Euro 2012 qualifier preview: England v Montenegro
When he was called into this England squad, Rio Ferdinand must have been wondering whether or not he could have regained his place in the team. Now, he’s got his armband back.
England’s ageing absentee skipper, who turns 32 next month, is fit again for now, and so with injuries to fellow centre-backs Phil Jagielka and John Terry – the latter perhaps to his pride as much as anything – the Manchester United man takes over as captain from Steven Gerrard, who had been doing fairly well in the role since the World Cup.
In fact, many had even claimed that the midfielder was inspiring his country’s improved performances following the debacle in South Africa, as his two excellent goals in a friendly win over Hungary were built upon with steady, commanding performances as Bulgaria and Switzerland were well beaten. Not the most difficult of opposition admittedly, and it might be about to get a lot a lot harder.
Montenegro might not be the most familiar of opposition to England’s followers, but they certainly carry a threat.
Three 1-0 wins from three qualifiers – against Wales, Bulgaria and, on Friday night, Switzerland – mark these Montenegrins – who are managed by Zlatko Kranjčar, father of Tottenham’s Niko – out as tough opposition for England to face, and with the Three Lions knowing that only a win will do if they want to head into Euro 2012’s “winter break” on top of Group G, the pressure will be on Fabio Capello’s shoulders ahead of this one, but he’s used to that now surely?
The former Roma boss will know all about Mirko Vučinić, the Montenegro captain who has been banging in the goals for the team from the Italian capital for the last four years, and who scored his country’s winners against both Wales and Switzerland – the latter he celebrated by taking his shorts off and placing them on his head, as was his wont.
He won’t be the only goalscorer on the pitch though, where there will surely be one England forward who is looking to face him from the off, and take a chance that he has long since deserved.
“It's a weight lifted off my shoulders to be honest,” said Darren Bent, speaking of his first England goal during last month’s win in Switzerland.
“It probably gave me more confidence in the Premier League in my performances for Sunderland too, so I was just delighted to get the first one.
“There is still a lot of hard work to be done, but hopefully I can play a part in the game on Tuesday and maybe get another goal and a good performance under my belt. It'd be nice to start, but I'm under no illusions that it's going to be hard.
“I think I can do a really good job to be honest, if I can have a run of games, because that goal has given me the confidence and perhaps I can build on that. I'm a striker, and I love to score goals and perform well, so as long as I'm doing that, I'm sure I'll be involved more.”
To be involved from the start here he’ll be competing with Peter Crouch and new boy Kevin Davies for a role probably off Wayne Rooney, with Ferdinand slotting in at the back alongside Joleon Lescott.
Theo Walcott’s injury means that Adam Johnson, a scorer in the wins over Bulgaria and Switzerland, will surely start here, while James Milner’s suspension opens the door for the likes of Joe Cole, Shaun-Wright Phillips, Ashley Young, Jack Wilshere and Stewart Downing – Capello’s replacement in the squad for the injured Aaaron Lennon.
Regardless of the slight tweaks from last month’s winning formula, and even though they’re playing the group’s current top dogs, England should be strong enough to win.
He may not have the captain’s armband on, but Gerrard can once again inspire his team-mates to perform well – he may have to with Rooney – and England should be sitting pretty at the top of the group until they resume battle in Cardiff in five months time.
A happy return for Rio.
Prediction: England 2 Montenegro 1
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