Who to Partner Rooney? Capello's Issue in Crucial Qualifier

While there is no question towards Fabio Capello's selection for his England squad to face Montenegro in the final Euro 2012 qualifier in most regards, many have suggested that Andy Carroll is somewhat fortunate to have earned a call-up. With Wayne Rooney an absolute certainty in any England squad, who partners the United man upfront is much more of an issue, if indeed he is partnered at all.

England's Italian boss likes to have two big men and two poachers in his squad alongside the ever-present Rooney, and with the likes of Ashley Young and Theo Walcott also available as second strikers, he is somewhat spoilt for choice in attacking areas.

With this in mind WhoScored looks at the best rated English forwards based on our rankings, analysing the seasonal performance of those picked and those omitted to gauge what could be Capello's striking solution.

Rooney a Shoe-in but in what Role?

It remains a distinct possibility that despite opting for 5 strikers in his squad to face Montenegro on Friday, Fabio Capello could again play Rooney as a lone front man. The Italian has made his belief that Ashley Young's best position is not out wide but in a free role known on numerous occasions in the past, and the system did it's job in Bulgaria and to a certain extent at home to Wales, but Rooney is seen as the link man by his club, and my has he impressed.

Rooney has supported the likes of Javier Hernandez and fellow England teammate Danny Welbeck for his club this term. With 9 goals and 2 assists to his name in just 6 Premier League starts, heralding a WhoScored league leading rating of 8.8, one would have to concur with Alex Ferguson's positioning of the man. So who could and should play in partnership with England's prized asset?

Pace Men

The two players that Fabio Capello has opted as his pace men up front are Danny Welbeck and Darren Bent, to the bemusement of some. 20-year-old Welbeck is in line for just his 2nd England cap having come on as a late substitute against Ghana in a recent friendly, and has began the season in decent form for United.

A surprise starter in some eyes in the Champions' opening matches, Welbeck linked up with Wayne Rooney to net against Tottenham and Arsenal before picking up a hamstring injury in the latter. Since his comeback he has gone on to score 3 times in 4 games in all competitions and is certainly worthy of being in contention. However, a WhoScored rating of 7 in the league ranks him as the 6th best English striker this year, with some suggesting that more deserving candidates have been overlooked.

A fact that could have a basis on whether he plays is that during the 204 minutes of Premier League action Welbeck has played alongside Wayne Rooney the partnership have scored 5 goals. However, only 2 of these have come from Rooney, with the talisman netting 7 in just 336 minutes without Welbeck in the side at a much-improved 48 minutes per goal strike rate. Capello will be keen to get the best out of his star man and may not see Welbeck as the ideal solution.

Another option is Aston Villa's Darren Bent, whose season has been hampered by a groin injury thus far which saw him pull out of the previous qualifiers. The striker netted his second goal of the season at the weekend, coming from 6 starts, to earn him a WhoScored rating of 6.79, way below teammate and fellow countryman Gabby Agbonlahor on 7.2.

The electric forward has begun the season in fine form, scoring 4 goals in 7 games as well as picking up 2 assists. His average rating ranks him as the 4th best English striker in the league thus far, and were it not for a niggling back injury, the 24-year-old may well have been ahead of Bent for a place in the squad.

Jermain Defoe is another high-profile name to have been excluded this time around, despite scoring twice in just 4 starts for Tottenham in the league. A constant threat to opponents; Defoe has attempted a massive 3.8 shots per game and his eye for goal has led him to a rating of 7.07 which is, like Agbonlahor, also ahead of Welbeck and Bent.

10 goals in his last 16 international caps suggests the Spurs man could be the form striker on the international scene, though the forward may fall foul of the fact that Rooney rarely hits top form when partnered for England. During the course of Defoe's hot streak, Wayne Rooney has scored just twice while the pair have been on the pitch at the same time, over a total of 575 minutes.

Perhaps the unluckiest English frontman not to get the nod is Chelsea's Daniel Sturridge. Having missed the first 3 games of the season through suspension the youngster has broken straight into Andre Villas-Boas' plans off the back of a terrific pre-season. The striker, yet to get a senior international call-up, ranks as the 7th best player in the entire league in WhoScored ratings with 7.82, and the third best English striker to boot.

Such high figures come courtesy of 3 goals in as many games, along with 1 assist and 4 shots per game, playing from the right. A fantastically cheeky back-heel against Sunderland gave his side the 3 points before a superb display against his former side Bolton this weekend, netting twice on his return to the Reebok.

Target Men

Though Peter Crouch had become the mainstay big man in England's frontline, the Stoke striker has fallen out of favour with Capello despite an excellent international record. The Italian has instead opted to select Bobby Zamora and Andy Carroll as potential partners to Wayne Rooney. While few can complain that the former hasn't warranted a recall, many have suggested that Andy Carroll's lack of form should have seen him dropped at the expense of the in-form Sturridge.

Carroll is likely to have been saved, as the England boss likes to have alternatives in each position, meaning two tall strikers were required. The Liverpool man, despite opening his account for the season in the Merseyside derby, has picked up a meagre rating of 6.59 thus far from WhoScored. Just 1 goal from 7 appearances in all, and no assists, despite supporting the lively Luis Suarez, represents an unproductive campaign to date. Scoring in only 2 games since his £35m move from Newcastle in January has not put off Capello, though Carroll can count himself somewhat lucky.

One could hardly suggest that Bobby Zamora is lucky to be included. Although injuries continue to hamper the Fulham man, it is no coincidence that his side tends to perform when he is in the side. In just 4 league starts for Martin Jol the 30-year-old has scored 3 and, importantly, set up another 3. A WhoScored rating of 7.9 has followed, ranking him as the second best English frontman thus far behind Rooney and the 5th best player in the Premier League.

A hugely helpful 2.3 key passes per game is indicative of the big man's creativity and willingness to play in teammates, which could sway the balance in his favour come Friday, with Rooney in clinical form of late. In comparison, Carroll has completed just 0.7 key passes per game, while Rooney's 3 key passes per game could prove to be a deadly partnership with Zamora, who has fired in 3.3 shots a match.

Lack of Experience

Of the 4 potential partners selected (Bent, Carroll, Zamora, Welbeck) only Bent has reached double figures in his international career with 10 caps. 2 of his 3 international goals have come while Rooney has been on the pitch, but the worrying statistic for Capello is that Rooney is yet to score in the Villa man's presence, despite 223 minutes of game time. Said action counts for less than half of Bent's international career thus far, playing 51.4% of his 459 minutes in an England shirt without Rooney in the side.

The partnership of Zamora and Rooney is even less tested. The Fulham man has just 1 cap to his name, coming on as a half-time substitute against Hungary. Wayne Rooney played that game but was replaced just 20 minutes into his partnership with Zamora, meaning the former Spurs man has also played less than half of his international minutes without Rooney present.

When it comes to Andy Carroll and Danny Welbeck, neither have had the chance to take the field alongside Rooney in an England shirt. While Welbeck has played just 10 minutes for England, Carroll has managed 133, making it surprising that he has yet to play with the man of the moment.

In total, the 4 strikers have played just 243 minutes of action with Rooney for England, equating to an average of 61 minutes each. The average percentage of the foursome's respective England careers spent with Wayne Rooney is a low 23%, proving that the second striker selection is an evident issue for Capello.