For so long we have been told that England have a poor selection of goalkeepers. Press reports suggested that Fabio Capello was less than impressed with his options.

But, going into the World Cup qualifying campaign, the Italian must have realised that he actually has a number of options to choose from and in the coming years this position could be the most intriguing to watch who comes out on top.

The current No.1 is David James and it was no surprise that the Portsmouth goalie was on the shortlist for the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year award. If he were to win the award he would be the first goalkeeper to do so since Peter Shilton 30 years ago.
 
The former Liverpool and Watford custodian has had a sensational season, comparable in his own impact to what Cristiano Ronaldo has done for Manchester United. James has been crucial to Pompey’s run to the FA Cup Final, saving a penalty at Preston and producing fine saves at Old Trafford in the quarter-finals. He again illustrated his worth with some fine saves in the 0-0 draw with Newcastle on Saturday.

‘James has been crucial to Pompey’s run to the FA Cup Final, saving a penalty at Preston and producing fine saves at Old Trafford...’


James has in the past been error prone, as was shown in the most recent friendly with France but the Portsmouth keeper could be the England choice at the World Cup in South Africa. Goalkeepers have often played in their 40s (e.g. Dino Zoff) and James appears to be getting better with age.
 
But the goalkeeping situation is strong. Chris Kirkland produced another sensational performance at Stamford Bridge on Monday. Kirkland has proved against the very best teams this season that he should be playing for a better side than Wigan.

His performance in the 0-0 draw with Arsenal last month caught the eye of Arsene Wenger and if he does join the Gunners, Capello will have another safe option for the England jersey.

And besides Kirkland and James there is no shortage of other options. Scott Carson has had a solid season for Aston Villa. Whilst he made a high-profile mistake in the crucial Wembley defeat to Croatia, Carson has played consistently this season and, whether he returns to Liverpool or stays at Villa Park, he should be playing at the highest level for many years to come.