Could Dwight Yorke wreck things for England?

What do Dwight Yorke, Henrik Larsson, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Roque Santa Cruz and Carlos Gamarra have in common?

You’d be right to affirm that they’re all practically guaranteed a place in the starting lineup for their respective countries come June – Yorke for T&T, Larsson and Ibrahimovic for Sweden, and Santa Cruz and Gamarra for Paraguay.

Moreover, according to an article by Andy Hampson of PA Sport, these 5 players just might “block England’s route to the second round.”

I’ll leave the commentary on Messrs. Larsson et al to my fellow bloggers for Sweden and Paraguay, but Yorke’s inclusion on this list is interesting.

To quote the article, “Dwight Yorke…has certainly spent enough time playing at the highest level for Sven Goran Eriksson to be well aware of the danger he poses.”

Hmm. I don’t disagree with that statement, but I’m not entirely in accord with its assumptions. First, it reduces the success or failure of a World Cup team to the prowess (or lack thereof) of its strikers. The past two Cups (and numerous European tournaments) have demonstrated that the game is increasingly dominated by a defensive style of play. Second, for every goal that Yorke scores in this tournament, T&T are likely to concede two or three. We simply do not have a solid backline, and I am increasingly concerned about our goalkeeping (Kelvin Jack injured; Shaka Hislop ageing; Clayton Ince erratic; Anthony Warner who?). Finally, while I agree that our Captain is an essential part of our team, it is likely that our younger Warriors – like Chris Birchall, for instance – might outperform their elders in June.

I may well be wrong. How brilliant it would be if I were.