Fabio Capello’s first team selection has just been announced, and as half expected Michael Owen does not make the starting eleven.
Michael Owen – dropped by Fabio Capello
Wayne Rooney will start up front with Joe Cole just slightly behind him in what looks like a 4-1-4-1 formation.
Jermaine Jenas, the former Newcastle United midfielder and now playing well for Spurs, surprisingly starts his first game for England in a long time. It looks like Jermaine will play on the left side and David Bentley of Blackburn Rovers on the right. So Jenas is playing out of position, which never usually works very well for a natural central midfielder.
We never expected Jenas to start, but to be fair to the lad, he’s looked very good recently in the Tottenham side, since Ramos has become manager. He certainly played an excellent game last weekend against Manchester United, where he seemed to be everywhere.
This is Jenas first start since England played Colombia on their tour of the USA in May 2005. And the game also sees the first England start for David Bentley, who’s been in great form for Blackburn, and that will delight his manager Mark Hughes, who has been singing his praises recently.
Captain Steven Gerrard is in the center of midfield, alongside Aston Villa’s Gareth Barry and Matthew Upson, of West Ham, as expected, starts in the center of defense with Rio Ferdinand. How Matthew gets the starting place in front of Jonathan Woodgate is a mystery to us. Wes Brown is at right-back and Ashley Cole is at left-back. Frank Lampard is not available due to injury.
England:
James, Brown, Ferdinand, Upson, A.Cole, Bentley, Jenas, Gerrard, Barry, J.Cole, Rooney
The substitutes have not been announced but we expect Michael Owen will be on the bench.
78 comments so far
Tom_Toon
Feb 6, 2008 at 7:40 PM
Comment #1Barnetta is playing!
Hopefully with Inler, Behrami (probably at rb sadly) and Vonlanthen.
ToonKing
Feb 6, 2008 at 8:00 PM
Comment #2Yess, good news. He can’t get injured on the bench………hopefully………
ToonKing
Feb 6, 2008 at 8:21 PM
Comment #3Anybody watching Ireland – Brazil ??? Duff is playing on the right and i love how he’s cutting in with his left……but he can’t cross to save his life with his right foot…….
I would still like to see him play for us there instead of Jimmy.
Tom_Toon
Feb 6, 2008 at 8:26 PM
Comment #4Yes, most of us have been saying:
Duff-Emre-Barton-N’Zogbia
ToonKing
Feb 6, 2008 at 8:29 PM
Comment #5yep 😉 my thoughts exactly
Sinead
Feb 6, 2008 at 8:35 PM
Comment #6OK..On the Irish game, Don Givens has decided to play Duff on the right and McGeady on the left, strange and they’re causing Brazil problems but Duff’s crosses aren’t great, 3 times he overcooked it, but then again he is on the right.
But now they’re keeping Shay very busy, the Brazilians that is.
Geordie Joe
Feb 6, 2008 at 8:41 PM
Comment #7Just watching England and I pray that we don’t end up with wes brown. He is shit.
UTD111
Feb 6, 2008 at 8:42 PM
Comment #8Yup I’m watching the Republic ToonKing – I’ve been flicking over to see how the english are doing and they look Poo!! Don’t agree with your idea of Jimmy not playing on the right though…..
Pleased the italian chappie (whats his name again??) has dropped Owen, considering England usually send him back broken!
ToonKing
Feb 6, 2008 at 8:49 PM
Comment #9yep, i’m starting to like Chap-ello now that he left Owen out. 😉
Tom_Toon
Feb 6, 2008 at 8:53 PM
Comment #10I bet the typical england fan will think their team is good againif they think they beat switzerland with 5 or 6 (most of the 11) of switzerlands first 11 out.
Sinead
Feb 6, 2008 at 8:53 PM
Comment #11Very smart Irish defending, Duff was flying, for a left footer he’s doing all right on the right, crosing dier though. But cause he’s playing on the he’s kinda forced to play in a bit and I like that.
Tom_Toon
Feb 6, 2008 at 8:55 PM
Comment #12Luca Toni is an absolute tit!
Geordie Joe
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:00 PM
Comment #13why tom?
ToonKing
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:00 PM
Comment #14Brazil look like conceding at every Republic counter, their defense is poo.
