Rodwell and Sturridge in England squad but Richards left out

England boss Fabio Capello has named his England squad for the forthcoming friendly matches against Spain and Sweden.

The Italian has decided to leave out Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney as expected with the striker set to miss the group stages of the European Championships.

The Italian has also omitted Rooney’s club mate Rio Ferdinand from the squad. Manchester City’s in-form full-back Micah Richards was also left out of the 25 man squad.

Which seems like a mystery to most regular football observers. There is no place either for Liverpool’s out of form striker Andy Carroll.

Debuts

England under-21 internationals Jack Rodwell and Daniel Sturridge have the chance to make their England senior debuts after both making good starts to the season. Sturridge has been a regular for Chelsea this season and now seems to be an important attacking weapon for Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas.

Rodwell has promised so much but has delivered so little for his short Everton career. However his form has picked up in recent months and he is starting to look like the player that many thought he would be.

Recall

Capello has recalled Aston Villa’s Gabriel Agbonlahor with the attacker in decent form in recent weeks. Agbonlahor has played a vital role in a lot of Darren Bent’s goals for Villa this season. Agbonlahor is also a player that has never quite lived up to his potential. He now seems to be finding some consistency though.

Unlucky

Newcastle United currently have the best defence in the Premier League and at the heart of that defence is former-England under-21 Steven Taylor. The centre-back is in the form of his life as his team sits third in the Premier League.

Taylor is probably unlucky to miss out on this squad. The likes of Gary Cahill and Phil Jagielka aren’t exactly in the best form, yet they are still included in the squad. The accusations that Capello has never been to St James Park is probably a fair one as well.

Chance

The up coming friendly matches are a chance for Capello to experiment with the new players in his squad. He knows what the established order can do. It’s a chance for the likes of Sturridge, Rodwell and Agbonlahor to stake a claim for the Euro 2012 squad.

There are always players that come into England squads late that end up playing more than expected at major championships, so there is opportunities for players who are not regulars to force their way into Capello’s plans.

Injuries

Capello will go into this game without key midfield duo Steven Gerrard and Jack Wilshere who are both injured. According to Liverpool Gerrard’s injury isn’t that bad. However Wilshere has a long-term injury.

I think Capello should have a plan b in case the young Arsenal midfielder isn’t fit for the championships. As time goes by with Wilshere on the sidelines its looking more likely that he won’t be in the England squad for the European Championships.

Quality

Whoever plays against Spain its going to be difficult for England to get a result against the World and European Champions. Spain have so many quality players in their squad and they also have quality in reserve.

The quality of player available to Spanish head coach Vicente Del Bosque is evident in the fact that arguably the star of the Premier League season so far David Silva is not a regular in the Spain team. This game will be a big test for Capello’s side.

England have a very slim chance of winning the European Championships and if they do want to claim the big prize they will no doubt have to beat the likes of Spain at the finals. The Spain game should be a good learning experience for everybody in the England setup.

Has Fabio Capello picked the right England squad?