Some would argue that it didn’t need confirmation, but it has been announced today that Rio Ferdinand will return to the England fold as captain tomorrow night.
Fabio Capello’s men take on Montenegro at Wembley in a Euro 2012 qualifier and the Manchester United man will lead out his country after handing over the reins to Steven Gerrard during his spell on the sidelines.
There was a case for Gerrard remaining as skipper – he has performed well in the role, particularly since the World Cup – but Capello has stuck to his guns and kept faith with the man he originally appointed as captain when John Terry was asked to step down earlier this year.
This is probably the right decision. After the controversy of the last few months, this England team needs to avoid negative headlines where possible. Ferdinand being shunned as captain despite being named in the role would have posed plenty of questions. Capello, the Football Association and England didn’t need that.
Gerrard can still be a leader anyway. He hasn’t dominated enough games for his country and it shouldn’t take being captain for him to do so. His manager, when telling him about his decision said: “you have to play like a captain on Tuesday” and this is exactly what he should do.
More than anything else, it is good to see Ferdinand back in the England fold. Like a few players, missing the World Cup has probably enhanced the Manchester United man’s reputation. Tomorrow night he has the chance to show everyone just how important he is to the team.
England have made a positive start to their Euro 2010 qualifying campaign and it should continue tomorrow night.
A perfect evening for Capello? Perhaps a convincing win with Ferdinand being a commanding presence at the back and Gerrard running the show from midfield would be exactly what the Italian needs.
The way things have gone for him at times though, Ferdinand will probably pull up in the warm-up and Gerrard will retain the captaincy anyway.
However, let’s be positive and not let the injuries to Aaron Lennon, John Terry and Darren Bent affect our mood. Our captain is back, it is two wins out of two so far and a positive display at Wembley will continue the re-building job fneeded after the World Cup.
By Thomas Rooney – Follow him on Twitter
Tags: England, football, Rio Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard
