The England manager wanted to know if Phil Jones was capable
of playing in central midfield at international level and whether,
on top of that, he was capable of doing so against the world
champions Spain.
Capello related the nature of his conversation with Ferguson
yesterday as if to prove a point. "He [Jones] was in my mind when I
met him [Ferguson] in Manchester [last week for the celebrations
for Ferguson's 25th anniversary as United manager]. He [Ferguson]
said he could play there. You know, last year he [Jones] played in
midfield."
It was instructive that even for a fellow manager such as
Capello, who is just four years Ferguson's junior and is one of the
few managers alive with a record that even gets close to comparing,
the word of the Scot is taken with such solemn assurance. Because,
make no mistake about it, playing Jones against the best midfield
in the world today is a risk. It is an intriguing, beguiling risk.
One that may even turn out to be inspired. But a risk, none the
less.
Jones will feature in holding midfield this evening, in all
probability alongside Scott Parker, with Frank Lampard just ahead
of the two, against what is the greatest international midfield of
the modern era. Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta are daunting
opposition but Capello, like every international manager, is
essentially a man in a hurry. He does not even feel that he can
wait until Tuesday and the game against Sweden to give Jones his
chance.
When it was put to Capello – not entirely seriously – that he
should bear in mind when taking advice on the England team that
Ferguson is Scottish, he laughed. But he appeared more amused at
the memory of having seen Ferguson wearing a kilt than any
suggestion that he might have been given a duff steer from a
patriotic Scotsman.
Jones starts today, just his second England cap, in midfield
against the world champions. But who are we to laugh at Capello's
eccentricities when he has to endure so many of ours? This week the
England manager has already seen his team at the centre of a row
over poppies, his captain is the subject of a police investigation
and the announcement of the team hotel for Euro 2012 basically came
down to the question of where the WAGs would be staying.
Compared to all that, the fact that Capello's own son would be
absent-minded enough to schedule his wedding for an international
weekend seems relatively mild in comparison.
In a nutshell, Capello said yesterday that he cannot afford to
treat today's game as if it is a match that must be won at the cost
of trying out new players and different formations. He has a
limited number of opportunities to prepare for Euro 2012 – and the
three games without Wayne Rooney (pending an appeal) – and there is
no time to waste.
It was with a degree of exasperation that Capello explained his
position. "Guys, for me, these are important games [in which] to
see the value of the players I have to select. These are difficult
games. Spain and Sweden have different styles, completely different
styles, and then the Dutch to come [in March].
"I want to understand what will happen with the players I select
when we go to play the really important games at the Euros. Those
matches at the Euros will be more difficult. So I need to know the
value of the players. Also, these three games, we will play at home
with the pressure. Here, the pressure is more than away from home.
For this reason, you can understand the value of the players
[better] here, than away."
In the case of Jones, Capello was effusive in his praise, even
mentioning Franco Baresi in the same sentence as the 19-year-old.
To clarify that point he said that Baresi, the old defender who was
a mainstay of his first Milan team, was a better defender than
Jones; but Jones the better midfielder.
As for the United teenager, Capello said: "He can play
right-back, he can play centre-back, he can play, for me, as a
midfielder because he's really a fantastic player. But I know him
as a right-back, where he's really good. He played really well
against Montenegro. I saw him twice as a central defender, at
centre-back. I remember him as a central midfielder. I want to see
him there in a really important game against Spain.
"I think he's got a lot of qualities, really good qualities. His
potential is the top. The top. You need quality to be able to do
that. When he goes forward, when he reaches the last metres near
the box, his passing is really good. He can shoot. He can [get
close to] the goal. I think so."
Without Rooney, Steven Gerrard, Jack Wilshere and Rio Ferdinand
there is little more that Capello can do but try to make some
changes and put a brave face on it if things work out badly today.
There is much to be said in playing Jones – what would another cap
for Gareth Barry add to Capello's understanding of this team? – the
only real fear being that if it is a bad experience it may set the
player back.
Otherwise, this is a team that will probably spend much of the
game defending in a 4-5-1 formation. That leaves Capello with a
dilemma over his striker. Darren Bent is more likely to seize on a
half-chance that earns his team a goal but Danny Welbeck is a more
obvious candidate to occupy the Spain defence. James Milner's form
should earn him a start on the left with Theo Walcott on the
opposite wing.
If anything, Jones's selection shows that England have, to some
degree, moved on from the team that was eliminated by Germany in
South Africa in July last year. Then the teenager would scarcely
have elicited a flicker of recognition from Capello. Today he is
starting against a team for whom the Italian can barely conceal his
admiration.
Asked whether he was doing the right thing, Capello held his
ground. "It's my job, guys. It's my job," he said. "I have no fear.
Nothing. No fear. Yes, I think the team that will play [today] will
be really, really, good." He sounded like a man who had weighed up
the benefits of playing it safe and had decided, this time at
least, to go for broke.
Defenders in midfield a good idea?
Is Fabio Capello right to play defender Phil Jones in midfield?
Here are some cautionary tales:
Gareth Southgate
A great man-manager but never regarded as a master tactician,
Kevin Keegan made a mistake in deploying Southgate in the holding
role in the 2002 World Cup qualifier against Germany in the final
game at the old Wembley in October 2000. It was far from
Southgate's finest display, and eventually he was moved back into a
safer central defensive position. England lost 1-0 thanks to
Dietmar Hamann's free-kick, and Keegan resigned after the game.
Jamie Carragher
Was first used in midfield by care-taker manager Peter Taylor in
the 1-0 friendly defeat in Italy in November 2000, coming on for
Nicky Butt. He played in the holding role for Sven Goran Eriksson
in the 3-1 World Cup warm-up win over Hungary in 2006. His
performance was competent enough but he was switched to right-back
for the second half.
Ledley King
Made his first England midfield performance coming on as a
substitute for Paul Scholes in the 70th minute in the 4-2 group
stage win over Croatia in Euro 2004. He went on to play the holding
role excellently in a 2-1 World Cup qualifying win against Poland
in 2005, starting in a 4-1-3-2 formation. However, he struggled a
month later tracking the runs of Juan Riquelme in the 3-2 friendly
win over Argentina.
Tom Sweetman
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