Tom Lappin: England warming up nicely, but Barry a concern

Published on Friday 28 May 2010 19:58

WORLD Cups aren't won or lost on the treatment table. That said, successful teams are formed and guided by the way they cope with setbacks, by the ingenuity with which their manager plays the hand he has been dealt.

Fabio Capello, modernist technophile that he is, probably has a spreadsheet with hour-by-hour updates on the health of every muscle and joint in every player in his England squad. In the end though, gauging the readiness of his players will be more of an art than a science.

Capello has been uncharacteristically flexible in waiting to see if Gareth Barry could be fit for the tournament (or at least its later stages), although that amounts to sensible pragmatism given that Barry is an integral member of his ideal starting XI, and there are no obvious substitutes for his simple assurance and defensive reliability in the midfield holding role. There are plans B, C and D, but they are compromises that are variously unsatisfactory.

After Monday's match against Mexico at Wembley, it seems unlikely that many future set-ups would involve Michael Carrick. A second-half central midfield partnership of James Milner and Steven Gerrard was workmanlike and energetic, but hardly inspiring.

The general view is that Gerrard's strengths lie in getting forward rather than scrapping in front of the back four. Tomorrow's match in Graz against Japan then would seem to offer some hope to Scott Parker that he might make a late bid for inclusion in the final 23.

Given the traumas of past World Cups, with the nation praying over fractured metatarsals, perhaps Capello should be grateful that the Barry dilemma is the only serious injury concern ahead of tomorrow's warm-up match. If Capello was of a sanguine temperament he might even be encouraged by the timing of some of the injuries to his squad members this season. Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Glen Johnson, Ledley King, Aaron Lennon and Barry have all endured long absences through injury, while Emile Heskey, Joe Cole and Theo Walcott have spent long stretches of the season resting their legs on the benches at Aston Villa, Chelsea and Arsenal.

If England's performances in summer tournaments in the past have been bedevilled by the inevitable fatigue of demanding Premier League seasons and long Champions League campaigns, then the relative freshness of several key players (augmented by the convenient elimination of all English interest in the Champions League at the quarter-final stage) this year might be viewed as an asset.

Barry's position apart, tomorrow's match will be mostly about minor experiments, and honing a competitive edge. Adam Johnson might get another chance to cast himself as the late surprise call-up that makes a final squad interesting, and Joe Cole may be asked to remind the manager of his qualities. There's little doubt that England need an element of the unexpected in a team that is tidy but tends to be predictable. Wayne Rooney can expect the close attention of the world's best defenders, so Capello needs to find alternatives.

Lennon and Johnson offer flair, and this is also Joe Cole's best argument for a place in the squad.

The assumption is that Cole and Adam Johnson are fighting for the same left-wing spot, but Cole offers England an intriguing alternative option, with his capacity to play centrally behind a lone striker. Injuries or expedience during the tournament might compel Capello to try this variation.

Cole, possibly at the end of his involvement with Chelsea, craves the opportunity to be with England at the tournament's conclusion.