Duffer’s gonna score sooner or later…..
Tripp
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:00 PM
Comment #15Good. This will make Owen work even harder for us AND he won’t come back injured.
Tom_Toon
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:01 PM
Comment #16Cos he score against Portugal!
UTD111
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:02 PM
Comment #17Good to see Duffer getting an extra game to sharpen him up for Saturday Sinead ;O)
Tom_Toon
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:04 PM
Comment #18Behrami and Vonlanthen on, lovely job.
UTD111
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:06 PM
Comment #19Dear Mr Crapello
Thank you for leaving Mikey out of the team – maybe leave him out of the squad next time??
Keep dying your hair mate – cos it will definitely turn white managing that overrated lot – and the London press will be after you tomorrow BTW, honeymoon over. LOL
Yours Ever
UTD111
Geordie Joe
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:07 PM
Comment #20Rooney is absolutly stupid sometimes.
Sinead
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:09 PM
Comment #21ToonKing, hopefully. See like you’re watching the match right, Given communicates perfectly well with the back line and they talk as such, it’s different with the Newcastle back line, it’s not my imagination, he’s seems much better able to control the Irish defense then the Newcastle one. It might be the fact that everyone speaks English and there’s a leader in there.
ToonKing
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:10 PM
Comment #22….ugly and stupid…..
on the bright side, Duffer is killing the Latino’s….
UTD111
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:11 PM
Comment #23Great save from Given :o)
Sinead
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:11 PM
Comment #24GRRR!! Duff faster then that, should have been 1-0 to us.
CJ
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:13 PM
Comment #25Rooney is getting fatter and fatter by the time we play Man U he would have popped.
UTD111
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:13 PM
Comment #26Its the Damien Duff show LOL
Geordie Joe
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:13 PM
Comment #27Wales are beating norway 2 – zip
Sinead
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:14 PM
Comment #28ON TARGET, ON TARGET DALMNIT!!!!
ToonKing
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:15 PM
Comment #29i don’t know Sinead….Shay is worrying me lately tbh. He did come out very stupidly a couple of times today, which could be down to communication.
But more worrying is the fact that he seems two gears slower then previous years. he seems to move late and really needs to stretch to keep out not so dangerous shots, like now with the Baptista effort. it may just be me though……..
Geordie Joe
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:16 PM
Comment #30Robinho is quality, shame for ROI
ToonKing
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:16 PM
Comment #31Given should have saved that Robinho goal…… he was slow again imo………
……..he would have saved that a couple of years ago……….
UTD111
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:17 PM
Comment #32Dont think he expected the defender to let it through his legs ToonK
CJ
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:17 PM
Comment #33I’m not watching the Ireland match but from you’s on here I see he’s obviously having a better game than he is doing for us. He’s been decent lately but in my opinion he is still shit and couldn’t lace the boot’s of Zog.
Geordie Joe
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:18 PM
Comment #34How Long before the hypocrytical southerners start booing england and capello then.
UTD111
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:19 PM
Comment #35Have they not started yet Joe?? I’m surprised LOL
Keegan=God.
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:19 PM
Comment #36Atleast he’ll come back fit. He only ever gets injured for England not us. He gets targeted by the silly foriegners.
CJ
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:20 PM
Comment #37Given has never been in top form since that collision with harewood when he injured his chest and has anyone noticed since Paul barron came in as GK coach he has started to punch the ball to much and his kicking is getting even worse.
Sinead
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:22 PM
Comment #38Toonking tbh I haven’t noticed that, and like once he keeps them out I’m not to bothered, I tend not to read in to players preformances to much, because it just drives me mad, it changes idir games but the reliable ones are always the reliable ones it doesn’t matter how they do it. Like I said I never remember Shay having a bad game for Ireland. Ever and that’s a fair few games. Made a decent save there as well. I do think that Newcastle are spreading him a little thin though, I’d suggest a break or so but like with Harper there I don’t think he can afford it. So I don’t know.
Unlucky with the goal though..FFS.
1-0 to Brazil.
Geordie Joe
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:22 PM
Comment #39impossable his kicking couldn’t get any worse
UTD111
Feb 6, 2008 at 9:24 PM
Comment #40Shay’s been dodgy for a while IMHO