Fabio’s squad to be without key players Gerrard, Rooney and Terry but it will field youngsters to prove their values.
LONDON Ahead of the Euro 2012 Finals next summer in Poland and Ukraine Fabio Capello wants to see his young England team respond to the loss of some experienced players when they take on world champions Spain at Wembley on Saturday. He would have obviously preferred doing so in a different occasion but he’s forced to play the ‘necessity’s virtue’ card.
’I am without players!’ Fabio’s pleading to Spanish newspaper Marca. ‘Rooney is missing, he's suspended so he hasn't been called up. We'll also be without Gerrard, without Terry,” he tells the Sport journal. “It will be difficult, but we'll try and do as best we can. It's a difficult test, but for me the important thing in this game is to get to know the value of some of my players, the ones who haven't featured regularly."
Steven Gerrard is missing through injury but both John Terry and Wayne Rooney have been deliberately omitted by the Friulian as he looks to try out some fringe players in the friendly. England has struggled at home in recent times, but Capello hopes the challenge of Spain will help them to rise to the pressure of playing in front of their fans.
“Against Spain we will field new kids, youngsters," he said. "It's important to get to know the potential of those players. It's also an interesting game because it will be played at Wembley. We are playing better away from home. At Wembley there is more pressure, because we play in front of our people, and I want to see a response from the team in front of our fans.”
The three-match suspension of Rooney for Euro 2012 after lashing out at an opponent has given Capello a challenge ahead of the tournament as he looks to organise his forward line.
The FA has appealed against the severity of the ban and the Italian hopes to see it reduced by a game so he can have the services of the Manchester United striker for longer.
‘’The three-game suspension seems exaggerated. I hope they take off one game,” he said. “He committed a foul, but it wasn't too strong and he went off without protesting, without saying anything. Rooney is a very important footballer. He always pops up in the important games. He is playing more in midfield now and he is doing really well there too.”
Rooney’s manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, has recently celebrated his 25th anniversary at Old Trafford. Unlike the Scot, Capello has been in a number of jobs throughout Europe where he has always won the league title. He said there will never be another manager who could ever match the achievements of Sir Alex, who continues to go strong at United. “It’s impossible to repeat," Capello said. "I spoke to him on Saturday. I said to him: 'There is a lot of pressure as manager of Manchester United' and he replied jokingly, 'I have more pressure at home with my wife!'"
(Source: Yahoo.com/ Goal.com)
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