Capello’s Choice: Beckham out, Johnson in?

The painful snapping of David Beckham’s Achilles tendon has apparently been heard around the world. Already, innumerable obituaries have been offered for Becks’ World Cup dream; some were keen to even write-off the 34-year-old’s career before a complete diagnosis was even made. What is for sure, however, is that England’s commander-in-chief, Fabio Capello, who quickly offered a message of sympathy to one of his most-valued squad members, will have already have ‘moved on’ in the re-composition of his selection for South Africa.

Beckham was, of course, due to fill a back-up slot; covering the right-wing and central midfield positions; offering technical assurance and set-piece wizardry as and when necessary. He was the ‘Plan B’ for England’s right flank, which, for all their innate talents, has yet to have been rightfully claimed as his own by any of its most recent occupants. Theo Walcott, Aaron Lennon, even Shaun Wright-Phillips, have all dazzled intermittently, while James Milner’s assiduous reliability and impressive versatility has pushed the Aston Villa midfielder to the forefront of late.

Given that Lennon’s recurrent injury woes appear likely to rule the Tottenham man out of the running, it looks as though Walcott, for all his faults, remains the favourite for the right-wing berth. Beckham’s enforced withdrawal, however, frees up space for another wide-man.

So, what if there was an orthodox winger available to Capello; someone with undoubted potential, the ability to drift past his marker, to easily beat a full-back with a trick, then cross onto a fivepence (even tougher than a sixpence, you’ll agree). What if such a player was so highly-regarded that both Chelsea and Real Madrid were apparently interested in securing his signature before he moved from his boyhood club in a deal worth an ample £7 million – during a depressed mid-season transfer market and in spite of having only a few months remaining on his contract. And, as if to confirm his potential for divinity, this young man is predominantly left-footed. Now, surely the astute Italian wouldn’t fail to select such a player?

Well he’s certainly considering it. Adam Johnson’s call-up to the preliminary squad for the Egypt game confirmed that Signor Capello has the Sunderland-born starlet in his thoughts.

Already it is apparent that Johnson has the raw talent to follow in the footsteps of the best British wingers of recent years. The ‘new Giggs’ labels were as premature as they were predictable, especially given his move to Manchester, but it is no surprise to discover that the Welsh wizard, whose videos Johnson studied at length while in the Middlesbrough youth ranks, was the “hero” of Johnson’s footballing youth.

Comparisons to Chris Waddle also hold a grain of authenticity – what with their North East backgrounds, willingness to attack full-backs at speed, and penchant for pinpoint left-footed crosses. The forthright former Marseille star cited Johnson’s rapid progress in the footnotes of his scathing (though fairly accurate) portrayal of Walcott earlier this month. The young Arsenal forward was, of course, himself a World Cup wildcard four years ago. Perhaps Johnson, his senior by two years, can fill that ‘role’ this time around.

His manager at Eastlands has shown great belief in Johnson’s ability – offering him an unexpected full debut against Bolton, where the winger earned the Man of the Match award, and again turning to the 22-year-old as Sunday’s game at the Stadium of Light threatened to slip away from City’s cast of stars. In front of his family, all Sunderland fans, Johnson, with stunning virtuosity, jinked to the edge of the penalty area before unleashing an unstoppable curling shot into the extreme top-left corner of the previously unbeatable Craig Gordon’s net. Salvaging a valuable point in the chase for Champions League football, Johnson enjoyed the plaudits of Roberto Mancini, who, it has frequently been reported, has had at least one in-depth discussion with Fabio Capello about his new protégé.

The praise was not unfettered by a certain degree of realism, however.

“Adam is a good player, but is a young player,” said Mancini.

He continued: “I think that in the future, he will be a good player for the national team, but now I don't know. The England national team has a good manager and he knows very well Adam Johnson and he will decide.”

The man himself acknowledges the size of his task in jumping from the Championship to the World Cup in six months. Lest this be held against the youngster, it should be noted that both Jonás Gutiérrez and Fabricio Coloccini are likely to feature for Argentina, having played second-tier football all season long. Robert Koren, in and out of favour at West Brom, will captain Slovenia at the finals.

Just last week Johnson, who has won 19 caps for the under-21s, presciently said: “Who knows? If there are a couple of injuries and I have some great form between now and the end of the season, you never know. I’ve come a long way in a short space of time.

“Somebody always comes in late, and if you know the England manager is watching, you can’t help but try a bit harder. It’s up to me to do well for City and, if we get fourth spot with me playing a big part in it, then you never know.”

Certainly, his early showings back in the Premier League have overshadowed the more prosaic form of the man he understudied at Middlesbrough, Stewart Downing, whose crossing ability is undoubted, but lacks the capacity for the unexpected that Johnson has to offer. Meanwhile, the immensely-talented Joe Cole’s return from injury has been so far underwhelming (perhaps untimely contract discussions have played their part) and Steven Gerrard has been, and always will be, an unwilling ‘narrow’ left-winger. In the negative margin, though, Capello must consider whether he can afford to include another inexperienced left-sided player, with either Stephen Warnock or Leighton Baines set to deputise for Ashley Cole and Wayne Bridge.

Following that dazzling full Premier League debut against Bolton, Johnson received a standing ovation from the City faithful upon his late withdrawal, having outshone Carlos Tévez and Emmanuel Adebayor – his partners in a three-man attack (in which he figured on the right). Should the confident young product of the fruitful Boro academy continue to have such an impact on the absorbing ‘race for fourth place’, then a fairytale trip to South Africa is certainly not beyond his compass.

