UEFA's disciplinary body handed the Manchester United striker a three match ban following his dismissal against Montenegro, in England's last group game of the qualifying stage. An appeal may be lodged by the Football Association, but the nature of Rooney's kick from behind and his previous poor conduct (he was sent off in the FIFA World Cup against Portugal in 2006) probably means that England need to look at other options for the group stage of Euro 2012 in Poland and the Ukraine.
England's Lack of World Class Strikers
Rooney's international record of 28 goals in 73 appearances makes him the first choice striker by a distance. The alternatives are sparse. Liverpool's Andy Carroll has one international goal, Aston Villa's Darren Bent has four while Spurs striker Jermain Defoe is the more experienced option with 15 goals in 48 appearances. Peter Crouch has a better record of 22 goals in 42 appearances but appears to be out of favour since struggling at Tottenham before a recent move to Stoke. The only world class proven goalscorer is Rooney's team mate Michael Owen, but Capello has never shown any enthusiasm in picking him. If Owen can get regular starts for Manchester United and stay fit, he would be difficult to ignore but that combination is unlikely. The younger but unproven Danny Welbeck has impressed at Old Trafford and did well in a brief appearance against Montenegro.
German, Spain and the Netherlands Favourites for Euro 2012
Another concern for England is the ominous form of their rivals in the qualifying stages. Germany, who humiliated the old enemy 4-1 in the World Cup last year, won all 10 of their games while Spain, who ended Scotland's interest in the tournament, also won all eight of their matches. Germany and Spain scored a combined aggregate of 60 goals in the qualifiers and have established strikers such as David Villa who scores at a rate better than a goal every two games as does Miroslav Klose. Holland, the beaten finalists in the 2010 World Cup Final, had a perfect record until they lost their last game to Sweden. In contrast, England have laboured to two draws against Montenegro and had to come back from 2-0 down to force a point against Switzerland at home.
England's Fear Factor and Lack of Ball Control
Present and former players have also cited England's fear factor going into tournaments while Gary Neville, who won 85 caps for his country, suggested that commentators should be concerned about the side's lack of pace and their inability to keep the ball. Neville suggested Capello needs to be brave and introduce youngsters like Phil Jones, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Tom Cleverley into the side as they are "talented, mobile and not tainted by previous failures."
Ultimately, it looks like Euro 2012 is too soon for England's new breed and perhaps a tournament too far for the more experienced players such as Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Rio Ferdinand and John Terry.
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