Wednesday, 2 April 2014
Sunday, 16 February 2014
World Cup 2014: Falcao injury puts Colombia on alert
World Cup 2014: Falcao injury puts Colombia on alert
Remember Josimar? The gangling Brazilian right-back who emerged from nowhere to score two amazing goals in the 1986 World Cup - and who, unable to cope with his sudden fame, soon disappeared back to obscurity?
Josimar was a last-minute call up, hurriedly brought into the squad after Leandro, the first choice right-back, pulled out in a row about curfews.
His replacement, Edson Boaro, picked up a knock in the second game, and an unexpected chance came Josimar's way. The rest is history.
The World Cup is full of such stories, of players who have grabbed last-minute opportunities and used them to achieve a kind of footballing immortality.
This year will surely throw up some more examples.
Colombia's strikers will be keeping an eye on the progress of Monaco's Radamel Falcao Garcia who ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in a French Cup game last week.
The doctor who operated on Falcao is optimistic that the striker will be fit for the World Cup, but there are no guarantees.
True, this is a department where coach Jose Pekerman can already count on an abundance of resources.
In addition to Teofilo Gutierrez, Falcao's usual strike partner, there is Jackson Martinez, the nearest like-for-like replacement.
Also in the squad are the rapidly developing Carlos Bacca and the burly, dynamic Luis Muriel.
And Victor Ibarbo slotted in superbly in November's friendlies, though in a wide attacking midfield role rather than that of an out-and-out striker.
One option to come in is Fredy Montero, full of goals this season with Sporting Lisbon of Portugal.
Montero has had a strange career. Talented, neat and clever, he was seen as a great hope when he made his breakthrough, first with Huila and then with Deportivo Cali in the 2007-08 season.
Short of goals at the time, Colombia threw him into the senior side, where he came across as a little boy lost, and was quickly discarded.
He then spent four seasons in the United States with Seattle Sounders, before joining Sporting in the summer.
Immediately prior to Portugal, however, came his big chance to make an impression with his home public - a six-month spell with Bogota giants Millonarios.
He was specially brought in a year ago for the club's first Copa Libertadores campaign since 1997. Expectations were high - and Montero could hardly have been a bigger disappointment.
He managed not a single goal, and showed no penalty area presence whatsoever, as Millonarios (scoring twice in six games) failed to make it out of the group phase.
The South American audience are quite entitled to believe that goals scored in the Libertadores are worth more than those achieved in the Portuguese league - which means that, as the 2014 version of the continent's Champions League kicks off this week, opportunity is knocking for Wilder Medina, of Milllonarios' Bogota rivals, the Arsenal-shirted Independiente Santa Fe.
Even wilder than his Christian name might indicate, Medina has said that football saved him from a life of delinquency. And he takes some of that devil out onto the pitch; he is cunning, crafty and talented. No less a figure than Carlos Valderrama is a fan - "Medina can play anywhere in the world," he said last year.
He was off to a goalscoring start when the Colombian league kicked off last Friday, and, in top form when Santa Fe reached the semi finals of the 2012 Libertadores, he now has this year's version to push his World Cup claim.
As does his team-mate, veteran Ecuadorian midfielder Edison Mendez.
Now 34, Mendez is one of his country's all-time greats. A stocky figure who is a fine striker of the ball, he has more than 100 caps to his name, was a stalwart of the World Cup sides of 2002 and 2006, and in the former scored the goal against Croatia that gave Ecuador their first victory at that level.
Once of PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands, his last few years have been blighted by injury, and his place in the Ecuador squad is no longer guaranteed.
But an opportunity has opened up - though in this case Mendez would dearly wish otherwise.
Ecuador need to replace Christian Benitez, who so tragically died last year.
It is a tribute to the excellence of the player that this is an extremely difficult task.
Ecuador play with two wingers, Antonio Valencia and Jefferson Montero, and a centre-forward, Felipe Caicedo. The presence of Benitez prevented an exaggeratedly open 4-2-4.
Quick enough to play off the shoulder of the last defender, Benitez could play up front while Caicedo dropped deeper. Or Caicedo could be the target man while Benitez withdrew behind the line of the ball.
Ecuador have no like-for-like replacement.
An obvious solution is to play Mendez in the space behind Caicedo.
He cannot offer the pace of Benitez running beyond the centre-forward, but he is a more natural midfield marker, his passing can bring the wingers into play and he is close enough to goal to unleash his shots.
