The Tuesday Topic: England still have much to do

Despite concerns over the construction of new stadiums and facilities, and whether Brazil will be ready to host the biggest football competition on the planet, the 2014 World Cup promises to be electrifying.

England's trip to Rio de Janeiro last week may have highlighted the fact Brazil seem to be behind schedule in their preparations, but shouldn't we be more concerned over whether we'll actually qualify to be part of it?

The optimist in you says 'of course we'll get there' but then the pessimist wades in and reminds you that even England, who claim to boast one of the best domestic leagues in the world, can fail to reach a major tournament. Remember watching Euro 2008 from afar?

Sunday's friendly draw with the five-time winners may have increased the optimism a smidgen in light of an, up until now at least, underwhelming qualifying campaign. But with four games left to seal their place in next year's tournament, or worse, a play-off match, manager Roy Hodgson has some thinking to do.

Out of the starting XI on Sunday night, how many would start the opening group game in Brazil? Who would be his central defensive partnership? What system would suit the Three Lions best and above all, who will lead the line?

All those questions are also relevant when you assess their remaining qualifiers.

Hodgson's squad will reconvene for another friendly against Scotland in August before they get back down to business with a key double header of qualifiers against Moldova at Wembley and then away to Ukraine in September.

Sitting second in Group H two points behind Montenegro and only three ahead of Poland and Ukraine, who both have a game in hand, England are by no means certainties to qualify, and between now and September Hodgson will have to decide on a formula he believes will be good enough to get England on that plane.

Apart from Joe Hart, there are question marks all over the field and one that seems to be stirring up debate is Hodgson's attacking line-up.

Although his starting place at Manchester United came under threat towards the end of the season and his future at the club remains uncertain, Wayne Rooney should still be England's leading man.

The former Everton striker's record in major championships isn't anywhere near as good as it should be, but beyond him Hodgson has a pool of forwards who are way behind Rooney in terms of experience and goals.

Despite his strike against Brazil on Sunday, Rooney spent the majority of the night isolated and when England did break forward the supply lines were not good enough and more often that not possession was surrendered.

Hodgson's options were limited in the Maracana with Andy Carroll, Danny Welbeck and Daniel Sturridge all missing through injury and you'd hope a combination of those three, if not all, will be available in the latter stages of qualifying.

So who would partner Rooney if fit? With Sturridge having only played 56 minutes of England's qualifying campaign, he remains an outside contender, although if he picks up where he left off for Liverpool next season, he may play his way higher up the pecking order.

That leaves Welbeck, Carroll and Jermain Defoe, while you could also include Theo Walcott as a central attacking option too. Hodgson tends to play a 4-4-2 system, with the occasional dabble in a 4-5-1 formation away from Wembley, but it is crucial the England boss takes into account how to get the best out of Rooney.

Playing as England's most advanced player isn't going to do that as Sunday highlighted and to be more effective the 27-year-old needs to drop into a deeper role like he does for Manchester United, playing in the hole so he can dictate how the Three Lions attack more.

That would mean needing someone else to lead the line and there are arguments for and against the other three options. West Ham-bound Carroll is the obvious candidate with his height and ability to hold the ball up, while Welbeck and Defoe could play that role should England keep the ball on the ground and work the channels more.

Playing Carroll would provide the temptation to lump the ball forward, but as the 6ft 4 powerhouse has shown, he has ability on the ground as well as in the air.

In Defoe, Hodgson has a proven goalscorer at international level, yet it makes you wonder why the Tottenham forward has never been able to consistently hold down a starting place.

Welbeck did impress with his displays at Euro 2012 and has played alongside Rooney at club level, but he is still a relatively raw talent and at the moment he doesn't stand out as someone you would give the responsibility to lead England at a major tournament.

Walcott remains as frustrating as ever. The excitement and potential that surrounded the Arsenal man from a young age still hasn't come to fruition, certainly not at international level, and a record of four goals in 33 appearances doesn't exactly fill you with optimism.

Having said that, his better performances for England have come from a more central role as opposed to out wide and you can't deny his pace and skill, although his lack of desire to take people on is also a problem.

Whatever Hodgson has at his disposal come September, it's clear England need to hit the ground running. There are still many sceptics out there when it comes to England's chances of reaching the World Cup, but with three of their final four qualifiers at Wembley, you'd fancy them to at least finish second in the group.

ENGLAND'S ATTACKING OPTIONS

WAYNE ROONEY

Caps: 83
Goals: 36
Games per goal: 2.3
Rating: ****
Comment: His record at major championships doesn’t reflect his contribution overall and he must be considered Roy Hodgson’s number one striker, the question is how the England boss uses him.

ANDY CARROLL

Caps: 9
Goals: 2
Games per goal: 4.5
Rating: ** 
Comment: He has largely impressed in his performances so far and he is the stand out option to lead the line and allow Rooney to play a deeper role and get involved in more link up play.

DANNY WELBECK 

Caps: 16
Goals: 5
Games per goal: 3.2
Rating: ***
Comment: Linked up well with Carroll during Euro 2012 and he has improved greatly in the last 18 months, but is he good enough to command a regular starting place?

JERMAIN DEFOE

Caps: 54
Goals: 19
Games per goal: 2.8
Rating: ****
Comment: His record at international level is nothing to be sniffed at, but his selection seems to be dependent on injuries and he has never really nailed down a starting place.

DANIEL STURRIDGE

Caps: 6
Goals: 1
Games per goal: 6
Rating: *
Comment: Has the least experience, but his domestic form towards the end of the season will no doubt keep him in contention for the remaining World Cup qualifiers.

THEO WALCOTT

Caps: 33
Goals: 4
Games per goal: 8.25
Rating: *
Comment: On his day, he can be deadly and his pace would suit England if he was playing off Carroll or Rooney, but his inconsistency and poor record remains a big problem.