RUSTENBURG // Fabio Capello, the England manager, has carved out a reputation as a disciplinarian, a tactician and a motivator. You can now added secretive to that list of adjectives. The Italian says he has already decided on his line-up for tonight's Group C opener against the United States but, unlike other coaches so far in the tournament, he has not made his first XI public. Not even his players know who will start.
Capello defiantly defended his policy yesterday. "I've decided the players today, but they will only know two hours before the game. Always the same, nothing new," Capello said. The Italian revealed that Gareth Barry, who has been ruled out of tonight's match, has taken part in three consecutive days of training after an ankle injury which has kept him out of action for almost two months. Asking the Manchester City midfielder to start, Capello added, might be too much: "I'm not sure about [Barry for the] first XI though, I think no."
Capello, who has had to deal with losing Rio Ferdinand, the England captain, to injury, as well as a British photographer taking pictures of his players' hotel rooms during the squad's Rustenburg build-up, was authoritative and commanding addressing the press, resembling a general ready to take his troops to war . "I want to see the spirit of the team, the English spirit, that I saw during qualification," Capello said.
It will not be war, but England can expect a physical battle against a US side that features several players plying their trade in the English Premier League. The US, who are looking to reprise one of their greatest triumphs, and one of the World Cup's biggest upsets when they beat England 1-0 at the 1950 tournament, are keen for the talking to stop and the action to begin. "This is the real deal right in front of us now," Tim Howard, the US goalkeeper who plays his club football in England with Everton, told Fifa.com. "The time for friendlies is over, the preparations are done and it's show-time now."
The last time Bob Bradley's team played a tournament in South Africa, they got all the way to the final of the Confederations Cup, losing 3-2 to Brazil after going 2-0 up. "We learned we could compete with the best teams in the world," said Landon Donovan, the striker, after the tournament. "I think what that tournament showed was that, on our day, we can beat any team in the world." Bradley was a little more forthcoming with his team yesterday.
"Jozey [Altidore] is starting, we can give one name out, but there will be no more," he said. "A win would be a great way for us to start the World Cup, but we understand the balance of the importance of this game in relation to the whole group. We're ready to go." Eight players in Bradley's squad play in England."If we can do on a national level what some of our guys have done in the Premier League, it will only get the ball rolling a bit more," Bradley said.
"There's a lot to fear in this England team," added Howard. "They're potent and aggressive all the time. We'll have our work cut out." Aggressive is one of the adjectives one could use to describe Wayne Rooney, England's premier goal threat. The Manchester United striker was sent off against Portugal at the 2006 World Cup and has displayed his fiery temper in warm-up games. After seeing Rooney cautioned for abusing a referee in a meaningless friendly earlier this week, Capello revealed he had spoken to the striker about his conduct. "Rooney played all the games in qualifying and there were no problems with the referee," Capello said. "I spoke with him and I hope it will be the same Rooney in the World Cup. "He is a fantastic player, he always wants to win. But he has to be careful all the time, this is a World Cup and he must respect the referees." @Email:emegson@thenational.ae
? Ashley Cole v Landon Donovan When these two last met, the on-loan Donovan's mistimed tackle during Everton's 2-1 defeat of Cole's Chelsea put the England left-back's World Cup in jeopardy. After three nervous months out, Cole is fit and will relish the chance to set matters straight. ? Wayne Rooney v Jay DeMerit To the collective dismay of defenders, injuries suffered late in the season have helped keep England's principal attacking weapon fresh. To nullify Rooney, DeMerit, the US centre-half, admitted earlier this week that his team could target the striker's often volatile temperament. Tactical analysis This opening game could well determine Group C's eventual winner, though both sides expect to qualify. England have the bigger stars, but the US are a well-oiled unit and, by adopting a 4-5-1 formation, they will look to stifle midfield and break up England's passing. Player to watch Ledley King: With Rio Ferdinand falling prey to a pre-World Cup knee injury, the ability of King, above, to create an instant understanding with John Terry will be pivotal to England's campaign. Last meeting England beat the US 2-0 in a friendly in 2008, with goals scored by players who will start today - John Terry and Steven Gerrard. The last, and only, World Cup encounter was that famous 1-0 US win in 1950. Did you know? England are one of five teams to go unbeaten at a World Cup finals, yet not win the trophy. In 1982, they won three and drew two but went out at the second group stage. The other teams were Scotland (1974), Brazil (1978), Cameroon (1982) and Belgium (1998). Watch South Korea v Greece (3.30pm), Argentina v Nigeria (6pm) and England v United States (10.30pm) all on Aljazeera Sport +9 and Aljazeera World Cup.
