The Fall Guys
Times: Rio Ferdinand will be given two games to prove his commitment to England after the team’s third defeat under Steve McClaren, the head coach.
A lax performance against Germany on Wednesday led to Ferdinand being taken off at half-time and the identity of his positional replacement, 19-year-old Micah Richards, was believed to be a clear indication from McClaren that the Manchester United player can no longer take for granted his place in the starting line-up.
McClaren’s options in central defence are limited, with Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate injured and Jamie Carragher out of contention after retiring from international football, yet unless Ferdinand shows improvement in the matches with Israel and Russia next month, he could be relegated to the sidelines by the time of the October qualifiers, including the crucial trip to Russia.
It is not the first time that Ferdinand’s focus has come under scrutiny with England. Sven-Göran Eriksson, typically the most benign of managers, dropped him from a World Cup qualifying game with Austria in October 2005, instead picking Sol Campbell.
Ferdinand was restored to the team for the next game, against Poland, and started every international for Eriksson after that, but the point was made.
The England management grew particularly frustrated with Ferdinand’s casual air during the first half with Germany, including sloppy attempts to control the ball and a straightforward pass that ballooned out of play. This follows on from average performances for United, starting with the Community Shield match at Wembley, in which he was outmuscled by Florent Malouda for Chelsea’s goal.
The frustration that McClaren feels – and which was clearly shared by Eriksson, albeit temporarily – is that Ferdinand is an outstanding natural footballer with the capacity to be one of the most versatile defenders in Europe. Comfortable on the ball, he should be a boon to England at a stage in the qualifying campaign in which composure on the ball is key.
It is felt that perhaps Ferdinand no longer believes he needs to compete for his place in the side after Carragher’s retirement. The Liverpool player would have been the only strong contender to start beside John Terry against Germany. Campbell pulled out with an injury, while King and Woodgate have longer-term problems that will also make them unavailable in September, and Steven Taylor, of Newcastle United, lacks experience.
The decision to switch Richards from right back, where he had been enjoying an outstanding game, to centre half after the interval is seen as a deliberate attempt to remind Ferdinand that he cannot take his inclusion for granted. McClaren intends to contact all of his first-team players before they meet up again in ten days’ time, and, possibly, the point will be made even more forcefully then.
Gary Neville, the Manchester United right back and club captain, is back in training after injury and, while the next two England games may be too soon for him, it is not unthinkable that he could return in October, with Richards alongside Terry unless Ferdinand improves.
“I want competition for places in every position,” McClaren said. “We had a look at one or two things, one or two personnel, and now we know more than we did before. We’ve got two weeks to reflect on everything. Micah Richards did well to set up our first goal and then adapted to centre half. He’s a big asset to the team.”
McClaren will also be considering his options in goal, with David James favoured to replace Paul Robinson after another mistake that handed Germany their equaliser. James, first choice under Eriksson until losing his place in September 2004, was introduced to test and put pressure on Robinson – but the mission looked to have been almost too successful when the Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper palmed out a cross for Kevin Kuranyi to score Germany’s first.
McClaren added: “We were looking for James’s presence to push Robinson on to another level, but I would have no doubts about picking David from the start. His performances and reaction since being left out have been very good. His form for Portsmouth last year and at the start of this season has certainly warranted this return.”
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Sun: STEVE McCLAREN’S Euro 2008 qualifying plans are in turmoil following England’s defeat by Germany.
SunSport can reveal that McClaren is:
# Set to axe goalkeeper Paul Robinson and replace him with veteran David James.
# Not convinced the Michael Owen and Alan Smith combination up front will produce the goals he needs.
# Concerned by the below-par performance from his centre-back combination of Rio Ferdinand and John Terry.
# Considering dumping Michael Carrick from his squad.
# Worried Joe Cole is not bringing the rest of the team into the game.
Boss McClaren has won only two of his last nine games.
And he now plans a series of crisis meetings with players and coaching staff over the next fortnight, ahead of the run of qualifiers which start with the visit of Israel on September 8.
He admits he has a lot of work to do. Yet he has given the clearest indication that James will replace Robinson, who, by his own admission, was poor against the Germans and gifted them the first goal in their 2-1 Wembley win.
Asked if he had any doubts about selecting James for the coming Euro 2008 games, McClaren said: “That’s why I brought him into the squad. If I had any doubts, I wouldn’t have put him back in.
“His performances and reaction since being left out have been very good.
“His form for Portsmouth last year and this season have warranted him coming back.
“Paul Robinson was obviously disappointed. Naturally, he felt he could have done more for the first goal. He’s bound to be disappointed.
“That’s what happens when you make mistakes. But individual players have to be strong enough to take the rough with the smooth.
“When you are getting criticism, which no doubt he will get again, he will have to take it and show on the park his reaction to it.”
After last October’s 2-0 defeat in Croatia, when Robinson conceded a fluke own-goal by miskicking, McClaren backed him to continue as No 1. But this time round he refused to do the same.
England sources also say McClaren’s decision to move the in-form Micah Richards from right-back to central defence in the second half on Wednesday was intended as a ‘kick up the backside’ for Ferdinand.
Rio will not be axed for the Israel game, with Richards staying at right-back.
Yet McClaren’s intention was to show there were other options if Ferdinand falls below the accepted standard.
McClaren was equally unhappy, though, at the way Terry gave the ball away and underwhelmed by Carrick’s midfield display alongside Frank Lampard.
Joe Cole, one of England’s brighter players, was also given a half-time going over for not releasing the ball at the right time and bringing his team-mates into the game.
The manager believes that was one reason why Owen and Smith did not see as much of the ball as they would have liked.
McClaren declared: “We started the game ever so well and kept it and moved it. Then the disappointing thing was we had a spell where we gave the ball away.
“We got over-complicated and had too many touches and that led to the opportunity for the Germans to cross. The end result is the ball is in the net, yet there were two or three mistakes before then from individual players.
“We cannot give the ball away in bad areas and twice we did, twice we got punished. We’ve got to learn from that and we have to put the ball in the back of the net when we get chances.
“I’ll be monitoring the players’ fitness and their form over the next two weeks. Then I’ll pick the squad. Most definitely, I’ll be speaking to every one of them.”
