by DS Tue Sep 09, 2008 4:10 pm
Will
he play a 4-4-2 or a 4-3-3 to try and get the best out of Wayne Rooney
and Joe Cole? Will Theo or Becks get the nod? Or will he opt for
neither? And will Wes Brown get a recall on the right?
RIGHT-BACK: WES BROWN OR GLEN JOHNSON
The fact that - according to the Daily Mail at least - Wes Brown
ended Monday's training session 'working alone with one of the coaches
on touch and control', tells you two things: a) Fabio Capello is
optimistic about what can be achieved in an hour and b) Brown is likely
to come in for Johnson against Croatia. It's horses for courses -
Johnson is a viable option if you want an overlapping full-back against
a poor side, but if you're looking for defensive stability, Brown has
to be the pick. What he lacks in a first touch, he generally makes up
for in basic defensive skills.
CENTRE-BACK: RIO FERDINAND OR JOLEON LESCOTT
The dilemma may well be whether to take a risk on a player
unlikely to be completely fit. What's better - a 90% ready Rio
Ferdinand or a 100% ready Joleon Lescott? After leaving out Michael
Owen for not being sharp, Capello could cop some flak if he throws in
Ferdinand but he's very likely to do that anyway - Lescott was one of
the culprits in that Wembley defeat against Croatia and Capello will be
in no rush to throw him in the deep end again. In partnership with
Ferdinand, he might be the right side of 'fine', but in partnership
with John Terry? A car crash waiting to happen.
LEFT-WING: STEWART DOWNING OR JOE COLE
Cole's making all the right noises about his place not being
guaranteed but even the famously hard-arsed Capello is unlikely to
ignore the Chelsea man's claims after two goals in a cameo that saved
England from embarrassment against Andorra. There may be a slight
temptation to go with Downing because he basically does as he's told,
but a combination of Cole's obvious class and versatility should swing
the vote his way. Especially when there's early talk of a 4-3-3 - a
formation much better suited to Cole, who would happily chop and change
with Wayne Rooney behind a front man.
RIGHT-WING: THEO WALCOTT OR DAVID BECKHAM
This may turn out to be a moot point as there's a possibility
that neither would figure in a 4-3-3, but if Capello opts for a 4-4-2,
this is probably the most intriguing decision of the day. Choosing
Walcott would be a clear message - pace, hunger and enthusiasm over
experience and reliability - that could make or break Capello's
reputation as England boss. Walcott himself says he plays with no fear
and that could be exactly the ticket for a potentially frozen England
in Croatia, while Beckham is a cracking weapon to have on the bench if
England are chasing a goal. Of course, Capello may well duck the
question with a switch of formation.
UP FRONT: EMILE HESKEY OR JERMAIN DEFOE
Say what you like about Heskey - and many do by using words like
'bumbling' and buffoon', but Heskey has a USP (a defining
characteristic, if you will), which is vital for an international
striker. Many more prolific strikers have fallen short at England level
- Darren Bent, Andy Johnson and many others going back to the days of
Ian Wright - because they have a decent touch, a decent finish, decent
pace and they work decently hard. That all might get you 20 Premier
League goals in a season, but it might not be enough for England. Defoe
is amongst that group, while Heskey is not - he bothers international
defences, he makes them uneasy, he draws fouls. He might be better with
Michael Owen in tow, but he's a fair bit more effective that Defoe in
any case.
THE FORMATION: 4-4-2 OR 4-3-3
We know Wayne Rooney doesn't work in a 4-4-2, ManYoo fans know
it, Sir Alex knows it and probably Fabio Capello now knows it too after
watching him play against Andorra absolutely anywhere but up front.
He's not clever enough not to chase the ball back to the edge of his
own box and yet his touch of genius for Cole's second goal tells you he
cannot really be left out of a game that may only need one touch of
genius. The solution could be a 4-3-3 with Cole and Rooney given a
degree of freedom behind a striker - freedom to go deep and help out in
the knowledge that the other is supporting the striker. But would a
4-4-2 send a message of intent that would give England an advantage
before the opening whistle? Big decisions - but this is why Capello is
paid the big bucks.
Sarah Winterburn
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