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sumitsehrawat
February 1st, 2008, 09:46 PM
Capello makes his mark

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/7219294.stm

Having been jilted by Fabio Capello at Real Madrid, David Beckham has now had a second taste of what it is like to be rejected by the Italian. "I think it's important that all the players are equal from the beginning," said Fabio Capello after naming his first England squad. As a statement of intent Capello has laid down a clear marker - no favourites and a polite no to anyone at the Football Association who might have been keen to exploit the potential marketing bonanza of Beckham collecting his 100th cap. The 30 names Capello named on Thursday will become 23 on Saturday. BBC Sport takes a detailed look at Capello's first squad with the next cull imminent.

Capello's New Boys
The inclusion of Gabriel Agbonlahor provides evidence that speed of movement and thought will be important to Capello. The Villa forward has scored seven league goals this season to help the Midlands club mount a challenge for a European place. Gabriel Agbonlahor. The inclusion of Agbonlahor's Villa team-mate Curtis Davies is more surprising considering the on-loan defender has only just established himself in Martin O'Neill's side. Even if Davies fails to make Capello's final 23-man party, his call-up is still remarkable given he described himself as "a pub player" after his performance on his Villa debut against Leicester in the Carling Cup earlier this season. O'Neill, who was interviewed for the England job before it was awarded to Steve McClaren, can allow himself a wry smile that his team, along with Manchester United, have the most representatives - five - in Capello's 30-man preliminary squad.

Given a chance
Chris Kirkland, Ashley Young, David Bentley, Glen Johnson and Nicky Shorey only have 11 caps between them and have struggled to establish themselves in the full international side. David Bentley. But all have been playing well for their clubs and now get a fresh chance to oust some of the older heads in the England set-up. Johnson and Shorey will hope that, with Gary Neville struggling with injuries and Ashley Cole currently out of favour at Chelsea, they can make a convincing case to secure the full-back positions. Jermaine Jenas is another intriguing selection. The Spurs midfielder has won 17 caps, but has made only three starts for England. With Frank Lampard out due to injury, can Jenas win a place in an England midfield that has lacked creativity and has struggled to keep hold of possession?

Tried and Tested
Rio Ferdinand, Joe Cole and Wayne Rooney were always going to take their place in Capello's squad. But players such as Emile Heskey and Ashley Cole will be sweating on their places ahead of Saturday's cull. And what role, if any, will Michael Carrick play under Capello? Carrick, who helped Manchester United win the Premier League in his first season with the club, has only won 14 caps. He is the type of player that could appeal to Capello, with a great range of passing and his ability to control the tempo of a game. Jonathan Woodgate, who made his England debut in 1999 but has won just six caps, is another player whose ability to bring the ball out of defence could earn him a start.

Left out in the cold
Beckham has been told he still has an international future, but was left out over concerns over his fitness, not his ability. But playing in America is not going to help his cause, given the problems it poses for Capello in keeping a track of Beckham's fitness and form. Aaron Lennon and Theo Walcott are two players who have time on their side. Those two have been named in the England Under-21 squad and they must now prove to Capello that they are worthy of promotion to the senior set-up. "I'll also look at players who have not been included in the squad this time," promised Capello. "I've worked very closely with Stuart Pearce on squad selection and there are some players who are with the Under-21s this time because they have a very important qualification game. "In the future these are players that could feature in the senior squad." Lennon can feel slightly aggrieved having starred in Tottenham's recent mini-revival. But Walcott is desperately short of form and needs to play some games. The Under-21 team may well provide him with that. Goalkeeper Paul Robinson can have few complaints at his exclusion from the squad. Recently dropped by Spurs, Robinson was making too many costly mistakes at international level. Scott Carson, already infamous for his costly error against Croatia, remains in the squad which could be regarded as an arm-around-the-shoulder gesture for a player who is clearly highly rated. But West Ham's Robert Green must again be wondering just what he has to do to win a call-up. It will be interesting to see whether Capello plumps for the experience of Portsmouth's David James after the England coach watched him do his best to hold off a rampant Manchester United at bay in midweek.