Buzzin Football

This Saturday sees the second of England’s friendly fixtures in 2009, as Fabio Capello’s men take on Slovakia who are currently ranked 53rd in the world by FIFA, the international governing body of football.

This must be seen as a dress-rehearsal for England, with a World Cup qualifier against Ukraine just around the corner. As Fabio Capello won’t have much time with his players, it is crucial he assesses the national squad’s condition, fitness and form before trying out possible combinations in Saturday’s friendly.

One selection headache for the Italian manager could be deciding who plays between the posts. There is little doubt that Ben Foster, the Manchester United reserve ‘keeper, has the ability to represent England at a major tournament. The only sticking point would be his lack of first team football, constantly ousted by the formidable Edwin Van der Sar.

With David James so inconsistent at international level and Robert Green not rated so highly by Capello, it seems logical that Foster should pick up his second cap and perhaps even retain his place for Wednesday’s qualifier.

I’m confident Fabio Capello will shuffle his pack and try out competing players for various positions, one of which being the central midfield berth. With Gareth Barry, Michael Carrick, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard all fit and hitting top form, it will be intriguing to see which combination the England boss chooses.

I expect Stewart Downing to get the nod on the left wing, especially after his fine performance in the 2-1 victory against Germany at the end of 2008. He has his critics, and I myself have been one of them, but being the only left-footed winger we have, and on past performances, he deserves the chance to show his credentials in this friendly game.

As long as we don’t revert to the days of Sven Göran-Eriksson, when fans would witness two different England teams either side of half-time, the contest should give the players a chance to recreate their best form in an England shirt.