Why Wembley Stadium's Pitch Could End England's World Cup Dreams

With so much importance surrounding tonight's encounter at Wembley Stadium between England and Group A contenders Mexico, there is much worry regarding the state of the pitch.

With the World Cup just three weeks away, the last thing Fabio Capello—England's manager—needs is an injury to one of his main men.

Blackpool's Gary Taylor-Fletcher—one of the heroes in their promotion run to the Premier League—said he feared the worst, as England will play on the same pitch that saw him walk off injured.

"The England players have got to be careful—there is a big World Cup coming up for them all. One slip and it could all be over for them," said Taylor-Fletcher.

If any injuries do occur, there will be very little time for recovery.

Taylor-Fletcher went on to say, "I have worn three pairs of boots on Saturday and in all of them I was either slipping over or getting caught. After about 10 minutes my studs got caught in the ground. I changed my boots to a smaller stud and was slipping everywhere in them."

Wembley is the most expensive stadium in England, yet the maintenance of the pitch seems to always attract attention for only negative reasons.

During the Carling Cup Final, played in February of 2010, worried for the safety of their players, Manchester United and Aston Villa complained about the pitch.

With Manchester United's Wayne Rooney just now recovering from an ankle injury, any further problems with the England striker would be a massive blow to Capello's team.

Something really needs to be done sooner than later.