This Friday could see England ensure their passage to the European Championships to be held in Poland and Ukraine this summer. Like England's passage to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa Capello's men have so far come through the qualification process with few blemishes. However, a tough night is likely in Podgorica for England who know what a solid and competent opposition Montenegro are following their goalless draw at Wembley last year. Unlike South Africa 2010 things are shaping nicely for England with lots of young talents honing themselves: Wellbeck, Sturridge, Cleverly, Jones, Smalling and Oxlade-Chamberlain are all excellent prospects with real talent and Capello will have an eye on introducing some of this fresh blood into the squad in the upcoming months. However, tomorrow night is not about taking risks and Jones is the sole candidate from this bunch of youngsters with any chance of featuring. Capello's picks for the match in Podgorica looks fairly straight forward with a fairly settled starting line-up. The only question that needs answering is who will play at right back, as Capello does not seem to rate Richards but also may be loath to use Walker who is great in an attacking capacity but less so defensively. Phil Jones' name has been bandied about and it seems possible that the talented youngsters may be given the responsibility of filling in at right back due to his superior defensive skills compared to Richards and Walker. Personally I would chose Richards for tomorrow night, as he has started the season strongly, but I think Capello may choose to go with rookie Jones. One other possible dilemma is will England stick with the dynamic 4-2-3-1 or go back to a more cautious 4-4-2. I think the first is more likely, but if Capello should chose to partner Rooney with another striker I think Zamora deserves another chance after his impressive previous cameo before his unfortunate injury. 4-2-3-1 Hart Jones Cahill Terry Cole Parker Lampard Milner Young Downing Rooney 4-4-2: Hart Jones Cahill Terry Cole Milner Parker Lampard Young Rooney Zamora Any thoughts or comments about England's starting XI, with regards to who you think should or will be included and the preferred formation of Capello? .
Personally, I don't understand Capello's aversion to Richards; he's a good player and certainly a better right-back than Jags who it seems may get a start due to his experience. Jags is an out-an-out CB who always looks uncomfortable at RB. If it's not Richards, then Jones looks more likely than Walker at the moment. As for your suggestion of Milner on the right (either 442 or 4231), I really don't wanna see this ever again. O.K., he put the cross in against Slovenia, but against Wales his obvious lack of guile and skill left him cruelly exposed in a very poor team performance. If he has to play, it should be as part of the defensive pairing as his attributes, IMO, are commitment, power, pace and tackling. He could develop into a good defensive midfielder who can start off attacks (bit like Toure at ManC), but certainly not going forward with the talent in the squad. I'd rather see Johnson out there than anyone else in this current squad. Most of all, we need to play Rooney in the 'hole' where he's been playing at top form for his club. With Young off the left and Welbeck upfront, the attack already has a natural cohesion that England often lacks, especially when it comes to creativity. My XI: 4-2-3-1 Hart Richards Cahill Terry Cole Parker Milner Johnson Rooney Young Welbeck
