England will have to play their friendly this week against Euro 2012 semi-finalists Italy without Joe Hart or Daniel Sturridge.
Although the Italians didn’t have any luck with football trophies, they were a formidable force and the team that knocked England out of the competition in the quarter finals on penalties.
Despite that Italy were the better team and if it weren’t for the fact that Joe Hart has such good experience in the England goalkeeper kits the match would have ended to or three goals in Italy’s favour.
Unfortunately with Hart out with a back injury the job of protecting England’s football nets will fall to either Team GB goalkeeper Jack Butland – who has already had his fair share of penalty shootout heartache after Team GB’s Men crashed out of the Olympics to South Korea in the quarter finals, or Norwich goalie John Ruddy.
Ruddy was selected as the number two ‘keeper for the Euros but had to withdraw just before the tournament after a finger injury.
Another of England’s key players, Daniel Sturridge, is also out with a toe injury. He was left out of the squad that was taken to Poland and Ukraine in the summer but has proved his prowess as a forward by being Chelsea’s top scorer last season.
Although Sturridge may not have been good enough for Hodgson, he was selected by Stuart Pearce as part of Team GB’s Mens football team and was a key part of the team’s success in the contest for the Olympic football medals. Unfortunately it was his missed penalty that caused Team GB to be eliminated from the tournament after a high scoring shootout that saw Team GB lose 5-4.
There’s plenty of talent for Hodgson to choose from though, and this could be a good indication of his intentions for the World Cup 2014 qualifying campaign, which begins for England against Moldova on 7 September.
