Capello defends Gerrard inclusion

Fabio Capello has shrugged off criticism of his decision to play Steven Gerrard in England’s 2-1 friendly loss to France on Wednesday.

Capello included Liverpool skipper Gerrard as well as Newcastle striker Andy Carroll in his line-up despite both being under injury clouds heading into the match.

While the gamble paid off with Carroll, Gerrard is set for some time on the sidelines after coming off with a hamstring injury late in the game.

Liverpool’s head of conditioning, Darren Burgess, slammed Capello’s decision as ‘completely amateurish’ and ‘absolutely disgraceful’ on his Twitter feed after the game, but Capello said injuries were a part of football and that clubs could not dictate his selection.

“With Garry Barry and Rio Ferdinand’s injuries we needed a senior player on the pitch. I’m upset about Gerrard,” Capello said.

“(Liverpool) asked that he can play one hour if it’s possible. They can’t decide how long a player plays with the national team. If it’s possible, he’d have played an hour.”

“I understand why they’re upset and I’m also upset. The problem is that, when you play this game on Wednesday after a lot of Premier League, Europa League or Champions League games, it’s possible there might be an injury for a player.”

Capello also defended his decision to start Carroll, despite Newcastle’s wish that he sit out the match because of a groin injury, and the Italian praised the young striker for his performance in an otherwise disappointing English display.

“No player has ever played with me who was not fit. Our doctor said he was fit, so the player was ready to play,” Capello said.

“I’m really happy for Carroll and his performance, he’s a really good player for the future of England. We have found a good player and that’s important.”

“I’m optimistic for the future of the England national team – when all the players are fit we have a really good team, but it’s important the young players get experience on days like today.”

France coach Laurent Blanc praised his side for taking control of the match and said they would continue to improve after their victory.

“We had a strategy in place which we played out on the pitch and this is a major satisfaction,” Blanc said.

“We worked out how we could put them under pressure from the outset and we reinforced that excellent play by turning it into goals.”

“We are still building for sure. Something like this gives us confidence to speed that process up a bit … we feel a little bit more optimistic after tonight.”