Ukraine v England – Capello names squad

Fabio Capello has made some changes to the England squad ahead of the World Cup Qualifiers against the Ukraine and Belarus. Not being one to dish out the experimental cards too much, there have been some necessary changes because of injury. England travel to the Ukraine on Saturday for what could be tough test of their mettle and reserve. The Ukraine desperately need a win, something which would likely secure them the runner’s-up spot in Group 6 of European Qualifying.

There are only four games between now and the announcement of Capello’s preliminary World Cup squad, and so the pressure is still on the players to perform, even with qualification already secured.

Goalkeeper: David James, after his summer surgery and all the turmoil going on down at Pompey, comes back into the squad in place of the yet-to-really-prove-himself Ben Foster. It is likely that Robert Green will continue his stint as starting goalkeeper though.

Defence: The most notable returnee, is Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, who comes back into the international fold after injury. This is good timing as they will need his experience in the harsh environment of the Ukraine. Ferdinand, despite a frustrating penchant for delivering aimless long balls forward, has been everywhere and done it all, and if England are to keep that 100% record going, then his presence could be vital. The defence is bound to come under a lot of pressure at some point in the game. It will certainly be better to see him sliding in alongside captain John Terry, than it will be seeing Matthew Upson, who is an apt replacement, but isn’t in the same class.

Midfield: The squad stays the same with familiar faces. From an attacking point of view, Aaron Lennon and Shaun Wright-Phillips are definitely a welcome sight, as it gives impetuous on the team going forward. Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Gareth Barry and David Beckham are all there, with bit part players such as James Milner and Michael Carrick as back-up. With Chelsea’s Joe Cole just returning from his long lay off, he will need more time to work his way back into the squad, but it will be good to know that he is on the back-burner, waiting to reclaim his spot.

Forwards: Up front, Jermaine Defoe has had to pull out of the squad because of injury, and that sees the return of Villa’s Gabriel Agbonlahor, who is on a run of good form himself, finding the back of the net in each of his last five outings for the Villains. While the spark of Defoe may be missed coming off the bench, it still doesn’t really resolve Capello of the quandary about which striker to throw on as a sub if needed. With competition coming from West Ham’s Carlton Cole, and Spurs’ Peter Crouch, it will likely be Agbonlahor or Cole who gets the nod if England need to find a goal. There will be no Michael Owen as he’s picked up another injury. Don’t expect him to feature in the World Cup Squad next year with the crop of hungry youngsters pushing hard. Like Joe Cole, Theo Walcott is another name who has yet to appear back in the squad. He scored on his comeback in the Premier League for Arsenal, but Capello has chosen not to include him, probably waiting for him to get more games under his belt.

England squad
Paul Robinson, Robert Green, David James, Ashley Cole, John Terry, Glen Johnson, Wayne Bridge, Joleon Lescott, Wes Brown, Rio Ferdinand, Matthew Upson, James Milner, Frank Lampard, David Beckham, Stephen Gerrard, Gareth Barry, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Michael Carrick, Aaron Lennon, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Emile Heskey, Peter Crouch, Carlton Cole, Wayne Rooney

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Ukraine to Win: 9/5 at Stan James
Draw: 13/5 at William Hill
England to Win: 6/4 at Bet365