Calamitous Rio Ferdinand holds on to his England spot despite Ukraine gaffe

13 October 2009 17:07
Fabio Capello will experiment against Belarus in the final World Cup qualifier, but Rio Ferdinand will start after holding talks with the England boss over his mistake in Ukraine.   Ferdinand's error four days ago in Dnipropetrovsk meant one enforced change with Robert Green suspended after being sent off trying to mop up the problem, while Wayne Rooney picking up a calf injury and Steven Gerrard's groin complaint accounts for two others.   Capello has stressed the need for 'plan A, B and C' with or without talisman Rooney, but Ferdinand is a certain starter at Wembley when England wrap up their Group Six campaign. 'Rio will play against Belarus,' Capello said. 'I have big confidence in Rio. He will play and I'm sure he will get better with every game.   'I spoke with Rio, on Monday and this morning, and I will speak also with some other players. We will see the DVD of the game to understand what happened and I will see the mistakes.'   Capello's message is that England's work is not done, despite eight wins from nine qualifiers. Gareth Barry was left out against Ukraine, illustrating how no place can be taken for granted. 'There's no guarantee of the place and we won't always play the samestyle,' Capello said. 'We need to play other styles - style A, B, C. Itdepends on the opposition and the style of the game we need to play. 'I will do some experiments against Belarus. It's possible to see a different style on the pitch and that will be very interesting for me. For me, it is a lot of experiments.' Rooney has been England's top goalscorer on the path to South Africa but Capello is keen to see how his team play without the Manchester United forward.   'Rooney is a very important player for us and Manchester United,' he said. 'For this reason we will play a different style against Belarus, with some different players. It will be a very interesting game for me. From this experience I will know some players better. I have big confidence in all the players. 'Rooney is important because the style of Rooney is the style I like in my team. He is an important player but we have others. We can win with Rooney and without Rooney.' The onus on Rooney has increased partly due to Emile Heskey providing bulk rather than goals, with the Aston Villa striker in the headlines recently as he is not playing regularly for his club and may need to move to stay first-choice for his country. Capello, outlining his criteria for World Cup players, said: 'First they have to be fit. We will have all the players without problems. They have to play a part in the final part of the league.'   Heskey's chances at Villa Park have been limited due to the form of Gabriel Agbonlahor, who could feature against Belarus.   'If he is fit,' Capello said. 'He had a little problem with his back but he will be okay and it is possible that he will be in the starting XI.'

Source: Daily_Mail