Walcott has struggled to regain his form after injury, say Shearer and Dixon

By Alan Shearer Former England captain and BBC Sport pundit

Theo Walcott has not struck me as a confident player over the last few games for England.

In fact, I would say that some of his recent performances would have counted against him, but it was still a surprise to learn that he was not picked by Fabio Capello to go to the World Cup. I would definitely have taken him to South Africa.

Others may disagree but I do not think he has gone downhill since he scored a hat-trick for England against Croatia in September 2008.

I just think he has been hampered by injuries - it's been one problem after another - and that, in turn, has had an effect on his mental state.

Walcott's asset is his pace and I think he would have been a huge plus to have on the England bench Former Arsenal defender Lee Dixon

That is the reason I think his confidence has been knocked and perhaps had an effect on his decision making. You only get confident by playing and doing well.

I hope in the long run that Capello's decision does him some good because I think he has some genuine talent and he will have a future for England.

The inclusion of his replacement Shaun Wright-Phillips is also a surprise as Capello has always said that he would only pick players who were playing regularly and well. He's not the only one who comes up short in that department, though.

Emile Heskey and Joe Cole are two examples, but Adam Johnson must be disappointed that he did not make the squad as he has been playing well for Manchester City while Wright-Phillips can't even get in the team.

Elsewhere, Aston Villa's Stephen Warnock has probably benefited from not playing more than anyone.

Nevertheless the final squad announcement doesn't really change my opinion about England. I still think we have a decent chance of being successful but I don't think we have a great chance.

We need things to fall our way but that's why we are third or fourth favourites behind the likes of Brazil and Spain.

By Lee Dixon Former Arsenal defender and BBC Sport pundit

I was surprised by Walcott's omission but he has had a pretty miserable season for Arsenal, starting only 15 games because of injury.

In those matches his form has been indifferent to say the least, but that is understandable. If you are an impact player people expect creativity from you all the time, even though you are struggling for match fitness.

Walcott's asset, of course, is his pace and I think he would have been a huge plus to have on the England bench.

I have seen him play a bit this season and always feel he should work the full-back more. Full-backs have to be clever these days because their ability to tackle has been greatly reduced because of the rule changes.

PHIL MCNULTY BLOG Capello has been a big Walcott supporter but the player's failings were evident against Mexico at Wembley last week

That means they work the wingers in other ways: getting tight, then dropping off at different times; they make the opposition think more.

That is what Theo needs to combat. His age - 21 - is a factor, he is still learning and he has been in the spotlight a long time, but pace is not enough on its own.

Maybe this is a good time for him to reflect and learn from an obvious disappointment. But you cannot afford to carry players in a tournament and Capello obviously sees Wright-Phillips as more of an all-round option.

You would have to say his production from that right side has been better overall than Walcott but I personally would have taken Walcott. I'm glad I'm not the manager!

Alan Shearer and Lee Dixon were talking to Alistair Magowan

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