7 Reasons England Has a Serious Shot at Winning the Next World Cup

Following their disappointing performance at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the England national team have faced all sorts of criticism from both the British media and their fans. FIFA's newest world rankings have put England in 4th place, which has been met with bemusement and ridicule from many quarters.

It's easy to get sucked in by all this negative media hype. There are plenty of reasons, however, to feel optimistic at England's future, and here is a list of seven such reasons. Will England finally shake off their "underachiever" tag and go all the way in Brazil 2014?

The Next Generation: Growing Up in the U21s

We saw in South Africa the importance of having a group of players that grew up together: Germany and Spain famously graduated a large portion of their World Cup squads from their U-21s, and their outstanding teamwork paid huge dividends on the field.

With Stuart Pearce currently in charge of England's U-21 team, he is in the perfect position to provide England's most promising youngsters with international exposure, as well as to give recommendations to Fabio Capello.

Among the most recent call-ups for the U-21 matches against Azerbaijan and Israel are the following players that have either already been capped/called up for the England senior team, or are widely considered to be nearing such an honor:

Phil Jones (Manchester United), Kyle Walker (Tottenham Hotspur), Martin Kelly (Liverpool), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Jack Wilshere (Arsenal), Danny Welbeck (Manchester United).

Of course, it's up to these youngsters to make their mark for their respective clubs, but growing up in the same international team will ease their transition into the senior team.

Plenty of Room to Grow for the Current Crop

The next age group above the U-21s consists of senior team players who are currently aged 25 or below. First, a list for your reading pleasure, with players who have been called up within the last 12 months:

Joe Hart, Scott Loach; Micah Richards, Gary Cahill, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Kyle Walker, Kieran Gibbs; James Milner, Theo Walcott, Adam Johnson, Tom Cleverley, Aaron Lennon, Jack Wilshere, Matt Jarvis, Jordan Henderson, Tom Huddlestone; Wayne Rooney, Andy Carroll, Danny Welbeck, Gabriel Agbonlahor.

That already makes up a full team.

With ample playing time for their respective club teams and opportunities to cement their places in the England senior team, these players, some of whom overlap with the U-21 selection, will gain more and more experience at the full international level.

In addition, England's reputation in the football world means that, regardless of the media and the fans' opinions of the national team, they will be able to arrange friendlies with other high-profile teams: France and Brazil have been recent opponents, while a date with Spain is in the cards. What better preparation for the biggest stage than these?

Increasing British Presence in the Top EPL Clubs

Outside the international realm, an increasing number of English players are getting exposure at the highest levels of club football.

A list again, this time of the English players in and around the first teams of the EPL's Top Six:

Manchester United: Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Rio Ferdinand; Tom Cleverley, Ashley Young, Michael Carrick; Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck, Michael Owen

Chelsea: John Terry, Ashley Cole; Frank Lampard, Josh McEachran; Daniel Sturridge

Manchester City: Joe Hart; Micah Richards, Joleon Lescott; James Milner, Adam Johnson, Gareth Barry, Owen Hargreaves

Arsenal: Kieran Gibbs, Carl Jenkinson; Jack Wilshere, Henri Lansbury; Theo Walcott

Tottenham Hotspur: Michael Dawson, Ledley King, Kyle Walker; Scott Parker, Aaron Lennon, Tom Huddlestone, Danny Rose; Jermain Defoe

Liverpool: Glen Johnson, Martin Kelly, John Flanagan; Steven Gerrard, Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson, Jay Spearing; Andy Carroll

Now, whether or not all the players listed above are truly "international class" is up to your own interpretation, and indeed up to the England coaching staff's, but it sure is a far cry from the dark days where the media and fans alike were bemoaning the lack of British presence within England's best clubs not so long ago.

The now-heavy presence of English talent in the best EPL teams ensures that the majority of England's squad are competing for starring roles within their respective clubs. This kind of top-level exposure can only bode well for the national team.

Plenty of Experience to Take to Brazil

While Fergie's Fledglings has banished the notion that "you'll never win anything with kids," every successful team requires a certain level of experience, which comes with age and exposure at the top level. And England have this in abundance.