Ecuador tried this in the two games following the death of Benitez - a friendly at home to Spain and the visit to Colombia in qualification.
It was looking good in the second game, with the team blocking well in midfield and launching their rapid counter-attacks. But a centre-back was sent off early, and Mendez was sacrificed at half time. Thereafter, fitness problems struck again.
Now he moves to Colombia to join Santa Fe in the hope of using the Libertadores as a platform to win a recall. But the problem facing him, and Wilder Medina, is that they may only have two games to press their case.
Over the next two weeks Santa Fe first have to negotiate a tricky qualifying round against Morelia of Mexico. Part of the difficulty here is that the Mexican clubs are sufficiently rich to buy up good South American players.
Morelia, for example, have Jefferson Montero of Ecuador, Uruguay's first choice striker Egidio Arevalo Rios and Aldo Leao Ramirez, an all-round midfielder certain to be in the Colombia squad.
They also have another Colombian, big striker Duvier Riascos, who enjoyed a good Libertadores campaign last year with Tijuana.
He, too, will hope to catch the eye in this year's competition, win a last-minute call up and become the Josimar of the 2014 World Cup.
Comments on the piece in the space provided. Questions on South American football to vickerycolumn@hotmail.com, and I'll pick out a couple for next week.
From last week's postbag:
The Argentine forwards can score goals with Messi and Aguero. However please elaborate on the qualities of the midfield, and defenders and the formation adopted by the coach. Duncan Spalding
Romero in goal. Zabaleta, Fernandez, Garay and either Rojo or Basanta across the back. Mascherano holding, with Gago to his right (to link with Messi) and Di Maria to his left to bomb on, and lots of space for Messi with Aguero and Higuain thrown wide in front of him.
The problem - as coach Alejandro Sabella acknowledges - is that it is a formation that leaves them open down the flanks.
Do you think that Manchester City and Chelsea midfielders Fernandinho and Ramires deserve to be included in Brazil's World Cup squad? After all, both were overlooked in preference of the likes of Luiz Gustavo and Hernanes in the Confederations Cup. Ahmed Osoble
Ramires has successfully been reincorporated. He does not fit into the 4-2-3-1 Brazil were playing during the Confederations Cup, and his recall has opened up the option of a switch to 4-3-3.
A big day is coming up for Fernandinho. In recent squads, the back up to Luiz Gustavo has been Lucas Leiva. But the Liverpool man will not be fit in time for the game against South Africa on 5 March. Fernandinho must be among the options.
In the Confederations Cup squad the role was filled by young Fernando, then of Gremio, who has since moved to Shakhtar Donetsk, Fernandinho's old club.
Manchester City's midfield motor is well aware that starring for a major English club supplies much more visibility than being based in Ukraine, and he will be paying close attention to the call up for the South Africa game.
World Cup 2014: Can Julio Cesar still be Brazil's number one?
World Cup 2014: Can Julio Cesar still be Brazil's number one?
One of the most memorable interviews I have done was with Taffarel, Brazil's goalkeeper at the time, as the squad flew out to a warm-up tournament before France 98.
It was only a quick chat, but the fact that it happened at an airport gave it an extra edge; in a public space, with excitement rising as the World Cup approached, it was much easier to grasp the truth about perhaps themost pressure-riven job in sport. Perform badly, or just make one significant mistake, and Brazil's goalkeeper will be letting all these people down.
Taffarel made it fairly clear, as much with his body language and what was said between the lines, that he was not entirely confident about his team's chances. He seemed doubtful - with full justification as it proved - that Brazil would defend with the same solidity which had proved so important in winning USA 94. His subsequent actions bore out his doubts; a few weeks later he fixed up a move to Galatasaray. Had he waited until after France 98 he may well have got a better deal, because he had a fine tournament. But going into his third World Cup, he was well aware of the risks.
Brazil's goalkeeper can often be on a hiding to nothing. There are few chances to play the hero, and lots of opportunities to be the villain. 1950 keeper Barbosa was never forgiven for letting in the deciding Uruguayan goal at his near post.
Poor Valdir Peres in 1982 is another example. The first shot fired at him in that World Cup was a goalkeeper's nightmare - the ball that bounces treacherously in front, always more difficult than it looks. He let it squirm through him, and Brazil were a goal down to the USSR. They hit back to win, but Valdir Peres never fully regained his confidence - not easy for a keeper when most of the action is taking place at the other end. And if the scoreline is tight, it means that every decision taken by the keeper is a possible catastrophe.
