That is another bug for another day. The lack of experimenting in friendly matches. Of course nothing can be decided until we know what Rooney’s fate is. Based on current form this is how the England squad is looking.
Joe Hart is untouched as starter in goal and at this stage it seems Capello has Carson and Stockdale as back up. Unless he makes a surprise inclusion for the friendlies I fear that is the 3 keepers we shall take. Neither replacement is playing Premier League football at this time.
Kyle Walker has staked his claim to the right back position. Hopefully Capello will gain faith in Micah Richards and there is your right backs. Ashley Cole is still untouched at left back but his replacement Leighton Baines isn’t so comfortable. Keiron Gibbs needs a run of games and fitness and could force a late challenge while Ryan Bertrand may go out on loan in January and force his way in that way with some decent performances. In central defence I think Phil Jagielka has become a fans favourite when he plays but is a forgotten man when people think about their squads. I don’t think England should take Rio Ferdinand and John Terry. By the summer we may decide we don’t need either. Not yet. There’s room for one. Then you have Ryan Shawcross, Chris Smalling and Jolean Lescott all playing and playing well. Surely Capello can’t take Gary Cahill based on his club form. He may excel in a poor team but he is prone to mistakes and lapses of concentration and at the moment the only way he is going is if he gets a transfer in January.
That’s how we stand. The thing is everyone praised Capello for trying so many young players since the shambolic World Cup fiasco. We’ve seen Walker, Smalling, Jones, Wilshire, Sturridge and Welbeck all make seemless transitions from the U21 and Capello rightly seems to have faith in Ashley Young. Nobody threw Joe Cole’s name into the ring for any of the qualifying campaign because he wasn’t playing. Even if he plays from now till the end of the season he won’t make the final 23 man squad or even feature in Capello’s plans unless a string of catastophic injuries plagues the England manager.
We all praised Capello for giving youth it’s chance and they have repaid him by showing him they are all hungry and ready. Like Busby and Ferguson would do, it’s time to drop the tag of “Golden Generation” and win something with kids.
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