Okay, that might be overstating things a bit, not to mention putting a little too much pressure on
the Aston Villa goalkeeper's shoulders (as he is after all a regular reader of this blog. Yeah
right). By now you probably know Scott Carson is starting in goal for England's crucial Euro
qualifier against Croatia tonight. And if you didn't know, please leave and become a fan before
returning to read this blog.
Ten of 14 spots have been decided going into the final day of qualifying games, while a separate
battle to not land in the pool of top-seeded teams could prove interesting. Allow me to explain
this second point first, before going into everybody's chances (though I reckon you all know that
Scotland is eliminated and England can qualify with a tie against Croatia).
First things first: England's chances. Thanks to the loss in Moscow, the Three Lions need help from
one of two sources this weekend: 1) Israel, which must tie or beat Russia or 2) FYR Macedonia,
which must beat Croatia. What are the chances of #1? Liverpool striker Yossi Benayoun is missing
the game for Israel, which does not bode well. Still, Israel did manage a 1-1 draw the first time
these teams met.
...but he didn't listen. If you'll recall, a few short days ago Soccer Source completed a poll,
where only 6% favored starting Robinson. Sure enough, Robbo cost England a goal and the match and a
crucial point that may end up proving fatal to England's qualification efforts. "It bears
repeating, Robinson was at fault for the second [goal]," the Guardian's log of the game said.