Julio Cesar knows all about it. He was immense for Brazil in the 2010 qualifiers. Come the tournament, one ill-judged move off his line gifted the Netherlands their equaliser in the quarter-final and changed the entire complexion of the game. Concentration has to be honed to perfection, and the keeper needs complete, instant confidence in the decisions he takes - far easier, of course, if he is getting a regular game for his club.
This is where the Julio Cesar situation is starting to become alarming. A year ago it was by no means an obvious decision for Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari to recall the Queens Park Rangers keeper. But Scolari felt his team needed more experience, and the move proved a masterstroke. In the early games, when Brazil were defending badly, Julio Cesar stood up strong, and he was a safe pair of hands when they tightened up to win the Confederations Cup.
Seemingly unwanted at Loftus Road, though, problems loomed when he failed to get a move during the summer transfer window. Scolari swatted away the speculation. Back in September he announced that come what may, Julio Cesar would be included in the World Cup squad.
He did not, however, guarantee that the QPR man would be first choice. How could he, if the keeper was not getting a regular game? But at that stage, Scolari could not possibly have imagined that another transfer window would open and shut without any progress.
His favourite keeper is not left totally on the shelf, however. The January window is a European affair. He can still move elsewhere - indeed the favourite scenario has always been that of a six-month loan back to Brazil.
But this is not quite as simple as it once might have seemed. A new, improved TV deal was more temptation than Brazil's clubs could resist. They have overspent, and are cost-cutting at the moment - all the more so since there is little meaningful club football until after the World Cup. The State Championships, being played at present, draw pitiful crowds. The national league does not get under way until the end of April, and anyway is currently beset by legal doubts.
The most likely option, then, would be a club disputing the Copa Libertadores, South America's Champions League, where the qualifying round is currently halfway through and the group phase kicks off next week.
But here, too, there are few options. Botafogo have Jefferson, Brazil's second-choice keeper. Cruzeiro are captained by Fabio, an excellent keeper cruelly overlooked by the national team. Reigning champions Atletico Mineiro have Victor, the hero of last year's triumph. Flamengo have a well-established number one in Felipe. Atletico Paranaense are a possibility, though their keeper Weverton performed well last year. But they, too, are cutting costs, and anyway, first they need to overturn last week's 2-1 defeat to Peru's Sporting Cristal in the qualifying round.
All of which means that the most obvious choice is Gremio of Porto Alegre. Last year their goalkeeper was the veteran Dida, who has made a successful comeback after flirting with retirement. But he has moved across town after rivals Internacional offered him a two-year contract - which opens up an interesting vacancy.
Last week, Julio Cesar said that he was in advance stages of negotiations with the club. Gremio, however, were quick to deny it. It would seem that the club are not interested in a short-term loan, and may not be able to afford something more permanent.
It need not be Brazil, of course. Julio Cesar could sort out a deal with a club in the Libertadores from somewhere else in the continent. And if QPR do not want him, then it is surely in their interests that a club keeps him active and pays any percentage, however small, of his considerable wages. As for Julio Cesar, one would think that he, too, would be willing to show plenty of flexibility in order to get a regular game and ensure he stays Brazil's first-choice goalkeeper for the World Cup - even if the post carries with it the risk of going down in football history as the villain.
Comments on the piece in the space provided. Questions on South American football to vickerycolumn@hotmail.com, and I'll pick out a couple for next week.
From last week's postbag:
Is there any chance of a call-up to the Argentina World Cup squad for Wily Caballero and Mateo Musacchio? Both have been consistently solid in La Liga yet seem to be out in the wilderness despite the lack of depth in these positions. Gavin Blain
It's hard to see Musacchio getting in. Coach Alejandro Sabella has his centre-backs, so it would take a lot of injuries to get him in front of Fernandez, Garay, Basanta, Campagnaro, Coloccino, Otamendi and maybe a couple of others.
Caballero is more interesting because, like Brazil, Argentina now have a problem with the inactivity of their first-choice keeper. Sergio Romero is not getting a game at Monaco. His reserve Andujar is not in good form at Catania, and no one in their right mind would want Orion of Boca Juniors as their World Cup keeper. Caballero, playing well at Malaga, is an option that seems to be gaining increasing attention.