Milan goal-rush greets wing wizard Beckham

What a difference seven weeks makes. Particularly in the life of a 34-year-old global megastar and footballing itinerant.

In late November, David Beckham was a deep-lying central midfielder in despair; a limping, losing finalist in the footballing backwater of Major League Soccer, as his LA Galaxy side slumped to defeat in the U.S. season finale. Come early January, Becks is effectively an inside-right in peak physical condition; a crucial piece in the jigsaw which sees his Milan team, along with Villarreal, Rangers, and, er, Birmingham City as one of the form teams in Europe.

The Rossoneri are a team transformed; their early-season struggles, when rookie coach Leonardo came under-fire for the consistently lacklustre performances of his side, are long forgotten. Beckham’s return to the Milanello fold has hogged headlines and added a flourish to Milan’s attacking play, but the revival had its genesis before the winter break; their mid-December defeat to Palermo being their only reverse in 15 games since the supposedly apocalyptic San Siro loss to Champions League minnows FC Zürich.

In the opening week of the season’s second half, Milan have put to the sword both early Serie A pacesetters Genoa and nominal title rivals Juventus – netting eight goals in the process. Such a promising beginning to 2010 throws into sharp relief the incoherent start to their campaign, characterised by a long barren run in front of goal (Leonardo’s rein opened with just four goals in his first seven league games). And Beckham’s involvement has been integral.

The prodigal Inglese has returned from the U.S. to fill an advanced right-wing position, with Ronaldinho ostensibly on the opposite flank; in-form striker Marco Borriello provides the meat in the superstar sandwich. Few could have predicted the deployment of Beckham in this role; fewer still would have predicted its instant success.

Yet it makes a certain amount of sense, as Milan’s midfield trio (usually Pirlo, Gattuso and Ambrosini) can get through the leg work (Pirlo excepted), allowing their illustrious ‘luxury’ colleagues the freedom to create from out wide. Milan’s highly-respected medical team purport that Becks can play on until he is 40, and given his unerring natural talent for crossing a ball, at this rate it’s likely he could continue to fire in dangerous crosses ‘til well into his fifties.

Ronaldinho will never track-back in the manner that Beckham so willingly does and the extravagant Brazilian’s propensity to float away from his position lays much responsibility on young Luca Antonini to protect the left-flank almost single-handedly. That’s no real revelation though, what has surprised many is the re-application of Ronnie to a game that he appeared patently uninterested in just a few short months ago.

There are two major reasons for this rapid turnaround in Gaúcho’s game. Firstly, the continued, unrelenting support of his compatriot Leonardo amid a storm of (well justified) criticism has helped to solidify the pair’s tight relationship. To perform at his best, Ronaldinho needs to feel a sense of love and community which Leo has apparently already fostered at Milanello, if the joyous, unified goal celebrations at Turin’s Stadio Olimpico are anything to go by.

The second motivation behind Ronaldinho’s steady improvement is plain – the incentive of a looming World Cup finals, in which his participation is anything but a certainty. Given Dunga’s predominantly counter-attacking game plan, spaces in the 23-man squad for opulent, creative types is at a premium. It could be a straight fight between Ronnie and his defeated opponent in Turin, Diego. The diminutive playmaker’s form has slumped dramatically along with that of Juve’s. It was the re-born Ronaldinho that emerged from the shroud of fog that enveloped the Olimpico on Sunday evening as the clear favourite for the plane to South Africa this summer.

All in all, Leonardo’s new-look side has a wonderfully balanced look to it and – given the size of his task in succeeding Carlo Ancelotti and replacing a golden generation – the young Brazilian is well ahead of schedule in his planned Milanese renaissance.

Not only is Antonini deputising flawlessly for the injured Gianluca Zambrotta, Ignazio Abate has added further much-needed youthful pep to the defence at right-back. The marauding Thiago Silva has recovered from some early defensive slip-ups to become an unyielding partner for Alessandro Nesta at centre-half.

Borriello’s re-emergence as a regular goal-scorer (a trick he has managed during a couple of successful loan spells, but rarely at San Siro) is another major bonus for the Rossoneri. Considering that Pippo Inzaghi must one day soon bother his final linesman, Alexandre Pato is injured, and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar has still to come fully to terms with the demands of Serie A, the Neapolitan’s pin-sharp form has come as a major boost. The cap on his recent comeback was a magnificent bicycle kick; the fourth of Milan’s five goals against Genoa.

That game was overseen by former Milan boss Fabio Capello, and the England manager will have been satisfied by the form of one his most favoured players. And Beckham’s impressive adaptability will provide food for thought as the Italian considers his Plans B and C for the summer. Milan’s no.23, who recently announced a £4m profit for his personal image rights company (Beckham Brand Ltd...you really couldn’t make it up), will play an essential role as they look forward to a critical second Derby della Madonnina of the season in a fortnight.

Not only do they require retribution for their humiliating 0-4 loss to Inter in late August, a win over their bitterest rivals could pull them back into something resembling a genuine title race with Jose Mourinho’s men.

Further ahead lies a mouth-watering continental tie with faltering Manchester United. If the English champions are to turn over Leonardo’s newly-confident charges, they must first keep at bay the returning family man and the playboy that got away. The partnership of Becks and Ronnie, who shared jubilant smiles and hugs as the two brilliantly combined for Milan’s third goal at Juve, promises so much between now and May.