Some have argued that the other two are superior going forward, yet the Premier League defender with the most assists do far this season is: yes, Micah Richards with four, on top of the other six goal-scoring opportunities he has created for team-mates. He creates more chances per minute on the pitch than any other England rival, and has a superior tackle success percentage than any of his rivals too.
Capello’s big mantra has always been that he picks players on form, not reputation. His omission of Richards shows this to be rubbish. Richards may have fallen foul of circumstance, saving his worst performance for against QPR when Capello was in the crowd the day before the squad was named, but then the team as a whole was not at its best on Saturday night, not helped by Richards having to cover for Savic’s difficult full premiership debut. If Capello is making judgements from one game he isn’t worth a £60 annual salary, never mind £6million.
It seems his principles only apply to some. There’s no question of an out-of-form John Terry losing his squad place, even with a racism investigation hanging over his head. Manchester United new boys Phil Jones and Chris Smalling were of course fast-tracked straight to England glory. To play Jones out of position in a qualifier rather than pick Richards was laughable.
Let’s not claim Richards is perfect. A year ago I would have sold him for a set of training bibs and a multi-pack of Quavers. After being previously linked with a. £25m move down the road to United, he went off the boil, seemingly more interested in bulking up in the gym and DJ’ing. But he has come back strongly to recapture his form and concentrate on football. He has an excellent mentality, a professional attitude and is an extremely popular team member.
He still needs to improve, especially on tracking back and concentration- he still has his lapses (and admitted so this week). But he is generally considered the best current English right back in the game, and for the England manager to not even pick him for two friendly games simply beggars belief. I despise the Capello-bashing that many newspapers have turned into our new national sport over the past couple of years.
Not being picked for two friendlies is hardly the end of the works, and it helps City to keep their player fresh. But I feel for the player who must wonder what he has to do, and the actions of Capello defy explanation. All Richards can do is knuckle down and continue his good club form, count down the days until Capello is gone, and then wait for his international career to resume.
Written by Howard Hockin for FootballFancast.com.
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