Will injuries to King and Woodgate deprive Capello of a great selection headache?

From his office at the Spurs Lodge in Chigwell, Harry receives a call late in the evening from an anxious sounding chap with a thick Italian accent… ‘Who’? Harry asks. ‘No I’m sorry Fabio, there’s no ‘Woodgate’ or ‘King’ here. I think I’d know if I had a pair of ‘world class’ centre halves running around!’ Fabio slams down the receiver. He picks up the England squad dossier and sighs heavily, staring at the section labelled ‘Centre Halves’. ‘I must be going mad’ he barks, as he draws two thick red lines through the names Jonathan Woodgate and Ledley King…

With the opening match of England’s World Cup campaign on the 12th June edging closer, it is perhaps not only Tottenham fans that may rue injuries to Jonathan Woodgate and Ledley King this season. Although England appears to be in good health defensively (England conceded just 6 goals in their 10 World Cup Qualifiers), King and Woodgate are amongst the finest centre halves of their generation, and are arguably every bit as talented as Terry and Ferdinand when fit. Unfortunately, throughout their respective careers, neither player has been able to remain injury free long enough to nail down a position in the national side and fulfil their potential. However, in the wake of injuries to England defenders Rio Ferdinand, Joleon Lescott and Phil Jagielka, dare Capello close the door on both Tottenham centre halves just yet?

King’s chronic knee injury means that his participation in training at club and international level is severely limited, which has immediately ruled him out of most England squads, as national coaches will not pick players that cannot train, à la Capello. As Redknapp has highlighted, although King is capable of doing most of his fitness work in a swimming pool and gym, as a result, the player is more susceptible to pulling muscles during a match. In spite of these problems, King has started 12 of Tottenham’s 23 Premier League matches this season, whilst also making a total of 29 league and cup appearances for Tottenham during their 08/09 campaign, suggesting the problem is becoming more manageable. Redknapp was furious with Capello when the player was selected for internationals last April, but Redknapp does not believe King has no international future, Telling December's Evening Standard

“It's just my opinion, but even if he could only play two games, he could still prove to be vital for England. What a player to have to step in if someone is out injured”.

The argument against taking King remains compelling. If he were to land awkwardly in training, as he did in a friendly match for Tottenham in December, his knee condition means even an innocuous incident such this could rule him out of the tournament, leaving Capello with just three fit centre halves. King may also have finally lost a yard of pace, but he is nevertheless still a commanding leader for Tottenham on the pitch. Over the last two seasons, in the 36 games King has played in, Tottenham have conceded exactly one goal per game. This includes the period where Tottenham went 8 matches without a win at the beginning of the 08/09 campaign, and spent much of the season in the lower half of the league. In the 12 appearances King has made this season, Tottenham have conceded under one goal per game. King has been a constant thorn in the side of the best strikers also. In recent matches against Chelsea for example, King shut Drogba and Anelka out at White Hart Lane in March 2009, and also nullified the pair at Wembley in the 07/08 League Cup Final. Thierry Henry claimed King was the only defender that could tackle him without drawing fouls, with King practically marking Henry out of the game in England’s opening game with France during the European Championship Finals in 2004. King is a big game player, and come June, Capello must decide whether that player is worth taking one almighty risk on.

Jonathan Woodgate’s injury may yet save Capello from another selection headache. Despite averaging just over 30 appearances in each of the last 3 seasons, the hope that Woodgate had at last overcome back and groin injuries that had blighted the better part of his career have failed to come to fruition. In the past however, the player has had £36 million spent on him, £13 of which paid by Real Madrid. He and Rio Ferdinand led Leeds United to the semi-final of the Champions League in 2001, and there are few English centre hales outside of Terry, Ferdinand and the retired Jamie Carragher, that have his experience. If any where near fit, Woodgate must be an option worth exploring for Capello. Since Woodgate’s return from Real Madrid in the 06/07 season, the player has played 95 Premier League matches for Middlesbrough and Tottenham, conceding 1.2 goals per game. That statistic is all the more impressive when considering the position of both clubs during the period. Although Lescott and Jagielka may have performed admirably for Everton in the past, David Moyes’s teams are renowned for their defensive steel. That is hardly something usually associated with Tottenham for example. Further, Woodgate led Tottenham to an 8th place finish in the Premier League in the 08/09 campaign, and he scored the winning goal against Chelsea in the League Cup final the season before. If Woodgate does recover from his ongoing groin complaint (the player is currently in the USA seeing a specialist) he is an option that Capello may seriously consider.

The understudies to Terry and Ferdinand are worth scrutinising also. Upson has looked unconvincing in an England shirt, with a World Cup qualifier away to Kazakhstan last June particularly sticking in the memory. For West Ham the player’s form has arguably dipped with that of the club, with Upson giving away important penalties against Fulham, Hull and Chelsea this season. Manchester City’s Joleon Lescott is currently recovering from knee surgery, and may not return until now until late February. Rio Ferdinand has suffered from a back complaint for some time now, restricting him to just 6 Premier League appearances this season, and 24 (the same number as Ledley King) in the 2008/09 campaign. If Ferdinand is not at his best, or cannot play in every match at the World Cup, Capello must question who is best equipped to play in such pressured situations. Upson and Lescott have covered for England adequately in the World Cup qualifiers against minnows such as Belarus, Kazakhstan and Andorra, but when up against the best, will the players be up to it?

Thus, we must imagine the following scenario. It is the World Cup Final. Rio Ferdinand has picked up a suspension, and is out of the contest. Fernando Torres passes to David Villa, who picks up the ball and starts running at the England defence, who are holding onto a slim 1-0 lead. Who would you want there to stop him? Phil Jagielka? Matthew Upson? Joleon Lescott? Or one of the two best centre backs England never had, available for one last swansong…