How do you solve a problem like England's goalkeeping situation? Hmmm....it doesn't roll off the tongue quite as well as I'd hoped it would, but I'll stick with it.

With time running out for Capello before he actually has to field players in a serious, competitive match, who would you tip for the number one spot? At club level, it's not a problem that he's had to cope with. In goalies like Casillas and Buffon, he's always had world class stoppers at his disposal who practically pick themselves.

David James may be the current favourite, but I don't particularly want to see him playing throughout the World Cup qualifiers. Capello has to get the balance right. Does he pick an ageing James, who has been a cult hero for Portsmouth in recent seasons, or does he take a risk on someone else, such as Robinson, Foster, Hart or Carson?

The problem is, none of those names really jump out at you. There are some solid Premier League goalkeepers in there, but world class? The kind of goalkeeper that England can rely on to take them to a World Cup semi-finals? Not really. Sure, there's still time for one of those goalkeepers to come good by 2010, but the qualifiers are a different story.

As painful as it is to say, David James is England's realistic first choice goalkeepers at the moment. But I, and I'm sure many others, am not particularly keen on the idea of him being England's first choice in 2 years' time. Sure, if he's there on merit, then fair enough, but I'm hoping that someone else will step up to the challenge and make themselves an outstanding candidate.

Hart is a definite prospect for the future, and Robinson is far from out of it. Hart had a great season for Manchester City last season, but it would be a bit of a punt to throw him on the big stage already. Under Paul Ince, Robinson can hopefully rediscover the kind of form that made him England's clear favourite only a year or two ago, although that will take time.

Foster is a possible first choice goalkeeper as well, but Capello can't realistically afford to put his faith in a young goalkeeper who isn't even playing regular club football. Carson is a good goalkeeper, but after his last experience in an England jersey, can anyone say that he's really ready?

If Kirkland can stay fit, then he's another possibility, although he's one of those goalkeepers that seems to have been around forever, and hasn't really proven himself to be anything particularly special. In my head, he's still a promising, up-and-coming young English keeper, but then I remember that he's 27, and has been around forever.

Frankly, the decision is an absolute nightmare, and there's clearly not a world class English goalkeeper at this moment in time. Capello would give his right arm for a Buffon, Casillas or Cech, but he has no such luxury. Whoever he picks, there are going to be people who don't like his decision. That, unfortunately, is an inevitable consequence of there being nobody who's head and shoulders above the rest.

It's not a choice that I'd particularly relish making, but someone needs to rise to the challenge over the next year or so. You'd think that he'll go with James for tomorrow night, but the fact that someone labelled Calamity James could be England's first choice goalkeeper is, at the very least, disheartening.