In last week's article you mentioned of the possibility of Ecuador playing Edison Mendez in the space behind centre-forward Felipe Caicedo. There's also the option of a small number 10 by the name of Alex Colon who just joined Pachuca in Mexico. He's not had a proper runout for the national team but he's good on the ball and can strike them from distance too. He's our first real playmaker since Mendez. Have you managed to get a closer look at him at all? He's 27 but showing real signs of quality in Mexico. Daniel Penafiel
I watched him a few times last year for Deportivo Quito, and enjoyed his left-footed sharpness and the surprising power with which he can strike the ball. Coach Reinaldo Rueda brought him into the squad for a couple of games last year, but I think he considers Colon too lightweight to make an impression at the highest level. I think, though, that he might well be worth looking at as an impact substitute to be brought on against tiring defenders.
2014 Fifa World Cup: draw and group-by-group fixtures
2014 Fifa World Cup: draw and group-by-group fixtures
The opening game of the 2014 Fifa World Cup will see hosts Brazil play Croatia on 12 June, 2014.
Group A
Brazil, Croatia, Mexico, Cameroon
Group B
Spain, Netherlands, Chile, Australia
Group C
Colombia, Greece, Ivory Coast, Japan
Group D
Uruguay, Costa Rica, England, Italy
Group E
Switzerland, Ecuador, France, Honduras
Group F
Argentina, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Iran, Nigeria
Group G
Germany, Portugal, Ghana, United States
Group H
Belgium, Algeria, Russia, South Korea
Fixtures
(All kick-off times are British Summer Time)
Group A
12 June 2014
Brazil v Croatia, Arena de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, 21:00 (ITV)
13 June 2014
Mexico v Cameroon, Arena das Dunas, Natal, 17:00 (ITV)
17 June 2014
Brazil v Mexico, Estadio Castelao, Fortaleza, 20:00 (BBC)
18 June 2014
Cameroon v Croatia, Arena Amazonia, Manaus, 23:00 (ITV)
23 June 2014
Cameroon v Brazil, Estadio Nacional, Brasilia, 21:00 (ITV)
23 June 2014
Croatia v Mexico, Arena Pernambuco, Recife, 21:00 (ITV)
Group B
13 June 2014
Spain v Netherlands, Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador, 20:00 (BBC)
13 June 2014
Chile v Australia, Arena Pantanal, Cuiaba, 23:00 (ITV)
18 June 2014
Spain v Chile, Estadio do Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, 20:00 (BBC)
18 June 2014
Australia v Netherlands, Estadio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre, 17:00 (ITV)
23 June 2014
Australia v Spain, Arena da Baixada, Curitiba, 17:00 (ITV)
23 June 2014
Netherlands v Chile, Arena de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, 17:00 (ITV)
Group C
14 June 2014
Colombia v Greece, Estadio Mineirao, Belo Horizonte, 17:00 (BBC)
15 June 2014
Ivory Coast v Japan, Arena Pernambuco, Recife, 02:00 (ITV)
19 June 2014
Colombia v Ivory Coast, Estadio Nacional, Brasilia, 17:00 (BBC)
19 June 2014
Japan v Greece, Arena das Dunas, Natal, 23:00 (BBC)
24 June 2014
Japan v Colombia, Arena Pantanal, Cuiaba, 21:00 (BBC)
24 June 2014
Greece v Ivory Coast, Estadio Castelao, Fortaleza, 21:00 (BBC)
Group D
14 June 2014
Uruguay v Costa Rica, Estadio Castelao, Fortaleza, 20:00 (ITV)
14 June 2014
England v Italy, Arena Amazonia, Manaus, 23:00 (BBC)
19 June 2014
Uruguay v England , Arena de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, 20:00 (ITV)
20 June 2014
Italy v Costa Rica, Arena Pernambuco, Recife, 17:00 (BBC)
24 June 2014
Italy v Uruguay, Arena das Dunas, Natal, 17:00 (ITV)
24 June 2014
Costa Rica v England, Estadio Mineirao, Belo Horizonte, 17:00 (ITV)
Group E
15 June 2014
Switzerland v Ecuador, Estadio Nacional, Brasilia, 17:00 (ITV)
15 June 2014
France v Honduras, Estadio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre, 20:00 (BBC)
20 June 2014
Switzerland v France, Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador, 20:00 (ITV)
20 June 2014
Honduras v Ecuador, Arena da Baixada, Curitiba, 23:00 (ITV)
25 June 2014
Honduras v Switzerland, Arena Amazonia, Manaus, 21:00 (BBC)
