Does Capello Finally Have the Three Lions Ready To Roar?

There will undoubtedly be many England fans still harbouring doubts, lingering or otherwise, with regard to Fabio Capello’s stewardship of the England team with memories of last year's World Cup still in mind. However, there will be many more that would applaud the Italian for the way that he has turned the fortunes around since the debacle in South Africa.

Capello has guided the England team to Euro 2012 in Poland/Ukraine next June, with the little or nothing for fans to worry about, finishing top of group G with an unbeaten record whilst at the same time, changing the playing system and introducing a number of young new players to the team.

In essence, the "old guard" of Terry, Ferdinand, Lampard and Gerrard no longer have the same influence on the team as they have had in the past, instead, it is Capello who is clearly in charge and who now makes all the decisions.

Capello’s methodical introduction of "new blood" into the England squad has added plenty of competition for places and it was noticeable how only very few players made themselves unavailable for these last two games of the year which is very refreshing to see!

What most England fans will want to know next of course is exactly what squad Capello will select for Euro 2012.

He will have to pick 23 players prior to the tournament and given that three of them will be goalkeepers, there will be no doubt that a few players, who have made substantial contributions recently or even over the long term will be disappointed when the final squad is announced next May.

It is not long ago that the calls of the media were for the FA to sack Capello on numerous occasions since the World Cup but those calls have become somewhat muted more recently. The FA relented of course when it dawned on them that the compensation package that Capello would be due by taking such an action was embarrassingly high.

Having no alternative, the FA kept their faith in him and he have been rewarded them with a hugely encouraging last 18 months.

England played nine times in 2011 and became the first England team since 1996 to go through a calendar year unbeaten. The year culminated with 1-0 wins over European and World Champions, Spain last weekend and Sweden in midweek.

Those results will have sent out a message to the other 15 teams heading to Euro 2012 that England could be a major force participating in Poland and the Ukraine, whether that will materialise however remains to be seen.

What is know though is that for the first time in many years, the pool of players from which an England manager has to pick from is as wide and deep as most can remember and despite his critics, Capello may just have his Three Lions ready to roar.

Attention will now be turned to Kiev on 2nd December when the draw for the group stage Euro 2012 will be made. England have been seeded in the second pot of seeds, alongside, Germany, Russia and Italy, which means that they will not face any of those three in the first phase but could face Spain or the Netherlands!

The four groups of four for the group stages will be made up from the following seedings.

Pot 1 - Ukraine, Poland, Spain, Netherlands
Pot 2 - Germany, Italy, England, Russia
Pot 3 - Croatia, Greece, Portugal, Sweden
Pot 4 - Denmark, France, Czech Republic, Republic of Ireland

Written by Rod Crowley

England's Euro 2012 Qualification Overshadowed By Rooney Sending Off

In the end, England qualified for Euro 2012 in Poland/Ukraine with more than a degree of comfort from Group G and will now be amongst the second seeds when the draw is made for the finals on December 2nd in Kiev.

Already the hypothesisers have been busy voicing their opinions of pending English doom, suggesting that Fabio Capello’s men could find themselves in the same qualifying group as holders and world champions, Spain, Germany or Holland.

Image Credit Flickr User americanistadechiapas

An outcome which at this stage does not bear thinking about but nonetheless it is a potential outcome which significantly highlights the difficulties that England could face next June...

The situation is made worse after it emerged England will kick off the tournament off without start striker, Wayne Rooney, after he foolishly got himself sent off in the 2-2 draw against Montenegro for kicking out at Miodrag Dzudovic.

That red card will mean an automatic suspension for at least the first game in Euro 2012  but it will almost certainly become much worse when UEFA deal with the case on an individual basis and are likely to extend it to a two game ban.

Was it ironic or coincidental that Rooney should be sent off during the same week as his father, amongst others, was arrested for an alleged betting fraud offence concerning a sending off incident in a Scottish league game.

Looking at England’s progress in a more positive light, they should be praised for qualifying without losing a game, especially on the back of a dismal showing at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Fabio Capello has moved the team on significantly and created a very healthy, competitive spirit in the squad.

More importantly he has shown great courage in bringing in new face, clearly indicating that the old guard are now no longer guaranteed their places and if recent squads are anything to go by, only six of the 23 heading to Euro 2012 will have been part of the squad that went to South Africa last year.

Players such as Ashley Young, Darren Bent, Jack Wilshere, Danny Welbeck, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Tom Cleverly and Jordan Henderson just to name a few of the rising stars that have all got themselves into the mix and could all be included in the squad for next summer's tournament.

Before all that, Capello will want to play at least two friendlies at Wembley by the end of this year, with the first of those against Spain taking place on Saturday, November 12th. A second game will be confirmed later this week, which could be against either Sweden or Portugal.

These games could be particularly significant for the international futures of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand, three players who could find themselves omitted from Capello’s thinking.

As far as the betting for Euro 2012 betting goes, Spain remain clear favourites to retain their crown with odds of 11/4 whilst Germany are considered next best at 4/1, while Holland are 6/1 and England now 9/1 after securing their place in the 16 team competition.

Written by Rod Crawley