Source: Daily_Mail
Terry and Bridge - team-mates driven apart by affair may be thrown together
The footballing soap opera that has already caused severe disruption to England's World Cup preparations has moved from the dressing room to the pitch.[LNB] Fabio Capello is unlikely to have a file marked 'you could not make this up', but he might want to create one now - if only for reference if he finds himself back in London in mid-July wondering where it all went wrong.[LNB] Bridging the gulf: England's deposed captain John Terry (above, left) and his ex-Chelsea colleague Wayne Bridge(above, right) could team up for England despite the controversy with Vanessa Perroncel[LNB] We thought we had seen everything in the extraordinary saga which 'Terrygate' has become. From the fevered and ultimately failed attempts by John Terry to hide the truth of his affair with Wayne Bridge's estranged partner to the revelation - in this newspaper - of how his private Wembley box was being offered on the black market for £4,000.[LNB] Then came the swift and brutal meeting last Friday, when Capello stripped Terry of the England captaincy.[LNB] But it did not end there. Ashley Cole's injury - inflicted, no less, by a player who will almost certainly line up for the USA against England in Rustenberg on June 12 - does not just mean Capello might have to deploy Terry and Bridge side-by-side in the friendly against Egypt next month.[LNB] It means he could be looking to the two men whose friendship has March 3... alongside John Terry.[LNB] been destroyed by Terry's relationship with Vanessa Perroncel to form an effective partnership in the England defence at this summer's World Cup in South Africa. [LNB] Crunch clash: John Terry boards an Emirates plane at Heathrow Airport in Middlesex, bound for Dubai where he is heading for showdown talks with his wife following his alleged affair[LNB]Capello's first concern will be for Cole, who is without question the finest left back in the world. The Italian knows he needs every one of the five or six world-class players he has at his disposal to have any hope of overcoming teams like Spain and Brazil.[LNB] To lose Cole would amount to a serious setback and he can only hope the Chelsea full back's recovery is quicker than expected. In Cole's favour is the fact that, as anyone in the know at Stamford Bridge will tell you, he is as dedicated in injury as he is when fit.[LNB] Nobody at Chelsea works harder to get back on the pitch than him. But if the defender fails to satisfy Capello that he can play some part in South Africa, then the Italian has to deal with the very real prospect of picking Terry and Bridge in his first XI.[LNB] He will expect both players to act with total professionalism, having demonstrated to Bridge that he has taken a stance on Terry's behaviour by removing the armband from that bulging bicep.[LNB] But for Capello the matter will be closed the moment he finishes addressing the players on the issue when they meet up at the end of this month.He will confirm to them that Rio Ferdinand is the new skipper and simply ask them to focus on matters on the pitch rather than the controversy that has raged off it. Capello does have experience of such situtations.[LNB] On at least two occasions during his time as a club manager he has seen team-mates fall out over a partner.[LNB] From bad to worse: John Terry leaves the pitch after Wednesday's defeat at Everton[LNB] But he will take the view that team-mates do not need to be best buddies to produce what is best for the team.[LNB] Andy Cole and Teddy Sheringham refused to speak to one another after a major disagreement but they still managed to form an effective strike partnership for Manchester United.[LNB] Right now, we cannot be certain that Bridge will answer Capello's call when he names in his squad for the friendly with Egypt.[LNB] He is still said to be undecided, unsure, understandably, as to whether he can sit in the same dressing room as Terry. He has, however, been warned that a request to give Egypt a miss would seriously jeopardise his chances of participating in the World Cup.[LNB] He will not be given the time he might feel he needs to let the wounds heal. Capello wants him to make a decision now, however uncomfortable he might feel.[LNB] Even if Bridge can put such emotions to one side and deal with playing, training, eating and all but sleeping with his bete noire for the best part of two months, he still amounts to a drop in standards for England.[LNB] Bridge has proved himself a fine player for club and country, but he is not in Cole's league. That said, he probably remains a better option than Leighton Baines and Stephen Warnock and for that reason should get the nod in Cole's absence.[LNB] Last night, Capello was being honoured at Wembley by the League Managers' Association and Cole's fate, with its very obvious implications, dominated the conversations at every table.[LNB] For Capello it provided yet more insight into what he can expect when he calls his squad together. The focus will be on the first open training session.[LNB] Will Terry and Bridge pass to one another? Will they line up in the same team? Or will Capello dare deploy them in opposition?[LNB] It is a mouthwatering prospect and exactly the kind of attention Capello will not appreciate. Last night England's manager was joined at the dinner by Carlo Ancelotti. No prizes for guessing what he asked the Chelsea manager.[LNB] John Terry would have been applauded in other countries for his affair! FIFA chief Sepp Blatter's latest gaffe is over axed England skipperPICTURE SPECIAL: Troubled Terry jets off to Dubai for marriage showdownChelsea still doing it my way, says former Blues boss Jose Mourinho[LNB] [LNB]
