germany. However, Joachim Löw’s side proved they have the ability to carve out results when required with a slender 1-0 victory over Guus Hiddink’s men. They remain far from convincing, but they are in the finals and there won’t be too many teams who will want to be drawn against them.

There will be some big names missing from the finals

For many the World Cup dream is over and they can start to plan their summer holidays, presumably somewhere with no television where they can’t be reminded what they’re missing out on. Those who will be scratching their heads the most at this prospect will be Sweden, Czech Republic, Croatia and Turkey, all of whom have been a regular fixture in recent tournaments. Spare a thought too for the other home nations sides …

The European play-offs will be fascinating

There could be more early casualties to come. The eight teams fighting it out for the four remaining European qualifying spots include heavyweights France, Russia and Portugal, all of who will probably feel they should have qualified already. They are all likely to be seeded when the draw is made next week, although this doesn’t guarantee much given the qualifying campaigns they have had. The Republic of Ireland will be hoping for the luck of the Irish when the teams are drawn.

Argentina know how to ride their luck

If Argentina thought they had used up all their luck in their late, late victory over Peru on Saturday, they would have been mistaken. Mario Bolatti’s 84th minute goal against Uruguay last night, secured the automatic spot which at times had appeared to be slipping away. Huge relief for Diego Maradona and a chance to have a swipe at his critics. Will he still be in charge at the finals though? 

Other things are sometimes more important

US fans paid tribute to striker Charlie Davies during their side’s 2-2 draw with Costa Rica, following his horrific car crash earlier in the week. Thousands held up cards with the number 9 on – Davies’s shirt number – as well as several large banners of support during the ninth minute of the game. Davies is almost certain to miss the World Cup, although he will be thankful to be alive just to watch it. Get well soon Charlie.

So qualification is almost complete, with just the African groups still to be decided, as well as the various play-off games. The speculation and build-up can then begin in earnest for what promises to be a brilliant tournament. Roll on next summer.

England’s game against Belarus at Wembley this evening will be their final competitive game before the World Cup begins in South Africa next summer. Fabio Capello still has the opportunity to see his charges in action over the course of a series of friendlies, but there are some issues he will want to resolve sooner rather than later. The Football Blog takes a look.

Who should start in goal?

A question which, if anything, has become harder to answer. Ben Foster appears to have lost the trust of Sir Alex Ferguson and subsequently of Capello. He was called into the squad as cover for the suspended Robert Green this week, but he is likely to be marginalised at United for the rest of the season and his place in the England squad, never mind the team, is subsequently looking precarious.

David James would now appear to be in the driving seat for the number 1 jersey. If something were to come of the speculation linking him to Manchester United then he would be clear favourite, although there is still time for the likes of Green (in spite of Saturday’s sending off), Joe Hart and Paul Robinson to stake a claim. This issue is likely to be Capello’s biggest headache leading up to next summer.

Does Rio Ferdinand still deserve a place in the starting XI?

The knives have been out for Ferdinand since his costly mistake on Saturday, not the first time he has made a high profile error. Capello has subsequently spoken to Ferdinand and publicly come out in support of the him. However, privately he must be having some doubts about the player, at the root of which is ring rustiness with a series of niggling injuries restricting him to playing 15 of the last 41 competitive games for England and United.

The problem is, there don’t appear to be any outstanding candidates to replace him as John Terry’s partner in the centre of defence. Matthew Upson is a good centre-half but is part of a West Ham defence which has been leaking goals this season, whilst Joleon Lescott has so far failed to impress since his move to Manchester City. So Ferdinand’s position would appear to be safe. For now.

Who should start on the right side of midfield?

There currently appear to be three players vying for just one spot. Aaron Lennon, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Theo Walcott are all in contention for the number 7 jersey and each have similar playing styles and attributes. It would seem that Lennon is in the box seat, although Capello looks set to start with both him and Wright-Phillips against Belarus, with the emphasis being on pace and width.

Whilst Walcott is not in the current squad following his return from injury, he must surely be in Capello’s thoughts. Much depends on whether he can hold down a starting place in the Arsenal team, and whether he can fulfil the potential he showed when he hit a hat trick against Croatia in qualifying. David Beckham should also not be forgotten, although one suspects he would be happy just to settle for a place in the squad.

What are the options up front without Wayne Rooney?

Wayne Rooney’s absence from tonight’s game may well be a blessing in disguise, as Capello has the opportunity to look at the alternatives in attack. Gabriel Agbonlahor and Peter Crouch will get the chance to impress this evening, in what is likely to be a more orthodox 4-4-2 formation. As Capello has said, England need to practise different styles in order not to become overly reliant on Rooney.

With Capello looking to put together “a plan A, a plan B and a plan C”, Jermain Defoe and Carlton Cole will also be looking to prove in the coming months that they can be adequate deputies should Rooney pick up an injury. Emile Heskey is also clearly worried that his place alongside Rooney is under threat – will he look to force through a move away from Aston Villa in the search for regular first team football?

So plenty for Capello to ponder going into England’s final World Cup qualifier, as he looks to erase the memory of Saturday’s defeat to Ukraine as quickly as possible. The majority of players starting this evening will have a point to prove, so commitment should not be lacking in this ‘experiment’. Capello will be hoping it works and that he has his ‘plan B’ firmly in place.

Owen Hargreaves is close to a return to action for Manchester United having missed the entirety of his side’s championship-winning exploits last season through injury. Arguably England’s player of the tournament at the 2006 World Cup, is there still a place for him in the United and England set up after such a long period on the sidelines?

The player himself is confident he can return “better than ever” after 13 months out. However, it is rare that players return to their best after such long period on the sidelines, especially given the severity of the injury. Hargreaves has had two operations to cure a tendinitis problem in both knees and it was feared he would have to quit top-level football.

Those fears would appear premature however, and Hargreaves seems desperate to return to the United team to prove why Sir Alex Ferguson paid £17 million for his services from Bayern Munich in July 2007. At 28 years old, Hargreaves still has time to add to his array of honours, with Bundesliga, Premier League and Champions League titles to his name already.

Getting back to full fitness is one thing, getting back a regular place in the United side is quite another. However, Hargreaves does have some cause for hope. United’s central midfield has looked far from indomitable so far this season and there is room for the Canadian-born midfielder to stake a claim for a regular place.

Of his contenders, Darren Fletcher appears to be the only permanent fixture in Ferguson’s mind. Michael Carrick seems to have fallen out of favour, Paul Scholes is being used more sparingly in his twilight years, whilst Anderson continues to look less than convincing. Hargreaves chances would be further enhanced with an injury to one or more of this trio.

And what about his international career? Having emerged with more credit than most from the last World Cup, he was voted England Player of the Year 2006 after an initially frosty reception from some fans. However, he has not had a chance to play for his country under Fabio Capello (his last appearance came in the friendly against the US in May 2008) and time is running out for him to stake his claim ahead of this summer’s tournament.

His earliest opportunity to show his worth at international level will be a friendly against as yet undecided friendly opposition in March. Gareth Barry will be looking anxiously over his shoulder, and even if he doesn’t usurp the Manchester City man in the starting XI, he would be a useful squad player to take to the tournament. He offers Capello some versatility in that he can cover in the problematic right-back position, and is a dead ball specialist.

It has been a long road to recovery for Hargreaves, and the next few months could prove to be career defining. Should he stay free from further injury, he could find himself back in the United side and back in the England reckoning. He certainly has the skill to do so, as well as the hunger after such a long period out, he will just be praying he gets the luck he deserves as well.