England Captaincy: Capello sides with Terry instead of the FA

Euro 2012 / Michael Lintorn / 06 February 2012 / Leave a Comment

Fabio Capello is eager to stop John Terry from retiring from England duty

"If they lift the trophy, Capello will feel that any criticism he receives will be worth it. If not and Terry is then found guilty in July, it will reflect badly on him, but he’ll be out of the country and the firing line."

It's not necessarily the most laudable stance to take, but the logic behind Fabio Capello's latest defence of John Terry is easy to follow, argues Michael Lintorn...

With the call made without Fabio Capello's input, and the England boss having previously backed John Terry, it was always likely that he would dispute the FA's decision to axe the defender as captain, however his public dissent has come as a slight surprise.

Capello's confirmed to Italian state broadcaster RAI that he felt that Terry should have kept the armband until the outcome of his trail over alleged racial abuse, prompting suggestions that by questioning his employers, he is in breach of contract.

But while his outlook won't attract much support outside of Stamford Bridge, and openly opposing your bosses is rarely a wise route to go down, you can see why he has taken such controversial action, regardless of whether you agree with it.

There has been speculation that Terry will react to the FA's sanction by making himself unavailable for selection, and though many believe that England would be better off without him, Capello clearly does not subscribe to that view, and considers him a vital part of his Euro 2012 plans.

This is a coach who responded to Rio Ferdinand's injury before the World Cup by turning to veteran trio Ledley King (then 29), Jamie Carragher (32) and Matthew Upson (31), so he won't want to turn to a relative international rookie at short notice for Poland and Ukraine.

Capello won't gain many friends by sticking up for Terry, yet in his mind perhaps suspects that keeping him on side is necessary to win the competition [[10.5]].

If they lift the trophy, he'll feel that any criticism he receives - and let's face it, he's used to absurd amounts from the English press - will be worth it. If not and Terry is then found guilty in July, it will reflect badly on him, but he'll be out of the country and the firing line.

Whether Capello likes it or not, he will have to name a new skipper though, and Steven Gerrard is [1.83] on Betfair to lead his side out for their first group game against France.

Given his recent injury record and the fact Terry's successor for the 2010 World Cup, Ferdinand, was ruled out in the build-up, there is certainly a case for laying Gerrard or backing an outsider.

If it was down to this writer to choose, I'd pick Ashley Cole [[15.0]]: England's most consistent performer, the outfield player most sure of his place, the most-capped squad member - unless David Beckham were to resurface - and he's never missed a major tournament through injury.