Injuries abound as England stutter toward qualifying opener

September 1st, 2010 | by: Rob | View Comments

So England’s Euro 2012 Campaign kicks off on Friday against a (thankfully Berbatov less) Bulgaria, and the main thing is…well the squad is decimated. Lampard and Terry had already announced they couldn’t take part (although some may have breathed a sigh of relief there), Bobby Zamora is out just as he was beginning to look like a genuine first choice option, Phil Jagielka has sat out of training, and Peter Crouch has gone home not being able to play after picking up a rib injury against West Ham. England also have only one fit, recognised goalkeeper (thankfully, he’s the super human Joe Hart), and have Arsenal’s fourth choice in reserve.

With any luck, we’ll still be alright. Bulgaria and Switzerland are still tough sides, the kind of sides that finish second in a group and gets to a host of tournaments, and after the Euro 2008 fiasco it would be nice to get the show on the road with two wins, right.

The confidence of 12 months ago though, has gone. Capello has lost that invincibility he seemed to have during qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, and it is, in all honesty, a bit harder to get excited about England games again. A good performance would do the nation the world of good.