DAVID BECKHAM WILL WIN HIS 100TH CAP - CAPELLO
Thursday, March 06, 2008
David Beckham was as good as guaranteed his century of international caps by Fabio Capello yesterday. The England manager revealed that he intends to check on Beckham’s form and fitness in Dallas next week, perhaps personally, and the former captain could be in contention for the friendly against France on March 26. If that is too soon, Capello said that Beckham can feel confident about winning his 100th cap perhaps in early summer, when the FA has lined up matches against the United States and Trinidad & Tobago.
It is the most positive Capello has been on Beckham’s return to the England fold since taking the job in December. He left him out of the squad for the friendly against Switzerland last month because Major League Soccer (MLS) was in its close season and he was not playing regularly. The MLS will not have started officially when England play in Paris, either, but Capello is prepared to give Beckham a chance to show his readiness in pre-season matches.
Capello talked openly about Beckham and other issues during an England fans’ forum in London yesterday, replying mostly in English. Asked if Beckham could feel confident of winning his 100th cap, Capello replied: “Yes. Los Angeles Galaxy play in Dallas on March 14 and Franco Baldini [Capello's assistant] or I will go to see him and assess his fitness. He is in contention for France. We will check on him in Dallas and then we will decide whether he will be fit for that squad. He will get his 100th cap if he is fit and in form.
“I know Beckham very well from Real Madrid and I hope David will play the 100th game and get that cap. I understand from reading his last interview that at this moment his fitness isn’t good and I will phone him because I want to know exactly what he thinks about his fitness.”
Even as Capello was speaking, Beckham’s situation was changing, however. He limped out of the Galaxy’s win over a Shanghai-Hong Kong XI in an exhibition game in China. Beckham suffered a “dead leg” in the 70th minute of a 3-0 win — he set up the first goal — although he hoped that it would cause problems for only a couple of days. “I got a kick in my leg in the first half and I felt it start stiffening up during the second half,” he said.
Worryingly for Capello, though, Beckham has been fighting injuries since he arrived in the United States in July, playing only 310 minutes because of a lingering ankle problem and a sprained right knee. He played 90 minutes against FC Seoul last weekend, but Galaxy’s tour finishes with a match in Hong Kong on Saturday, when Beckham’s contribution can no longer be guaranteed.
Yet while the prospect of Beckham’s 100th cap will continue to dominate the headlines, there is as much chance of recent graduates from the under-21 squad getting a chance against France. Gabriel Agbonlahor, the Aston Villa striker, is likely to feature after missing the match against Switzerland through injury, while Joe Hart, the Manchester City goalkeeper, could also earn promotion and James Milner, the Newcastle United winger, is in contention.
“We have young players in the under-21s and it is two years before the World Cup, so there is optimism,” Capello said. “There will be tough games and after losing to Croatia at Wembley [in the decisive qualifying match for Euro 2008 in November] we have to recover the confidence. But I am sure we will qualify for the World Cup. After that, I will think about whether we will win it or not.”
