Capello’s England squad has an exciting look

Fabio Capello said that he would ring the changes in England’s friendly games and he has kept to his word by picking an exciting young squad for Wednesday’s game against Germany in Berlin.

Unavailability

In some ways the manager’s hands were slightly tied by the unavailability of Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Ashley Cole, Joe Cole, Wes Brown and Emile Heskey, but it is still a squad to make people sit up and take notice.

Skipper John Terry picked up what seems to have become his regular injury prior to England games and he will have a scan today and may also be unavailable for Wednesday.

Entirely changed

If Terry is unavailable Capello will have to go with an entirely changed back four as his first choice of Brown, Terry, Ferdinand and Cole will all be absent.

The biggest surprise in the squad (not much of a surprise really as it was all over the press yesterday) was the inclusion of twenty year old centre-half Michael Mancienne. The Chelsea youngster has yet to make an appearance for his club but has been on loan at Championship leaders Wolves since last month where he has started two games and made one substitute appearance.

Represented England

Mancienne has first team experience with Queens Park Rangers from a previous loan spell and he has represented England at Under sixteen, under seventeen, under nineteen and under twenty-one level.

He told the club website, “It’s a great honour. I was expecting to join up with the under-21s and my head was focused on that but this is obviously great news. It’s a great game to be picked for and just to be in and around the squad will be superb.”

Surprise exclusion

If Mancienne is the most surprising inclusion then David Beckham is probably the most surprise exclusion. It is true that he hasn’t played since 26th October, but with so many players missing and with him needing just one more cap to equal Bobby Moore’s record, I expected him to be involved.

Capello has stuck to his principles of only picking players who are playing regularly and he should be applauded for that. Becks will get his chance if he can produce the goods at Milan from January.

Other exciting names in the squad in terms of the future of the England team include Aston Villa’s Ashley Young, Gabby Agbonlahor and Curtis Davies and Manchester City’s Joe Hart and Micah Richards.

Untried players

Capello is looking forward to Wednesday’s game and thinks he will learn about some of these younger untried players. “Our opponents Germany are always a very strong team, and when they play at home even more so. Everyone has told me that it is not a friendly game against Germany, but I think this will be a friendly game. We will do some experiments and after this game I will know better some different players.”

With both Wayne Rooney and Emile Heskey missing through injury, some thought that Newcastle’s Michael Owen might get a recall. He hasn’t, and to be honest, if you watch Owen playing for his club at the moment, he is still not a shadow of his former self. With increased physical and match fitness he might get there, but he is a long way short right now.

Earned a recall

The striker who has earned a recall is Tottenham’s Darren Bent, who can’t stop scoring since Harry Redknapp arrived at White Hart Lane.

Potentially, England could line up as follows on Wednesday. It won’t happen, but it would certainly be exciting.

Joe Hart

Micah Richards
Michael Mancienne
Curtis Davies
Wayne Bridge

Shaun Wright-Phillips
Gareth Barry
Steve Gerrard
Ashley Young

Theo Walcott
Gabby Agbonlahor

That would be exciting and a young and fast team like that might just frighten the life out of the Germans. Of course, on the other hand they could be taught a harsh lesson about the reality of international football, but it would be good for their development.

Total depression

As an England supporter ground down to total depression by forty-two years of absolutely no success whatever, I am allowing myself to feel more and more optimistic about our possibilities under Fabio Capello. I like what he is doing and I like the squad he has picked for this game.

All I ask now is for another 5-1 win in Berlin. That isn’t too much to ask for is it?

England squad to play Germany: Carson, Hart, James, Bridge, Davies, Johnson, Terry, Lescott, Mancienne, Richards, Upson, Barry, Carrick, Downing, Lampard, Gerrard, Wright-Phillips, A Young, Agbonlahor, Bent, Crouch, Defoe, Walcott.