2010 FIFA World Cup Preview: Why England Must Start Robert Green Against Algeria

Its the morning after. Right now the replay of Rob Green's howler last night are being edited and cut for one of the usual 'World Cup biggest gaffs' dvd and there's nothing he can do about it. 

We all know what happened. There is no defending it. You can't blame the ball. You can't blame the pitch. You can only blame Rob Green and that's something Green is going to have to learn to deal with.

However, there is a bigger picture here, Green made a mistake, albeit a huge mistake but will it likely cost England from going through into the next stage? Judging by Algeria vs Slovenia this afternoon, no. Before everyone starts lambasting Green and stating their Grandmother would have saved that, Green must start against Algeria, and here's why:-

James is struggling with a knee problem

Some people are claiming that Green's blunder was brought on through a mixture of nerves and inexperience. Great, that's easily solved, Capello will just play England's most experienced goalkeeper in the squad. Unlikely. Capello is a pedantic person and demands that he doesn't play his players if their not 100% fit. Like Gareth Barry, Capello is very fond of Barry and would have started him if Barry's fitness permitted it however Barry was incapable of getting fit in time and only ended up with a spot on the bench. Therefore, Capello is not going to change his guns now and start David James who has missed a training session due to a knee injury because of Green's Blunder.

Joe Hart is untested

Without doubt, Joe Hart has been the best goalkeeper in the Premier League this year. Now, the important words in that sentence is 'Premier League'. Players such as Darren Bent and Jermaine Defoe have all failed to recuperate their form for their club side on a international level. Capello is not a fan of taking risks, hence why Adam Johnson was left out of the squad and playing Hart would be a massive risk that could well play off however the chance of Hart becoming overwhelmed and letting the occasion get the better of him is why Hart is not England's number one.

Green is mentally strong

Once the ball had slipped out of Green's grasp he immediately got up, apologised to his team mates and kicked the ball back to the half way line to resume the game. Many other more emotional goal keepers would have laid on the floor with their hands in their head looking for sympathy. Not Green, at that point, the whole world was looking at Green thinking 'dear me' however Green was not affected and potentially kept his side in the game with a top-notch save. Green has the perfect mindset to bounce back from one of the worst moments of his career.

Algeria

England's next opponent is Algeria and today against the Slovenians, Algeria were far from a threat to Slovenia's goal and what a perfect opportunity for Green and England to control the game and Robert Green to come out of the game with a clean sheet. England should win the game comfortably, if the performance is right, confidence could be back.

Conclusion

I'm not trying to defend Green's blunder. It can't be done however there's no need for an overreaction. England's leaders must lead.