International Football: England get a clean bill of health
After a dreadful 2010 FIFA World Cup, England are all set to start their long and arduous journey for the European Championships of 2012. The English national team are scheduled to play their first two Euro 2012 qualifiers within the next two weeks against Bulgaria and Switzerland.
England will be looking to bounce back from their disappointing performances at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and earn themselves some praise by at least winning their first two qualification matches. The post World Cup period has not been a good one for the players or the English national team manager, Fabio Capello.
Players such as Lampard and Terry have been booed by English fans in the English Premier League and Robert Green has also been at the end of some jeers due to his howler against U.S.A in England’s opening match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
England only managed to reach the second round of the World Cup i.e. the round of sixteen. Unfortunately for them, they came up against a strong youthful German side that ripped the Englishmen to shreds as the final score of the knockout match was four goals to one. Out of their three group stage matches, England were successful in winning only one against Slovakia by a single goal. The rest of the two matches resulted in draws for Capello’s men against U.S.A and Algeria.
Talking to the press on Monday, the English team manager, Fabio Capello declared that all of twenty four squad members for the Euro 2012 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Switzerland were fit enough to train with the each other at their Watford training base. However, there were some noticeable absentees from the squad of twenty four English players that have been selected by Capello, some of them due to injury while others due to form.
Capello left out Frank Lampard and John Terry, the Chelsea duo sustained Hernia and Hamstring injuries during their club’s latest two goals to nil win over Stoke City in the second round of the English Premier League. The former A.C Milan manager also did not select Wilshire of Arsenal F.C and Andy Carroll from Newcastle United but these two omissions were not based on doubts regarding the fitness of both the youngsters but their experience and ability at the top level of football.
Capello did include Jagielka from Everton and Crouch plus Defoe from Tottenham Hotspurs, all of whom have been declared fit to start for England in their first qualifier on Friday, 3rd of September 2010 against Bulgaria. The Eastern European nation, Bulgaria will be ready to take on the English without their star striker Dimitar Berbatov, who declared retirement from international duty earlier on in the summer. Fabio also left out Rio Ferdinand from his twenty four man squad as the Manchester United centre back is out with a knee ligament injury.
Capello has already stated the importance of the up-coming games for England as he stated that these matches will be significant as players are in a good condition physically. He also paid respect to Bulgaria by saying that Bulgaria are a dangerous team as he saw them play in their one nil defeat to Russia before the World Cup. Fabio added that England’s opponents performed well in the above stated match therefore it will be a tough match at Wembley come Friday.
Former Real Madrid coach was also complimentary in his remarks about Switzerland as he observed that, the Swiss are a good team who have a really important manager in place in the shape of Ottmar Hitzfeld. He said that games in Switzerland are never easy. England play their first qualification match against Bulgaria at home on the hallowed Wembley turf in London while their second match is away in Switzerland at Saint Jacob Park stadium in Basel on 7th of September 2010.
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