Frank Lampard will be handed the England captaincy for only the second time in is career against world champions Spain this weekend.
This will be Lampard’s 90th game for his country, and the veteran midfielder has netted 22 goals for the Three Lions. He also won the England national team Player of the Year award in 2004 and 2005.
While Lampard’s career on the field for England merits the honor of captaincy, sadly this game will be just another chapter in the poor leadership of Fabio Capello.
Regardless of how well Lampard leads the team against Spain, Capello has already said that John Terry will be reinstated as captain for the game against Sweden.
That is the same John Terry who has previously been axed as captain when Capello wanted to send the message that off-field behavior counted for something in the dressing room. Clearly that is not the case with Capello, and it is starting to seem more like a case of keeping Terry happy in order to keep control of the team.
When initially dropping Terry from the captaincy role, Capello did say that Terry had performed well. “However, I have to take into account other considerations and what is best for all of the England squad,” the England boss told BBC Sport.
The other considerations included the fact that Terry did not have enough respect for an England teammate to not have an affair with the mother of his children. Terry also embarrassed the FA by making personal profit from selling his Wembley VIP box, and has a history of drunk and disorderly behavior.
The reasons for dropping Terry were sound, and you have to wonder what exactly has changed since?
During the World Cup, Terry called out Capello for having the nerve to not allow the England squad to play video games. Terry went on to use the word “bored” while describing the England camp. Should a “bored” man be leading the country t such a historic event?
It is not likely that Pele or Maradona ever complained about such things at World Cup’s, but in Terry’s defense, video games were not quite as fun in those days. However, it is worth asking whether Spain captain Iker Casillas was “bored” at the World Cup, or how he would have reacted if a teammate told the media that he found the whole affair a little tedious.
Terry is currently involved in a race row with Anton Ferdinand, the brother of Terry’s long time England teammate Rio, which will be another political issue in an already divided locker room.
As for current form, the visual image of Terry falling flat on his face as Robin van Persie scored in a 5-3 Arsenal win at Stamford Bridge concerns many England fans.
Capello was praised early in his England regime for his strict disciplinarian approach, and his ability to be an authority figure over a group full of egos. The first cracks were shown in the buildup to the World Cup, and things have not quite been the same since.
It seems doubtful whether Capello will ever again have a controlling influence on the England locker room. It is also unlikely that Terry will ever have the universal respect required to be a great captain.
While the England national team will always have talented players, they need better leadership than can be provided by Capello and Terry to ever bring the best out of them.
While Lampard’s career on the field for England merits the honor of captaincy, sadly this game will be just another chapter in the poor leadership of Fabio Capello.
Regardless of how well Lampard leads the team against Spain, Capello has already said that John Terry will be reinstated as captain for the game against Sweden.
That is the same John Terry who has previously been axed as captain when Capello wanted to send the message that off-field behavior counted for something in the dressing room. Clearly that is not the case with Capello, and it is starting to seem more like a case of keeping Terry happy in order to keep control of the team.
When initially dropping Terry from the captaincy role, Capello did say that Terry had performed well. “However, I have to take into account other considerations and what is best for all of the England squad,” the England boss told BBC Sport.
The other considerations included the fact that Terry did not have enough respect for an England teammate to not have an affair with the mother of his children. Terry also embarrassed the FA by making personal profit from selling his Wembley VIP box, and has a history of drunk and disorderly behavior.
The reasons for dropping Terry were sound, and you have to wonder what exactly has changed since?
During the World Cup, Terry called out Capello for having the nerve to not allow the England squad to play video games. Terry went on to use the word “bored” while describing the England camp. Should a “bored” man be leading the country t such a historic event?
It is not likely that Pele or Maradona ever complained about such things at World Cup’s, but in Terry’s defense, video games were not quite as fun in those days. However, it is worth asking whether Spain captain Iker Casillas was “bored” at the World Cup, or how he would have reacted if a teammate told the media that he found the whole affair a little tedious.
Terry is currently involved in a race row with Anton Ferdinand, the brother of Terry’s long time England teammate Rio, which will be another political issue in an already divided locker room.
As for current form, the visual image of Terry falling flat on his face as Robin van Persie scored in a 5-3 Arsenal win at Stamford Bridge concerns many England fans.
Capello was praised early in his England regime for his strict disciplinarian approach, and his ability to be an authority figure over a group full of egos. The first cracks were shown in the buildup to the World Cup, and things have not quite been the same since.
It seems doubtful whether Capello will ever again have a controlling influence on the England locker room. It is also unlikely that Terry will ever have the universal respect required to be a great captain.
While the England national team will always have talented players, they need better leadership than can be provided by Capello and Terry to ever bring the best out of them.
