Pick your England team to face France - and select your captain

Fabio Capello has been mulling over his England side to face France in a friendly match in the Stade de France on Wednesday night, with David Beckham widely expected to win his 100th cap either from the start or off the bench.

There is still time to influence the Italian's selection, so why not give him a helping hand and pick your ideal team? Simply choose your players from the options below. For simplicity's sake we have gone for a 4-4-2, so please humour us, but feel free to explain which formation you would actually deploy if given the option by using the comments box at the bottom of this post. Lastly, do not forget to pick your captain - Beckham, the housewives' favourite and the sentimental choice, John Terry, the previous incumbent, Steven Gerrard, or someone totally new? Stop press: Rio Ferdinand was named the England captain on Tuesday afternoon, but we will leave the poll open for you to express your own opinions, and again, feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this page about Capello's choice. For reference, at the time of his appointment, the Manchester United central defender was only placed fourth in our poll with 16.2 per cent of the vote.

Opinion Polls & Market Research

Opinion Polls & Market Research

Opinion Polls & Market Research

Opinion Polls & Market Research

Opinion Polls & Market Research

Comments

[zeus dormer]

What a naff choice of players.
Keeper should be James, we have probably the 20th best keeper in World football but its a start allbeit 1-0 to France.
Right back should be between Brown or G.Johnson.
Left back? Cole, no, capello should put his foot down and tell cole you are a worthless ambasador for football and England, Bridge is a joke, so try a youngster.
Centre Backs, easy Ferdinand and Woodgate, Terry is old school and kicking seven shades of s#*& out of your opponents and explaining yourself to Colonel von stum (the ref) in a daft cockney dialect doesnt work. Going to a half decent well behaved school the ref probably only understands English.
On the left of midfield Joe Cole, on the right Golden knackers, Hargreaves in the holding role (or Barry, saying that Barry could be left back). Attacking midfield right should be pennant, attacking midfield left and forward rooney and captain.
Up front failing to tackle back and mincing around like a halfwit should be Defoe.
Play wide not with aimless wingers but with numbers. The French would never think of this tactic, do as the germans did attack the flanks and avoid the emagino line (sorry about the spelling, those savy in war history or an encyclopedia know what i mean) Viera, who at best is a one legged donkey in a horse kicking contest.

[tommy]

gk:d.james rb:w.brown rcb:r.ferdinand (c) Lcb:j.terry lb:a.cole rm:j.cole rcm:s.gerrard Lcm:f.lampard Lm:g.barry rs:w.rooney Ls:t.walcott

[Eddie]

Walcott playing for England? He should not even be playing for Arsenal. He's a nice kid but he will never be the player Wenger has continually hyped him up to be. How he can get in front of Agbonlahor, Young and even Lennon is a mystery to me.

[Stuart C]

As usual the England team is picked based purely on individual references. I was hoping The Don would be basing his England team around 11 players that will form a team. Gerrard is ok at dragging around an underperforming club side, but he is not adaptable enough to just settle into doing a job for the team. I would base my team on club based partnerships, where possible, and stick with 4-4-2. Terry is not international standard, his game only works in the blood and thunder nature of the English game and does not transmit to the international arena. English football has to develop more technical, all rounded players that can operate in a team if the national team is to improve.

[Andy Murry]

4-2-3-1 ; James in goal, back four of Johnson, Ferdinand, Terry, Bridge; two holding midfielders; Hargreaves and Barry, two wingers; Bentley right, Joe Cole left and the imperious, inspirational and down-right amazing Gerrard behind Rooney. Gerrard has got to be given this role for England - has excelled in it for Liverpool and if people want the same performances from him in an England shirt as you get in a Liverpool shirt then you have to gear the team towards getting the best out of Gerrard's attributes - hence the two holding midfielders and no Lampard

