Source: Daily_Mail
Gary Neville: Is it time for Fabio Capello to go with the next generation?
Recently I saw something I couldn't have imagined happening in my day. At the end of Manchester United's 6-1 derby defeat against Manchester City, Micah Richards and Danny Welbeck were talking and laughing with each other. [LNB]To be honest, part of me found that strange. It's not what we would have done. The United players I grew up with were too dyed in the wool to have that kind of relationship with a player from a team that was a close rival. But part of me thought that it was a very promising sign for England. [LNB]I saw it again with Welbeck and Jordan Henderson chatting after the Liverpool-United game. The young England players coming through don't just exchange a handshake at the end of the game. They have a bit of banter, they probably text and tweet each other during the week and go out for a meal after games. [LNB] The next generation: Jack Wilshere (left) and Ashley Young[LNB]When I played for England, at times there were cliques and divisions between the clubs. As Arsenal, Liverpool or United players, we might meet up for the squad but we wouldn't then contact each other for months in between. With this generation it's different. They seem to have developed a real togetherness in the Under-21s. They actually seem to like being with each other. [LNB]This has implications for Saturday's England friendly against Spain and the squad selection for Euro 2012. Fabio Capello goes into next summer's tournament knowing it's his last four weeks of work with England. He's a professional but he's not going to be thinking about the next four years of English football. His priority will be those four weeks. But there is a different type of young player coming through for England now and I think they need to be encouraged. [LNB]The players from my era grew up watching average football compared with this generation, who grew up on Cristiano Ronaldo, Dennis Bergkamp, Gianfranco Zola, Eric Cantona, Thierry Henry, Fernando Torres: a different kind of football, a better quality of football. And you see the fruits of that in some of these younger players. [LNB] No time like the present: Danny Welbeck has shot to prominence this season[LNB] The future?: My England team for Euro 2012[LNB]I'm talking about players such as Welbeck, Jack Wilshere, Tom Cleverley, Josh McEachran, Daniel Sturridge, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, James Milner and Kyle Walker. These are players who can move the ball well and play in the pockets of space in between the traditional lines of midfield and attack rather than just playing in straight lines and rigid formations. Just as importantly, they aren't scarred by the failures of England's past; they have energy and enthusiasm. [LNB]Don't get me wrong, you're going to need some experienced figures like Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard around. But it's a waste of time continuing with some players who have proven they aren't good at this level and others who have been good enough but probably aren't now. [LNB]I think the bulk of the squad this summer should be made up of players who can compete well at Brazil in the 2014 World Cup and maybe even win in France in Euro 2016. And someone at the FA should be communicating that to Fabio Capello. [LNB] Time to shake it up: Fabio Capello could leave a legacy for years to come[LNB] More from Gary Neville... Gary Neville: Now I know why shouting at referees is a waste of time29/10/11 Gary Neville: Manchester City are title contenders but can they win at Old Trafford?22/10/11 Gary Neville: Manchester United's game plan shows Liverpool are still the toughest test15/10/11 Gary Neville: We have to stop focusing on Rooney and deal with England's REAL problems08/10/11 Gary Neville: Buying a team of superstars could spell trouble on the way to the top01/10/11 Gary Neville: Don't knock the Carling Cup, it can lead to great success24/09/11 Gary Neville: Chelsea may regret it if they go for safety first at Manchester United17/09/11 Gary Neville: Lampard's been dropped but it happens all the time... get used to it 03/09/11 VIEW FULL ARCHIVELet's be frank: are England going to win Euro 2012? Don't get me wrong: it's not impossible, if everything went to plan and Rooney played well in the final games. But are they likely to win it? Would the young team I've selected do any worse than the one with older players in it? I doubt it. And there would be the bonus that they would have gained tournament experience and spent a month developing their relationships and team spirit. [LNB]This is a real opportunity to build on something that has been developed at Under-21 level. Here is a group of young players who seem to like being with each other on international duty, even though they're fighting each other at different clubs. England have to harness that. You cannot win a tournament without spirit. We always went into tournaments saying we had a good spirit and I genuinely believed it. But when you look back, was the team united enough to win a tournament? No. [LNB]Look at Spain's players. They love playing together. Gabriel Heinze would warm up for United games with an Argentina shirt on. Fabien Barthez and Laurent Blanc would be chasing each other out of the dressing room to get on the plane to play for France. I'm not sure we ever felt the same. [LNB]I loved playing for England and it was a great honour, but did we have that extra edge as a team? They talk about Club England but it has never really existed. The closest I ever came to it was in Euro 96, playing with Stuart Pearce, Tony Adams, Alan Shearer, Paul Ince, Paul Gascoigne and David Platt, who would be kicking the walls and shouting 'This is our turf' before the games. [LNB]Maybe the rise of the Champions League and club football has made England less important to players in the 15 years since then, although it doesn't seem to have damaged Spain, Germany or Italy in that time. [LNB] Case for the defence: Phil Jones has excelled at Man United this season[LNB]Maybe now England could build a side to match those nations' spirit, give these players their head, trust them and say: 'You're the ones who will dominate for the next eight years.' Because I look at that potential team for Euro 2012 and I think: 'You know something. They might actually have half a chance'. [LNB]They will certainly make an impression on the tournament, get England fans excited again and that would be a huge step forward. And it could even be the making of a team that could one day win a tournament. [LNB]25 years of a true innovatorThis past week has been a great opportunity to salute a man who has been like a second father to me. On Thursday night there was a fantastic gala dinner for my old manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, to celebrate his 25 years at Manchester United. [LNB]Since I first met him, when he used to come and watch our schoolboy games, whenever you were in his presence, you knew this was a man of stature. [LNB] Innovator: Sir Alex walks out at Old Trafford on Saturday[LNB]He has regenerated teams every three to five years, has never been afraid to take big decisions to nip problems in the bud and even in this modern era, with bigger squads and player power, he remains in absolute control. [LNB]He can also diffuse any potentially difficult situation. I remember the day I retired. I went in to his office to say I was finished. He replied: 'Typical Neville. Over-emotional. Go to Dubai. I'll see you in two weeks.' [LNB]People forget how many innovations he started. Squad rotation, having four strikers, playing different teams in the League and the FA Cup - he did all that in the early 1990s and was slaughtered for it, before everyone followed his example. [LNB] United we stand! Sir Alex Ferguson has Old Trafford's north stand named in his honourOutcry as England stars are banned from having a poppy on their kitThe FA appeal to UEFA over length of Rooney's Euro 2012 banStick them in jail! Warnock insists Chelsea fans should be locked up for Anton abuse[LNB]
