Questions still left for Capello to answer

England’s game against Belarus at Wembley this evening will be their final competitive game before the World Cup begins in South Africa next summer. Fabio Capello still has the opportunity to see his charges in action over the course of a series of friendlies, but there are some issues he will want to resolve sooner rather than later. The Football Blog takes a look.

Who should start in goal?

A question which, if anything, has become harder to answer. Ben Foster appears to have lost the trust of Sir Alex Ferguson and subsequently of Capello. He was called into the squad as cover for the suspended Robert Green this week, but he is likely to be marginalised at United for the rest of the season and his place in the England squad, never mind the team, is subsequently looking precarious.

David James would now appear to be in the driving seat for the number 1 jersey. If something were to come of the speculation linking him to Manchester United then he would be clear favourite, although there is still time for the likes of Green (in spite of Saturday’s sending off), Joe Hart and Paul Robinson to stake a claim. This issue is likely to be Capello’s biggest headache leading up to next summer.

Does Rio Ferdinand still deserve a place in the starting XI?

The knives have been out for Ferdinand since his costly mistake on Saturday, not the first time he has made a high profile error. Capello has subsequently spoken to Ferdinand and publicly come out in support of the him. However, privately he must be having some doubts about the player, at the root of which is ring rustiness with a series of niggling injuries restricting him to playing 15 of the last 41 competitive games for England and United.

The problem is, there don’t appear to be any outstanding candidates to replace him as John Terry’s partner in the centre of defence. Matthew Upson is a good centre-half but is part of a West Ham defence which has been leaking goals this season, whilst Joleon Lescott has so far failed to impress since his move to Manchester City. So Ferdinand’s position would appear to be safe. For now.

Who should start on the right side of midfield?

There currently appear to be three players vying for just one spot. Aaron Lennon, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Theo Walcott are all in contention for the number 7 jersey and each have similar playing styles and attributes. It would seem that Lennon is in the box seat, although Capello looks set to start with both him and Wright-Phillips against Belarus, with the emphasis being on pace and width.

Whilst Walcott is not in the current squad following his return from injury, he must surely be in Capello’s thoughts. Much depends on whether he can hold down a starting place in the Arsenal team, and whether he can fulfil the potential he showed when he hit a hat trick against Croatia in qualifying. David Beckham should also not be forgotten, although one suspects he would be happy just to settle for a place in the squad.

What are the options up front without Wayne Rooney?

Wayne Rooney’s absence from tonight’s game may well be a blessing in disguise, as Capello has the opportunity to look at the alternatives in attack. Gabriel Agbonlahor and Peter Crouch will get the chance to impress this evening, in what is likely to be a more orthodox 4-4-2 formation. As Capello has said, England need to practise different styles in order not to become overly reliant on Rooney.

With Capello looking to put together “a plan A, a plan B and a plan C”, Jermain Defoe and Carlton Cole will also be looking to prove in the coming months that they can be adequate deputies should Rooney pick up an injury. Emile Heskey is also clearly worried that his place alongside Rooney is under threat – will he look to force through a move away from Aston Villa in the search for regular first team football?

So plenty for Capello to ponder going into England’s final World Cup qualifier, as he looks to erase the memory of Saturday’s defeat to Ukraine as quickly as possible. The majority of players starting this evening will have a point to prove, so commitment should not be lacking in this ‘experiment’. Capello will be hoping it works and that he has his ‘plan B’ firmly in place.

October 14, 2009