David Artell / David Artell / 27 March 2008 / Leave a comment

David Artell thinks John Terry may have fallen foul of Italian discipline after he confronted Mike Riley during that infamous Ashley Cole incident.

I'm going to start this week with a confession that may lead to me being on the end of some dressing room banter. A couple of weeks ago the wife and I went to the opera in Manchester. She has always wanted to go and it was a belated treat for St Valentines Day. It was different and I wouldn't rule out going again. The performers would put many a modern pop star to shame as their voices were out of this world although I'm not sure it will get an airing on the stereo in the changing room. I know one of the other lads listens to opera music after games as he says it helps him to relax so I might suggest it for after the game although I'm sure I'll get told where the door is!

Back to football and the small matter of England captain. I'm not sure if Fabio Capello had already made his mind up to give the armband to Rio Ferdinand or not but it seems that John Terry has fallen foul of the FA's new "Respect the Referee" initiative. Confronting Mike Riley last weekend appears to have cost him the England armband. As I said, I'm not sure whether this was decided before last weekend or not; only one man will know that, but it surprised me as I thought he had made his mind up when he picked John Terry for the Switzerland game. It wasn't the only surprise that Capello made: his decision to include Middlesbrough's David Wheater in his original squad was a revelation as, to a lesser extent, was the inclusion of Theo Walcott. This says to me that Capello is thinking to the future as well as neglecting it (the Beckham situation).

It was a typical England friendly display: they looked a bit lacklustre and short of ideas going forward. I'm sure Capello will know exactly how to rectify the problems, the big question is whether he will be able to instill the Italian mentality of keeping the ball expertly, getting your noses in front and soaking up everything the opposition throws at you. A big part of that has to go to a somewhat unsung hero in Joleon Lescott. I'm not sure if he would depose Ferdinand or Terry from the heart of the defence, but I certainly think he could challenge Ashley Cole for the left back berth. I think they are both fantastic defenders but crucially Lescott is also a threat in the oppositions area having scored eight goals this year for Everton. Crucially, Lescott is at a club which won't hold him back on the international stage; especially if Everton qualify for the Champions League. After Ashley Cole's petulant display towards Mike Riley it wouldn't surprise me if Capello instilled Lescott as his left back for the competitive games at the start of next season as long as he gets off to a good start.

There will be no let up of big games for Lescott as it's the Merseyside derby on Sunday. It's the type of game that he'll have to excel in to try and impress Signor Capello This game will have a massive impact on the fourth qualifying spot for the Champions League which I think Liverpool will claim. The injuries to key players Everton have picked up in recent weeks, most notably to Andy Johnson and Tim Cahill, will mean they fall just short. In those two players they have also lost a lot of their firepower and for that reason I'm going for a Liverpool clean sheet this week at [2.4].

Tags: David Artell, England, England Captain, John Terry, Joleon Lescott