Capello Right To Look To The Future

Saturday, 14th August 2010 at 07:40am

Yes, the manner in which it was done was wrong and lacking in class, but the decision made by England manager Fabio Capello not to select 35-year-old ex-skipper David Beckham for future competitive England fixtures, in the opinion of this writer, the correct one.

A player with 115 caps, the most collected by any England outfield player, deserves to be treated with more dignity than Beckham has been shown by the England manager but it's time that England looked forward and started to phase out the players that have talked a good game but seldom delivered; our so-called 'golden generation'.

While it could never be doubted the commitment, pride and enthusiasm that Beckham always displayed in an England shirt, the truth is he is 35 years old and will be 37 at Euro 2012 and 39 at Brazil 2014 and the game is moving on.

England's crushing defeat at the hands, or, more accurately, the feet of Germany was built upon a team of talented, young players with good technique, playing at pace.

Unfortunately such technically gifted players are few and far between on these shores due to the deficiencies in our coaching set up and standards at youth level.

Simply bringing in young players alone isn't going to suddenly make us world beaters again but pace is such an important aspect of so many team sports these days, England must utilise what we have at our disposal.

David Beckham has never been the quickest of players and seldom beat his man but with his ability to pass and cross the ball he never had to. Unfortunately, given the small stature of a number of England's forward options, Peter Crouch being the obvious exception, crosses into the box are likely to nullify a lot the attacking threat the team poses.

Players like Theo Walcott, Adam Johnson, Aaron Lennon and Ashley Young are all blessed with pace and the former two caused Hungary a number of problems during Wednesday's friendly at Wembley.

Defenders hate quick players running at them and down England's flanks on Wednesday there was the combination of Glen Johnson and Walcott down the right and Ashley Cole and Adam Johnson down the left; pace to burn and assets to be utilised.

Until coaching standards change in England we are unlikely to have a generation of players as comfortable in possession as the Spanish or Germans but we do have enough a number of young players who will benefit from their exposure at international level and they need to be given time to adapt and grow accustomed to playing at the highest level, and feel comfortable with the pressure that come with pulling on the Three Lions.

That's why it's high time Beckham is ushered aside.

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