Most media tags of "experienced" players go with those between the age of 30 and 35, which in most cases, strike a perfect balance between veteran status and still having the required energy to be competitive at international level.

So, who among recent England national call-ups will fall into this category come the summer of 2014?

Robert Green, Ben Foster; Ashley Cole, John Terry, Joleon Lescott, Phil Jagielka, Rio Ferdinand, Glen Johnson, Michael Dawson, Stephen Warnock; Steven Gerrard, Gareth Barry, Stewart Downing, Scott Parker, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Shaun Wright-Phillips; Jermain Defoe, Darren Bent, Peter Crouch, Bobby Zamora, Carlton Cole, Jay Bothroyd.

Of course, a rapid decline in player performances as they fall on the wrong side of 30 can never be ruled out, and we can be sure that a good number of the players above will not be on the plane for Brazil, especially as new stars will get, and hopefully grasp, their chance to establish themselves for England.

But being able to call on the experience of top players such as Steven Gerrard and Scott Parker will be a huge boon for the youngsters, and a huge advantage for the coaching staff.

A New Coach to Lead the Team in 2014

While we're on the topic of coaching staff, it's common knowledge to all England fans that Fabio Capello, "The Don," will be stepping down from his current role after the 2012 European Championships.

During his stint as England manager, Capello has divided opinion over his record at the helm and his management style. While he presided over a hugely successful qualifying campaign en route to South Africa 2010, he also made several decisions in the World Cup itself that the media and fans have deemed to be the cause of England's underwhelming performances.

His disciplinarian approach to management has also attracted much debate over its effects on the England players, and ensured that his name would appear on many a national newspaper.

Love him or hate him, his tenure will be ending in less than a year's time.

Who will be his successor? Harry Redknapp? Roy Hodgson?

Whoever it is, he will have the best part of two years to stamp his authority and make his mark on his new team before he takes them to Brazil.

New Wonderkids on the Block

And there's no better way for a new England manager to make his mark than by discovering the new bright star of England's up-and-coming generation.

Before Sven-Goran Eriksson's much-criticized decision to bring the untried Theo Walcott to Germany in 2006, we had a relatively-unknown Michael Owen announce his arrival on the world's biggest stage with scintillating performances in France 1998.

Of course, Brazil is still a full three years away, but this doesn't stop us football fans from speculating on England's next big thing.

Will he be Chelsea's Josh McEachran? Arsenal's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain? Manchester United's Ravel Morrison? Liverpool's Raheem Sterling? Or someone we haven't even heard of yet?

With the UEFA Financial Fair Play rules set to take effect in the coming seasons, more emphasis will be put on developing football academies. And this can only bode well for England in the future.

Mixing and Matching Styles of Play

Having so many players on the right side of 30 and on the books of England's best club teams means that they will have experienced a variety of strategies and tactics used by their club bosses by the time the 2014 World Cup rolls around.

We're seeing from this year's English Premier League that the Top Six are starting a widespread adoption of a more fluid playing style. Sir Alex Ferguson has added a Barcelona-esque passing game to an already formidable Manchester United team. Chelsea, having added the creativity of Raul Meireles and the invention of Juan Mata, will be looking to play in Fernando Torres on the ground. With his last-minute injection of experience into his team, Arsene Wenger will aim to add a more ruthless and effective side to Arsenal's brilliant possession-reliant football.

Kenny Dalglish has re-instilled Liverpool's pass-and-move traditions from the 1980s. Roberto Mancini has had critics of his previously defensive-heavy game purring over Manchester City's free-scoring start to their season. Tottenham Hotspur, with the blistering pace of Gareth Bale and the playmaking abilities of Luka Modric, can switch up their style of play at will.

So, there's a lot of attacking flair and possession play added to top-flight football this term.

England will also have a full arsenal of target men to pick from: Andy Carroll, Peter Crouch and Bobby Zamora, to name but three. Will they be England's Plan A or Plan B? That's anyone's guess at this stage.

But that's the beauty of it all. England now have options, well-developed options, experienced options, unpredictable options.

Now we just need a coach to tie all of this together, and get us on our way to Brazil.