After Tuesday's clash with Germany, England have only one more match before Roy Hodgson names his World Cup squad. Alan Smith watched their training for Sky Sports News on Monday and gave us his verdict on the key selection issues...
Central midfield - Is Jack Wilshere first choice?
Jack has had ankle trouble and that's something he needs to clear up. If he's not playing and training all the time then you lose that last five per cent which is vital at this level. A fit Jack Wilshere would be a huge asset to the starting XI of Arsenal and England - we've seen what he can do in both shirts - and he is only going to get better as long as he can keep fit. That's the big question for Jack Wilshere and if he has a good season for Arsenal he can go to Brazil and probably get in the first XI. I think he would be in Roy Hodgson's team.
Last season he was dragging Arsenal forward and was their talisman. If he wasn't doing it then quite often Arsenal would struggle and it was almost too much on his shoulders at times for a young lad. Now he has had to adjust to the fact that the team doesn't need him as much and that can be quite hard psychologically for somebody who has come through the ranks being the main man. All of a sudden Arsene Wenger can leave him out and the team isn't noticeably weakened so that's something he's had to adjust too. Almost for England, if he is fit, he's in a stronger position.
Right wing - Is Andros Townsend ahead of Theo Walcott?
It's a great choice for Roy Hodgson to have. Theo Walcott is a different sort of player to Andros Townsend; Andros loves to run with the ball and to commit defenders and take them on. He can make things happen and even when he came on against Chile there was a little bit extra down that side when he grabbed hold of the ball. He has got a lot of confidence and belief at the moment and that's borne out of his performances for Tottenham and England.
He hit the ground running and fireworks were flying straight away, which isn't easy when you come into the side. It's even harder to sustain it and that's the challenge facing him now and he's got an awful lot of learning to do. His game needs to develop and add a bit of variety, but I think he can do that. He certainly has the talent and has been a big plus point for England.
Up front - Is Daniel Sturridge the best partner for Wayne Rooney?
Sturridge seems to have a good natural understanding with Wayne Rooney. From what Daniel's been saying, they haven't had to work too hard on the training ground and they instantly and instinctively know where each other is on the pitch, which is a great bonus. He is a talented boy and will only get better. This is the first season where he feels his manager has belief and faith in him and is playing him every week and that does wonders for your confidence. We've seen that in his performances for Liverpool and we've seen snatches of it for his country as well. If he can stay fit then that strike partnership would be a big bonus for us; in the Euros in Poland and Ukraine we didn't have that partnership really. Those two - Sturridge and Rooney - would give us a great attack.
To a large extent England's hopes depend on Wayne Rooney. I don't think that's overstating the case. He's been unfortunate in going into tournaments previously not being fully fit and you have to go back to Portugal in 2004 when he first came onto the scene to pinpoint the last time he had a real impact in terms of scoring goals. We're desperate for him to go through this season and go into the tournament not tired and injury-free. He is important and vital to the team as that link between midfield and attack; if he's not on-song and not in the team then we are restricted.
