Not since Jimi Hendrix played Woodstock, has an
England squad featured so many players from the blue halve of Manchester. The names; Lee, Bell, and Summerbee, adorned England teamsheets 40 years ago, while the players were treasured and celebrated by the thousands who streamed into Maine Road each week. Recent selections by the current England manager has made the ears of Manchester City fans twitch once more, as four of their current crop are included in Mr Capello’s plans, the same number chosen from their rivals from Old Trafford. The tide that governs the England national set-up is changing. Gone are the days when monopolisation by the ‘Big Four’ dominated the thoughts of the England manager. Sven Goran Eriksson, and his successor, Steve ‘Umbrella’ McClaren, were renowned for selecting players based on reputation, an aspect that Capello has been keen to avoid, which has led to younger players emerging into the England set-up.
Capello has opted for the bright lights of White Heart Lane, bestowing responsibility to Peter Crouch and Jermaine Defoe to provide goals in the absence of Michael Owen, who has not received his customary ‘arm around the shoulder’ treatment from the shrewd Italian. Fringe players, such as Ashley Young and James Milner, accompany their team mate, the phoenix-like, Emile Heskey, whose England career has been revolutionised since Capello began steadying the unsettled ship of
English football just 22 months ago.
Intervention by David Gill, the Manchester United Chief Executive, has led to Dave Galley being denied the opportunity to work with the England squad. Gill feared that Galley, the physiotherapist at Liverpool, would witness the injury problems of Manchester United’s England players, and could relay his findings back to his colleagues at Melwood. Such stories further fuel the fires of the clashes between Benitez and Ferguson, while the later has already resumed his on-going conflict with Arsene Wenger this season. Maybe the ‘Big Four’ of
English football should cease fighting between themselves and attend to the threat from the emerging trio that’s evident from the following statistics; City, Spurs and Villa have 10 players in the current
England squad while the ‘Big Four’ have just 9.
It remains to be seen whether City, Villa and Spurs can profit from their player’s inclusion in the current England squad. Villa seemed to have overcome their opening-day blip, while Spurs and City will aim to build on 100% records. In a week when Noel Gallagher has called an end to his Oasis career, he claimed, amongst other things that, ‘he’s got a football team to indulge’. Noel’s clearly anticipating that something exciting is happening at his beloved football club, and wants to be there for the ride. All signs indicate that the current Premiership campaign has the ingredients for a close and competitive race, while for the first time in years; it appears the Big Four’s party has gatecrashers with genuine means for attendance.
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