25 June 2014
Ecuador v France, Estadio do Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, 21:00 (BBC)
Group F
15 June 2014
Argentina v Bosnia-Hercegovina, Estadio do Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, 23:00 (BBC)
16 June 2014
Iran v Nigeria, Arena da Baixada, Curitiba, 20:00 (BBC)
21 June 2014
Argentina v Iran, Estadio Mineirao, Belo Horizonte, 17:00 (ITV)
21 June 2014
Nigeria v Bosnia-Hercegovina, Arena Pantanal, Cuiaba, 23:00 (BBC)
25 June 2014
Nigeria v Argentina, Estadio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre, 17:00 (ITV)
25 June 2014
Bosnia-Hercegovina v Iran, Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador, 17:00 (ITV)
Group G
16 June 2014
Germany v Portugal, Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador, 17:00 (ITV)
16 June 2014
Ghana v United States, Arena das Dunas, Natal, 23:00 (BBC)
21 June 2014
Germany v Ghana, Estadio Castelao, Fortaleza, 20:00 (BBC)
22 June 2014
United States v Portugal, Arena Amazonia, Manaus, 23:00 (BBC)
26 June 2014
United States v Germany, Arena Pernambuco, Recife, 17:00 (BBC)
26 June 2014
Portugal v Ghana, Estadio Nacional, Brasilia, 17:00 (BBC)
Group H
17 June 2014
Belgium v Algeria, Estadio Mineirao, Belo Horizonte, 17:00 (ITV)
17 June 2014
Russia v South Korea, Arena Pantanal, Cuiaba, 23:00 (BBC)
22 June 2014
Belgium v Russia, Estadio do Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, 17:00 (BBC)
22 June 2014
South Korea v Algeria, Estadio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre, 20:00 (ITV)
26 June 2014
South Korea v Belgium, Arena de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, 21:00 (ITV)
26 June 2014
Algeria v Russia, Arena da Baixada, Curitiba, 21:00 (ITV)
Second round
28 June 2014
Second-round 1:
Winner Group A v Runner-up Group B, Estadio Mineirao, Belo Horizonte, 17:00
28 June 2014
Second-round 2:
Winner Group C v Runner-up Group D, Estadio do Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, 21:00
29 June 2014
Second-round 3:
Winner Group B v Runner-up Group A, Estadio Castelao, Fortaleza, 17:00
29 June 2014
Second-round 4:
Winner Group D v Runner-up Group C, Arena Pernambuco, Recife, 21:00
30 June 2014
Second-round 5:
Winner Group E v Runner-up Group F, Estadio Nacional, Brasilia, 17:00
30 June 2014
Second-round 6:
Winner Group G v Runner-up Group H, Estadio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre, 21:00
1 July 2014
Second-round 7:
Winner Group F v Runner-up Group E, Arena de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, 17:00
1 July 2014
Second-round 8:
Winner Group H v Runner-up Group G, Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador, 21:00
Quarter-finals
4 July 2014
Quarter-final 1:
Winner Second-round 1 v Winner Second-round 2, Estadio Castelao, Fortaleza, 21:00
4 July 2014
Quarter-final 2:
Winner Second-round 5 v Winner Second-round 6, Estadio do Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, 17:00
5 July 2014
Quarter-final 3:
Winner Second-round 3 v Winner Second-round 4, Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador, 21:00
5 July 2014
Quarter-final 4:
Winner Second-round 7 v Winner Second-round 8, Estadio Nacional, Brasilia, 17:00
Semi-finals
8 July 2014
Semi-final 1:
Winner Quarter-final 1 v Winner Quarter-final 2, Estadio Mineirao, Belo Horizonte, 21:00
9 July 2014
Semi-final 2:
Winner Quarter-final 3 v Winner Quarter-final 4, Arena de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, 21:00
Third-place match
12 July 2014
Loser semi-final 1 v Loser semi-final 2, Estadio Nacional, Brasilia, 21:00
World Cup Final
13 July 2014
Winner semi-final 1 v Winner semi-final 2, Estadio do Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, 20:00
John Terry: Roy Hodgson right to look to England's future
Phil McNultyCHIEF FOOTBALL WRITER, BBC SPORT
John Terry: Roy Hodgson right to look to England's future
John Terry has no wish to revive his England career and manager Roy Hodgson has no wish to revive it for him - but the time was still right for the final word on this lingering argument.
