For some time, the England manager has been able to select his first choice defenders without any doubts whatsoever. Glen Johnson, John Terry, Rio Ferdinand and Ashley Cole are as good as any in global fooball. Unfortunately, just after the turn of the year, Capello’s defensive strategies seemed to be in ruins.
Ashley Cole sustained a broken ankle in Chelsea’s fixture versus Everton and Glen Johnson was already out with a knee problem. John Terry was involved in accusations in his personal life which led to Wayne Bridge declaring himself unavailable and Fabio Capello stripping Terry of the captain’s armband. Bridge was considered the natural stand-in for Ashley Cole and this meant Capello had to start to identify a third choice left back.
Capello also handed the England captain’s armband to Rio Ferdinand but injury has seriously disrupted his season which means Ferdinand has enjoyed only a few fixtures. John Terry moreover suffered a spectacular drop in form and was held responsible for goals as Chelsea were knocked out of the Champions League by Inter Milan.
In only a few weeks, England’s dependable back four was looking anything but sound. Gratefully, Johnson and Cole look to have got over their problems and are on target to be fit. Even so, there are still doubts with Terry and Ferdinand. Matthew Upson has all too often been deemed the next best plan yet unfortunately he has sustained inconsistent games for England and West Ham.
Various supporters feel that Fabio Capello could do much worse than have a look at the Tottenham Hotspurs centre halves of Matt Dawson and Ledley King. Dawson is in the form of his life and must be a genuine contender for the England squad.
For a few time, Ledley King has suffered with a condition in his knee so this means he is struggling to train and commonly has to have treatment to lessen inflammation after fixtures. Never the less, he is certainly, a world class defender and playing Dawson and King at the back is the very clear solution. Including King is perceived as a chance by some but he is not recuperating from an problem such as a torn hamstring. It is an ever present problem that the medical team know about and can manage. King has taken part in more games than Ferdinand this season so to discount him on fitness terms does not make sense.
As well as the fact that both Dawson and King are in exceptional form, they are already a partnership playing most weeks together at Tottenham. Putting them together in England’s opening match against the USA in Rustenburg should not be believed to be a chance, it is the best course of action.
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