England Watch - Stewart Downing
Downing has ten international caps to his name to date
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Wednesday, 14, Feb 2007 05:30
Of all the several future England internationals being looked at it in this series of profiles many are, as yet, uncapped or have not had much of a look-in with the national side. Not so with Stewart Downing.
The young Middlesbrough winger had been given his debut under Sven Goran Eriksson but was not allowed much of an opportunity, largely due to the form of Chelsea's Joe Cole.
Cole is still regarded as England's first choice on the left-hand side of the midfield but his season-ending injury early on in 2006/07 has meant that Downing's role has increased from bit-part player to squad and even first XI regular.
But despite his more frequent appearances for England, Downing still has his doubters and perhaps polarises opinion among fans as much as any other in the frame for an international cap.
So will he be taken to South Africa in 2010, and will he make the team? Alistair Potter weighs up the pros and cons.
Name: Stewart Downing
Position: Left midfield
Club: Middlesbrough
Age by South Africa 2010: 25
From the late 1990s to the early years of this century, England's main problem was a distinct lack of a naturally left-sided player to fill a significant gap in an otherwise talented team.
Players such as Darren Anderton and Trevor Sinclair were given international opportunities, more as an act of desperation on the part of respective managers in a bid to find someone to fill in on the left-hand side of midfield.
However, nowadays England's talent pool is noticeably larger on the left wing. Joe Cole is an established star at Chelsea and one of the Premiership champions' real flair players. He has blossomed since the arrival of Jose Mourinho at Stamford Bridge and this has brought a more settled line-up down the left with Ashley Cole providing support from deep.
Downing has stepped into the breach because of Chelsea's 2006/07 injury curse and done reasonably well in making the most of his opportunity.
The 22-year-old still has his fair share of critics - many believe he does not have the qualities needed to play at the top level and several others point to his close relationship with current England coach Steve McClaren as a major reason for his continued inclusion in the team.
While both of these criticisms may have some credence, Downing has several qualities that make him the perfect fit for England's preferred 4-4-2 formation.
His crossing, which has not been showcased any more clearly than during Middlesbrough's 5-1 demolition of Bolton Wanderers earlier this season, is undoubtedly world class.
Few would argue that his delivery from wide areas is any less than superb and in this department, if nothing else, he is head and shoulders above any of his peers.
He may not be as pacey as other left-sided players, Cole included, or possess the box of tricks that traditionally critics would see as essential for any international wide-man but Downing has certain aspects to his game that make him a valid member of the squad, even if he would not necessarily fit into everyone's preferred gameplan.
Downing faces competition from several new faces for a spot on England's left-hand side, with Kieron Richardson emerging at Manchester United and Gareth Barry impressing in equal measure at Aston Villa.
But despite competition from other quarters, Downing's crossing merits his inclusion in the squad at the very least and he should push hard for a place on the plane to South Africa, if not the first XI at the next World Cup.
England's 2010 World Cup squad
*Players in bold - tickets to South Africa booked already
Goalkeepers
Paul Robinson
Possibles: Chris Kirkland, Ben Foster, Rob Green, Scott Carson
Defenders
John Terry, Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Jamie Carragher
Possibles: Glen Johnson, Joleon Lescott, Micah Richards, Ledley King, Michael Dawson, Anton Ferdinand, Leighton Baines, Justin Hoyte, Curtis Davies, Wes Brown, Phil Bardsley, Michael Mancienne
Midfielders
Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Owen Hargreaves, Joe Cole, Michael Carrick
Possibles: Aaron Lennon, Tom Huddlestone, Nigel Reo-Coker, Lee Cattermole, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Stewart Downing, Giles Barnes, James Morrison, Kieran Richardson
Forwards
Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen
Possibles: David Nugent, Theo Walcott, James Vaughan, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch, Darren Bent, Dean Ashton, Cameron Jerome