Food for thought: England's attacking options:-

Most likely, Gerrard will retain the deep-lying defensive midfield role at which he has been so perfectly performing in the previous 2 seasons under Brendan Rogers at Liverpool. Further up-front in midfield, it’s going to be a toss-up as to who actually plays in the center of midfield; Wilshere, Henderson, Lallana and Lampard each possess different attributes.

It is of an advantage to Roy Hodgson that he has so many central midfielders with different qualities; for if he chooses a more defensive approach (most likely), Henderson and, to an extent, Wilshere offer a very good amount of balance which will be needed. Not to mention the fact that, should Henderson be given the nod ahead of the other CMs, he and Gerrard have already formed a terrific partnership over the course of this last season and it would be a rather easy transition for both players moving from their club’s, and into the national team’s, set of play.

However, if and when Hodgson decides to go on the offensive, then Lallana, and a tad less, Lampard offer dynamic presence towards the other end of the pitch. Both offer more urgency going forward and, especially in Lampard’s case, a very keen eye for goal. Lallana holds the upper hand when it’s about speed and technique and, therefore, might be given the nod, in an offensive lay-out, should Hodgson field other pacey players (more below).

Whether or not Rooney plays in the number 10 role is still something to be seen. However, he usually excels in that position and one would expect that, after all these years, he’s much more tactically-mature and very comfortable with that role given the fact that he has been performing a similar duty for Manchester United over the last 2 years. It is somewhat sad that, seeing as how Rooney will most probably feature as a starting 11, England will not be able to field Ross Barkley at the same time. SURELY the WC would be a much better tournament if Barkley features and mesmerizes the world with his talent!

Given Hodgson’s tendency to favor more defensive tactics, both Milner and Welbeck will most probably feature on the right and left sides respectively; as they offer more of a defensive approach than Sterling and Oxlade-Chamberlain. However, Hodgson won’t be shy to go all-out on attack, when needed, where Sterling’s and Chamberlain’s UNBELIEVABLE pace, technique and dribbling abilities will be extremely hard to stop. That is not to say that he won’t be looking to convert some of his CMs, such as Henderson or Lallana, into proper SMs for part, or all, of the tournament; as they have both shown their abilities to cope with playing on either side of the pitch.

England:-

Ah yes, the English (first of three…)! “The Three lions” travel to Brazil with many expecting an early exit; unusual given the traditional pre-WC SKY HIGH ambitions in England. But are those expectations really justified?

Well, for starters, England’s defense seems “fragile”, to say the least. Neither Cahill, Jagielka nor Baines (all most likely to start) have ANY experience at a major international tournament; in Jagielka’s and Baines’ cases, they even lack experience at ANY major competition apart from the EPL.

That being said, it is ludicrous to assume that, under Roy Hodgson’s command, the defense will play with anything BUT their utmost best! Hodgson places a huge emphasis on strong, coordinated defending and a very high level of commitment from his back-four. So it is pretty unorthodox to expect England to concede many goals at the WC!

The real headache for England will be in midfield. They have a huge contingent of talented and experienced midfielders; however, as always, they seem to go missing in big tournaments! The Gerrard-Lampard combination has proven, time and time again, to be ineffective and it would be a surprise if Hodgson chooses to start with those two simultaneously.

Regardless who features in front of Gerrard, England will look to play a direct style of football. Gerrard will be launching long-balls forward and dispersing play either side of the pitch. The central midfielder playing has the responsibility of properly coordinating the bridge between both sides of the team; which is why a unique positional awareness is needed at all times, SPECIFICALLY against Italy and Uruguay, for starters.

Whatever tactic Hodgson chooses to apply, England will look to expose spaces on the channels and deliver accurate crosses in between both sides of the opposition’s box; wide players might even dive deeper into the final third and roll the ball back to Gerrard and/or the CM, who will look for precise deliveries in between opposition defenders.

A huge responsibility will be, therefore, placed on the striker’s shoulders. It will be the main striker’s moment to shine every time he receives the ball in the middle of the box. Should Sturridge start, he must, hopefully, bring his shooting boots from his club season with him to score the goals England need.

Main man: Wayne Rooney: Amazing vision, pure strength, quickness with the ball and an extremely lethal shot are all just a small part of the complete package a full-fit and in-form Rooney brings along. He is quite simply irreplaceable and it will be his last chance to prove to himself, and to the world, that he is England’s best-ever player.

Odds (average from top 24 betting firms): 31.04167