Fabio Capello Threatens to Bench Wayne Rooney

England boss Fabio Capello has threatened to bench Wayne Rooney in favor of Jermain Defoe ahead of the 2012 European Championships.

I know what you’re thinking. Surely Capello’s gone mad, right?

Well, let’s give Capello a chance justify his claim before we jump to conclusions.

“In my life as a manager I have put on the bench a lot of players. I always decided who was the best player at that moment.

“I need to find the solution for the first game, or two games, that Rooney will not play,” added Capello.

“And if we find that solution, he needs to work to return to the first 11.

“You know me. Sometimes I make mistakes but I try to select the best players, in the best moment of form.

“There were two I did not select for this game who are doing really well. I saw the game that (Jermain) Defoe played against Arsenal. He did really well. He ran a lot and pressed a lot. Daniel Sturridge is the same.”

Now that you’ve heard Capello’s take, I’ll give you my view.

It’s hard to disagree with the Italian boss’ assessment of Chelsea’s Daniel Sturridge, but then again it’s also hard to jump on board with his take on Spurs striker Jermain Defoe.

Sturridge is no doubt a future star for the Three Lions. He can be deployed as a winger or a forward and has a keen eye for goal. Also, he is undoubtedly one of England’s most technically gifted starlets.

The 22-year-old has bagged 26 goals and nine assists in 90 career appearances for Manchester City, Bolton Wanderers (loan), and Chelsea FC.

On the other hand, Jermain Defoe is definitely not the solution for England. Despite having tallied four goals in eight appearances for Spurs in 2011-12, Defoe is surely in the twilight of his career.

The 29-year-old should only be considered as Fabio Capello’s emergency option at striker for the Three Lions. On my depth chart, he is currently behind Rooney, Daniel Sturridge, Darren Bent, Danny Welbeck, and Andy Carroll.

But then again, Capello has the final say and all the power I have is to critique his every move. However, if he picks Defoe, something tells me he won’t have the “final say” for much longer.

Now that England have assured their place at the 2012 European Championships, Fabio Capello will be giving England’s young strikers a chance to display their skills on November 12th versus Spain. For this reason, the Italian has ruled out Wayne Rooney for Spain friendly.

“Rooney will not play against Spain. I want to test new players, a new style and different movement,” said Capello.

“Sometimes he will come on at half-time. But not from the start. He will not start. We need to prepare the first XI who will start in the Euros.

“I have got a lot of forwards at this moment, really good forwards, and I need to find the best solution.”