[michael hoad]

half these people have no clue what they are goin on about walcot should be in under 21's no way rio's better than either terry or woodgate both head and shoulders above him its an insult putting him as captain to both gerrard and terry my team would be david james in goal he may have been a calamity in the past but atm there no1 better than him between the sticks we have a problem right back position so i would probably stick brown there even though it hearts me to say it centre backs should be terry woodgate with ashley cole left back to me him and bridge are very equall players beckham to start on the right only to wn his 100 cap but in future should be bentley gerrard and lamps in the centre some say they cant play together but when you have 2 world class players in them u cant leave either out with hargreaves behind them with the man of the moment joe cole on the left with rooney upfront need i say more

[Matt]

Personally I would have liked to have seen Jagielka, Lennon, Ashley Young and Agbonlahor in the squad but as none of them are there I'd go for:

4-3-3

Green

Brown
Ferdinand
Woodgate
A. Cole

Bentley
Barry
Gerrard

Walcott
Rooney
J. Cole

Bring on Beckham for the last 10 mins so that he can get his 100th cap then retire him from international football so we can start looking forward to the next World Cup.

[ricardo from spain]

4-4-1-1 (really in my mind is 4-5-1)
James

Johnson
Ferdinand
Terry
Cole

Beckham
Gerrard
Hargreaves
Lampard(c)

Rooney (alone back 1/2 striker 1/2 midfielder)

Owen or Walcott

Rooney back will have 4 options pass ball left or right (for gerrard-lampard-walcott) up and rooney back can also help midfield in similar way than a classic midifielder. Back first striker in central position is his position in my opinion

[Hariharasudhan]

I would like this team because this will be the happening team.

[Syed]

GK:JAMES
RB:BROWN
CB:TERRY(c)
CB:FERDINAND(vc)
LB:A.COLE
CDM:HARGREAVES
RM:BECKHAM
CM:LAMPARD
LM:J.COLE
CF:OWEN
CF:ROONEY

(4-1-3-2)

Subs: BENTLEY (BECKHAM), CROUCH (OWEN), JOHNSON (BROWN) in 2nd half.

[Derek]

i would try a 3-1-3-1-2 formation:
Goalkeeper: James
3 centre-backs: My three defenders would be Ferdinand, Terry and Woodgate (all three are exceptional defenders, but if they play 4 defenders, then one of them will have to be sacrificed, so keeping 3 in the back and let them all be CB's).
1 defensive midfield: hargreaves
1 Centre midfield: Barry
Right Midfield: J.Cole
Left Midfield: Downing
1 Attacking Midfield: Gerrard
2 Strikers: Rooney and Crouch

[Karthik]

I'd go 4-2-3-1:
James
Brown, Ferdinand(c), Woodgate, A Cole
Hargreaves, Barry
Bentley, Walcott, J Cole (these 3 can keep switching positions)
Rooney

If Carrick was available, I'd swap one of Barry or Hargreaves for him. Beckham could fill that role too, spraying passes all over the place, so that's another option. Rooney could drop to the hole, and Crouch could play instead of Walcott.

Most importantly, however - No Gerrard, no Lampard.

Gerrard's first touch isn't great, his passes hit firmly even when he ought to be cushioning them, and he will go for the Hollywood pass at the most inopportune moments.

Lampard - I'm not sure where I'd put him in a 4-2-3-1... He's not creative or nimble enough to play in the hole, and Hargreaves, Barry and even Beckham (as a deep lying playmaker) are more suited to the deeper roles.

[Lee]

James
Johnson
Ferdinand
Woodgate
Cole
Bentley
Hargreaves
J.Cole
Downing
Walcott
Rooney

With Walcott representing the only gamble - a confidence player if ever there was one, throw him on from the start and see what he's got.

The remaining 10 are currently in the best club form of their careers and should be rewarded.

Give Joe Cole a decent shot at playing in his preferred, and best, position, leaving Hargreaves to do all of his defending. For the record, Joe Cole is not a left winger, let alone the best Left Winger in England.

I'm as anti-Downing as anyone but he has lit up the league in the past 6-8 weeks and deserves a shot.

[david]

go 3 - 5 - 2 and play lennon wide