Cole Must Lead England's Line In South Africa

The more I think about it and the more I see of the contenders, the more certain I am that Carlton Cole should be leading the line in South Africa. Against Brazil we had no out ball, nobody who could take the ball, shield it and allow others to join in the game around him. Rooney was coming too deep in search of the ball and Bent was running the channels, encouraging the long ball over the top which Brazil gobbled up all night.

Once again we saw England's need for the big man, the target man, the guy who they could hit with a "get it up there quick ball" and the player who could suck in two opposition defenders as he collected it, creating space for Rooney and the midfield runners to break beyond the Brazilian defence. We saw Rooney nearly open them up on three occasions but his passes were intercepted by a massed and properly positioned Brazil defence and midfield screen. Had Cole or Heskey been playing and dropping back towards the midfield, defenders would have been drawn out of position and gaps created.

Why not Crouch? Well the guy is the best goal scorer of the three but he gives away even more free kicks than Cole when challenging for the ball. He is all arms and legs and international referees do not like what they see. His control is good but he lacks the physical strength necessary for the job and, for a tall man, he is surprisingly weak in the air.

I am a fan of Heskey but he isn't getting enough football and he is looking increasingly injury prone. He is probably the cutest of the options, better equipped at buying free kicks rather than conceding them but his scoring record is truly woeful. I know Cole isn't supposed to be the best in front of goal and hasn't yet netted at international level, but I'm willing to bet my house that after fifty caps he would have more than 10 goals. How many has Heskey got? Seven?

Carlton is not in the Shearer class but he is a bloody good target man. Zola and Capello should teach him the Shearer technique of collapsing forward under a defender's challenge to buy free kicks, and he could do with somebody playing up top with him at Upton Park to develop the skill of playing in team mates behind an opposition defence, but add those two skills to his game and he would look like the real deal. He is quick, he is strong, he is confident and his goals are coming at the rate of one every two games and are of all types - headers, right foot, left foot, outside box, inside box and inside the six yard box. I would back him to bag four goals if he played in every game through to the Final and I wouldn't fancy Heskey to score more than two.

So come on Carlton, rip Hull apart at the weekend and send a message to Fabio! And don't opt to be a Big 4 reserve, Emile can tell you how that undermines your England prospects!