International friendlies have been coming under increasing scrutiny for several years, but focus has not been upon the relevance of a fixture ahead of Tuesday night’s meeting with Ghana at a sold-out Wembley.<\/p>\n
Instead of concentrating on a match against tough opponents, 2010 World Cup quarter-finalists, which is likely to prove a stern examination after the comfortable 2012 European Championship qualifying win over Wales, England have a number of distractions.<\/p>\n
Most have been self-inflicted by manager Fabio Capello, who is continuing to flail amid a shambles of a captaincy debate, a Jose Mourinho squabble and divulging the details of a private conversation with Andy Carroll regarding the striker’s alcohol intake.<\/p>\n
They are unnecessary sidetracks for England, when the match, which is also a fundraiser for a cash-strapped Football Association, should be an opportunity to experiment on selections, formations and tactics.<\/p>\n
In the turmoil, England will be happy to prioritise 90 minutes of football after what seems a long three days since the well-organised defeat of Gary Speed’s woeful Wales at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
Versatility<\/p>\n
It will be a much-changed side in front of a 90,000 crowd in North West London and a number of fringe players will have the opportunity to prove their ability and versatility, as Capello plans for June’s European Championship qualifier against Switzerland.<\/p>\n
Newly-reinstated skipper John Terry, Ashley Cole, Michael Dawson, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney have all been released ahead of next week’s UEFA Champions League commitments at club level.<\/p>\n
In addition, Kyle Walker has returned to Aston Villa after being ruled out with a groin injury, while Aaron Lennon withdrew as a fitness precaution on Monday night and has been replaced by on-loan Sunderland striker Danny Welbeck.<\/p>\n
Carroll is expected to start, meaning Welbeck looks like back-up to substitute Peter Crouch, with Jermain Defoe and Ashley Young expected to start either side of Liverpool’s \u00a335million striker in the spearhead of a 4-3-3 formation.<\/p>\n
Despite not featuring against Wales, Gareth Barry will captain England after temporarily wearing the armband in the friendly with Denmark, and the Manchester City man could be partnered in central midfield by club-mate James Milner.<\/p>\n
Impact<\/p>\n
It will be an important night for Barry following the emergence of Scott Parker, who has undergone a scan on a calf injury, while the advanced Jack Wilshere, for who Capello has also expressed concerns regarding his personal life, should also start.<\/p>\n
Joe Hart is expected to continue in goal behind a defence of Everton pair Leighton Baines and Phil Jagielka, Bolton centre-back Gary Cahill and Liverpool full-back Glen Johnson.<\/p>\n
Head coach Goran Stevanovic takes charge of Ghana for the third match and will aim to maintain his 100 per cent record, as his team bid to become the first African side to defeat England at Wembley.<\/p>\n
Ranked 16th in the world by Fifa, 10 places below England, Ghana arrived in London following a weekend win over Congo and Stevanovic is concerned about the impact of jet-lag after flying via Kenya.<\/p>\n
But the Serbian has no new injury concerns and will be quietly confident in the first senior-team meeting between England and Ghana.<\/p>\n
Stevanovic is able to call on Premier League players such as Asamoah Gyan, Sulley Muntari, John Pantsil, captain John Mensah and Richard Kingson.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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International friendlies have been coming under increasing scrutiny for several years, but focus has not been upon the relevance of a fixture ahead of Tuesday night’s meeting with Ghana at a sold-out Wembley. Instead of concentrating on a match against tough opponents, 2010 World Cup quarter-finalists, which is likely to prove a stern examination after the comfortable 2012 European Championship qualifying win over Wales, England have a number of distractions. Most have been self-inflicted by manager Fabio Capello, who is continuing to flail amid a shambles of a captaincy debate, a Jose Mourinho squabble and divulging the details of a private conversation with Andy Carroll regarding the striker’s alcohol intake. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-348384","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n
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