Campbell set to replace Ferdinand

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news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/4313646.stm





England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson is set to prefer Sol Campbell to Rio Ferdinand in defence for Saturday's World Cup qualifier against Austria.
BBC Sport understands that Eriksson is concerned by Ferdinand's club form and will instead choose the fit-again Arsenal man to partner John Terry.

It would be the first time Eriksson has ever dropped 26-year-old Ferdinand for a competitive fixture.

Jamie Carragher is poised to replace the injured Ashley Cole at left-back.

Ferdinand has been a regular starter at centre-back during Eriksson's four-year reign as coach.

But the Swede was forced to make changes during the Manchester United man's eighth-month ban in 2004 for missing a drug test.

Campbell and Terry became Eriksson's preferred first-choice pairing and have never been on the losing side after 90 minutes in the six games they have played together for England.

Their only taste of defeat was in the Euro 2004 quarter-final against Portugal, although that loss came in a penalty shoot-out after the sides drew 2-2 after extra-time.

BBC Radio Five Live's chief football correspondent Mike Ingham said Campbell - who has been in great form for Arsenal since returning from a calf injury - had impressed during training this week.

"(Campbell) has never let England down, but if it is Terry and Campbell, then the England coach is going with the men in form," said Ingham.

"He's not going to be swayed by reputation."

Former England international and current BBC Radio Five Live pundit Terry Butcher had backed the inclusion of Ferdinand, despite his below-par performances for United this season.

"Ferdinand should play because he can bring the ball out of defence and give it to England's midfield to do damage. He is best suited to England's requirements," he said.

Skipper David Beckham and striker Michael Owen look set to start at Old Trafford after training on Thursday.

Beckham's arrival in Manchester was delayed while the Real Madrid player stayed in Spain with his ill son Romeo.

Owen had been a doubt after he missed the Premiership game with Portsmouth because of a dead leg.

Striker Peter Crouch is tipped to start alongside Owen in place of the suspended Wayne Rooney.

Eriksson is poised to revert to a 4-4-2 formation after his experiment with playing 4-5-1 backfired in Northern Ireland.

Earlier in the week Arsenal's Cole withdrew from the squad after suffering a stress fracture of his foot.

The last time Cole was unavailable - against Sweden in a friendly in March last year - Carragher played at left-back in a match that England lost 1-0.

Meanwhile Beckham is believed to have relinquished his penalty-taking role, handing the responsibility to Frank Lampard.

[Salem6]

Eriksson shows who is boss by dropping 'untouchable'
Ferdinand

By Sam Wallace, Football Correspondent
Published: 07 October 2005

sport.independent.co.uk/football/internationals/article317731.ece

Sven Goran Eriksson made one of the most controversial
decisions of his England reign yesterday when he
decided to drop Rio Ferdinand for tomorrow's crucial
World Cup qualifier against Austria in a move designed
to reassert the Swede's authority over the squad's
so-called "untouchables".

In a move that caused shock and surprise among the
England players, the 26-year-old Ferdinand was
summoned by coach Steve McClaren at the end of
training and told to speak to Eriksson away from the
main group. It became clear immediately to those
present that the conversation was not just a simple
tactics talk. The two defenders who will play in the
centre of Eriksson's defence tomorrow will be John
Terry and the in-form Sol Campbell.

It is not clear what has forced Eriksson's change of
mind and he is unlikely to even confirm the decision
at today's press conference, but Ferdinand's form for
United in recent weeks, as well as a below average set
of performances in England training session, are
understood to have made up Eriksson's mind.

Up until Wednesday, England were still training with
Terry and Ferdinand as the two centre-backs, but
Eriksson has spotted something in Ferdinand's
performance this week to change his mind.

The effect on the England hierarchy will be profound.
Eriksson has never before dropped such a
well-established player of the younger generation on
form alone and the decision to exclude Ferdinand will
do nothing to remove the feelings of insecurity that
Steven Gerrard described among the players following
the defeat to Northern Ireland on 7 September.

Ferdinand has won 29 of his 41 caps under Eriksson and
the England coach has never failed to pick the
Manchester United player when he has been fit or
available. He started for England in Eriksson's very
first game in charge against Spain in February 2001
and has played in all but the first two of England's
World Cup qualifiers since he came back from his
nine-month suspension for missing a drugs test on 23
September 2003.

It was that missed drugs test, and the ban impose by
the Football Association that seemed to define the
relationship between Eriksson and Ferdinand with the
England coach even offering tacit support to the
player in spite of his employer's actions. When
Ferdinand returned to football in September last year
he was called straight into the England team to face
Wales at Old Trafford on 9 October at the expense of
Terry who had played in his absence throughout Euro
2004.

Eriksson's latest decision seems to be grounded in the
belief that Ferdinand is not improving enough as a
player - a theory that is shared by many who have
watched his performances for United this season. He
was among those culpable for both Fulham's goals in
United's 3-2 victory at Craven Cottage on Saturday
and, in the last two years, has simply not made the
giant bounds forward that Terry has managed.

The Chelsea captain is now arguably the first choice
among the four top centre-halves at Eriksson's
disposal - including Jamie Carragher. The implications
for England's team selection suggest that Eriksson,
suddenly possessed by a new bullishness, may have one
more trick in store before tomorrow afternoon but,
excluding any further changes of heart, he will pick a
defence with Luke Young at right-back, Carragher on
the opposite side and Terry and Campbell in the
centre.

With Eriksson's stock so low it is difficult to judge
whether the exclusion of Ferdinand is an unprecedented
reaction to calls for him to show his teeth in dealing
with England's under-performing young stars, or simply
a panicky act of tinkering too close to a crucial
match. The third possibility is that Eriksson is at
last making the decision to pick players on form, with
Ferdinand having played himself out of contention.

It emerged also last night that Eriksson is grooming
his England coaching assistants ­ Steve McClaren,
Peter Taylor and Sammy Lee ­ with the view to one of
them succeeding the Swede as manager.

"When I took the job four-and-a-half years ago I was
asked by the FA to work with two or three English
coaches who, in the future, could take over my job,"
Eriksson said. McClaren, Taylor and Lee were
"definitely in the window", he added.