When a time-served veteran announces his England retirement and the manager shows not the slightest inclination to persuade him otherwise, the situation does not usually require clarity.
Indeed, the issue of Chelsea captain Terry's future has become such an irrelevance for Hodgson, consigned so far to the past, that he answered one question on the matter by asking if people would like to discuss the England merits of Colin Todd and Roy McFarland - Derby County's classic defensive partnership from the 1970s.
And yet a combination of circumstances meant that whispers suggesting England's World Cup hand would be stronger for Terry's inclusion in Brazil were getting audibly louder in recent weeks, with former striker and BBC presenter Gary Lineker a notable public supporter.
There is little doubt Terry would bolster England's defensive resources if he were to hint at a return but he has not given any indication that he wants the shirt again afterlosing the captaincy and making an acrimonious departure amid criticism of the Football Association.
It was in September 2012 that Terry announced the closure of his England career after 78 caps shortly before he was scheduled to face anindependent commission and a charge of using racially abusive language towards Anton Ferdinand in a game against QPR.
Terry had been cleared in court but felt the FA had made his position with England "untenable" by continuing to pursue charges against him. This was not an amicable parting.
Since then, Hodgson has occasionally been drawn reluctantly, and on his part very briefly, into the Terry question with not a shred of hard evidence to suggest this might actually come to pass.
This is why Hodgson is right to close the door firmly on any possibility of Terry's return (not that the 33-year-old has ever suggested he wanted to return it should he stressed) and move into the future with the players he can call on.
If every decent performance was to prompt calls for some form of rapprochement between the player and the FA, there would be the danger of destabilising England's squad with a sideshow ahead of Brazil, especially for Everton captain Phil Jagielka - presumably the defender those in favour would like to see jettisoned to accommodate Terry.
Hodgson is right to nip this in the bud once and for all, although no responsibility should be attached to Terry for the resumption of the conversation.
If Terry is to blame for the dust being blown off this debate, it has only been by his own outstanding form for Chelsea after being re-energised by his reunion with Jose Mourinho.
The real catalyst for those favouring Terry's return came with his performance alongside one of Hodgson's trusted England central defenders Gary Cahill in Chelsea's 1-0 win at Manchester City.
With a trademark display of organisation, power and aerial ability, it was a display that revived memories of his best days. The fact that Cahill was his partner, and almost as effective, as Chelsea stopped City's seemingly endless gush of goals, only added weight to the case for a potential return.
In this context, it is worth remembering that it was done in the absence of the fleet-of-foot and deadly finishing of Sergio Aguero and in the presence of an Alvaro Negredo who was struggling for fitness and Edin Dzeko.
It was a game perfectly suited to Terry's talents but hardly a successful audition for a World Cup group that will see England threatened by Uruguay's Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani.
And Hodgson retains great faith in his favoured partnership of Jagielka and Cahill, after qualifying unbeaten from Group H and conceding only four goals.
There has been a suspicion, heightened by England's back-to-back Wembley friendly defeats against Chile and Germany, that this area of Hodgson's side will fall short against world-class strikers.
And with Manchester United pair Phil Jones and Chris Smalling not yet suggesting they are undisputed England class and Joleon Lescott sidelined at Manchester City, the cupboard marked "central defenders" is not exactly bulging.
Terry may strengthen the numbers and provide experience but there is no guarantee he would be a success in the rarefied atmosphere of a World Cup in Brazil.
Even the wildest optimists cannot make a case for England winning the tournament, so where is the mileage in turning back to the past when indicators for the future may be the best outcome in South America?
Then there is the baggage - lots of it - that would accompany Terry if he had returned.
Twice stripped of the England captaincy, Terry has so often proved a lightning conductor for controversy and the squad has taken on a calmer air for the lack of chaos - not always the Chelsea defender's doing - surrounding the current captaincy of Liverpool's Steven Gerrard.
Remember the furore surrounding Terry's infamous press conference at "Camp Capello" in Rustenburg in South Africa in 2010?
In this observer's opinion, Terry was unfairly accused by some of leading a perceived revolt against Capello's austere regime, his only crime being championing the cause of then Chelsea's team-mate Joe Cole when it was none of his business.
He is, however, a controversial figure and attracts headlines like a magnet. Would he, and indeed Hodgson, want all that again?
The door has never been open for a Terry return and he is blameless for continuing discussion - but Hodgson is correct to finally bolt it shut.
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