Source: Telegraph
Fabio Capello has a very big decision to make on John Terry's captaincy future
The England manager is respectful of players' private lives, within reason, but with Terry having broken the unspoken code of the dressing room, Capello has been left with the toughest dilemma of his time in charge. [LNB]After initial misgivings, Terry has grown on Capello. Bearing in mind this is a manager who has worked with great captains such as Franco Baresi and Paolo Maldini, Capello has found Terry to be an impressive leader, a loyal and serious presence in the dressing room and an inspiration on the pitch. Can he really court martial his most reliable sergeant major? [LNB] Related ArticlesVote: is Terry fit to lead England?Who would replace Terry?Terry in career and marriage crisis over affair revelationsTerry affair highlights lack of optionsJohn Terry has lost the air of invincibilityIn the public interestPragmatically, Capello must also consider his own future. He committed himself to England through to 2012 this week and knows that success or failure in South Africa will define the next two years in charge. [LNB]Terry's strength of character on the field, not to mention his strong and consistent performances this season, have made him absolutely central to Capello's plans this summer. Terry as captain is, in Capello's view, a unique asset of this England team, one he is loath to lose. [LNB]Set against that Wayne Bridge, the cuckold. He is reserve left-back who has been in poor form for his club. If you were being coldly objective he would be the one to miss out, despite being the innocent party. [LNB]Yet Capello is a man of principle and as such how can he not take the armband from his errant skipper? If he feels one of his players has been wronged, even a fringe player, he will feel the duty to stand by him. This is a fundamental principle of strong leadership in managing a team. If the rest of the players see Capello favouring Terry because he is the better player, their previously ironclad respect would begin to erode. [LNB]That's why he knows that every last ember of this unsightly affair needs to be thoroughly stamped out before the England team move on. He cannot risk it catching light again in the build-up to, or even during, the World Cup. He cannot let even a hint of this spill over into South Africa that's why he is so determined to have it solved by the time England face Egypt on March 3. [LNB]Capello knows his football history and he will be well familiar with the story of the France squad at the 1982 World Cup. Rumours emerged during the tournament that the midfielder Jean-François Larios was having an affair with the wife of Michel Platini. Larios was sent home from the squad and never played for France again. Capello cannot afford those kind of divisions in his squad this summer. [LNB]An England World Cup camp is a claustrophobic place. The players will be secluded out in the Austrian Alps before the tournament and then will be housed in their training complex in Rustenburg throughout the finals. If England progress far, they will be together for six weeks, surrounded by a hungry media and expectant fans. Even the smallest animosities can flourish in that kind of hothouse environment. [LNB]If Capello does take the armband away from Terry, he will still want to retain him in his team. That, as the England cricket team have discovered in the last couple of years, can be a delicate operation. Like Kevin Pietersen, who lost the captaincy in controversial circumstances, Terry will have to learn to take a back seat and concentrate on his own game, to subdue his leadership instincts. The example of William Gallas at Arsenal, who has flourished since being stripped of the captaincy, might be some sort of consolation. [LNB]Certainly, England can't really afford to lose Terry at the moment. With Rio Ferdinand suffering repeated injuries, Ledley King unable to play two games in a week and questions over the ability of Joleon Lescott and Matthew Upson at the very elite level, the loss of Terry, who is enjoying his finest season for three years, would have serious consequences on the pitch. [LNB]The question is, who would have the character to take over the captaincy? Terry's rivals when Capello appointed his first captain were Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard and Gareth Barry. Ferdinand's fitness makes him an unlikely choice while Barry is neither 100 per cent sure of his starting slot nor commanding enough a personality, certainly with England. [LNB]That leaves Gerrard. He has been an inspirational captain of Liverpool, a lead-by-your-exploits kind of leader. However, the Capello camp was worried about his ability to communicate their message, about a quiet off-pitch disposition that borders on the surly.[LNB] He also has fitness and form issues but, in the circumstances, is the favourite to take over. There is no question that he is a man the rest of the dressing room respects. [LNB]The long-term heir to the armband is Wayne Rooney. There is little chance he will be fast-tracked into the role now Capello is already concerned that too much responsibility is being loaded onto his 24-year-old shoulders. [LNB]However, just this week Capello spoke effusively about the Manchester United striker, emphasising his leadership qualities and growing maturity.[LNB] "Rooney has improved a lot during the last two years and this season he has been fantastic," he said.[LNB] "Rooney has been United's leader on the pitch this season he has been a big player for them. It is not easy to improve but he has taken his game to another level. I have watched him this year and he is showing a new maturity." [LNB]That maturity has been hard-earned. Rooney has had to conquer his demons, the inner competitive rage that used to erupt so spectacularly. It is that capacity to learn from mistakes that impresses Capello. [LNB]The contrast with Terry is striking. Despite being an iconic player for Chelsea and an absolutely committed performer for England, he has failed to learn from his errors. [LNB]Terry instinctively takes responsibility on the pitch it's just that his instincts seem to lead him to irresponsibility off it. Unless Bridge is suffused with the Christian spirit of forgiveness, allowing Capello to retain Terry with a final warning, this will be the mistake that irrevocably stains Terry's career the man who threw the England captaincy away. [LNB]
