Fabio Capello considers making Steven Gerrard full-time captain

Posted Thursday, September 09, 2010 by theguardian.com

• England manager impressed by Gerrard's leadership
• Italian says he will 'absolutely' step down in 2012

Fabio Capello considers making Steven Gerrard full-time captain
Steven Gerrard is leading by example, according to his England team-mate James Milner.

Fabio Capello is considering appointing Steven Gerrard as the England captain on a full-time basis following the Liverpool midfielder's impressive displays this season as a stand-in for the injured Rio Ferdinand.

The Italian, who has confirmed he will step down as national manager when his contract expires after Euro 2012 to "enjoy being a pensioner", has been impressed by the manner in which Gerrard has confronted the fallout from the summer's disappointment at the World Cup.

The 30-year-old has been outstanding in England's three games to date and has long since dispelled Capello's initial fears, fuelled in the early days of the manager's tenure, that he would be too timid to take on the role permanently.

England lost Ferdinand to an untimely knee ligament injury sustained in a training session on the eve of the summer tournament, with the Manchester United centre-half having captained the team only twice since being appointed as successor to John Terry back in February. The defender is now nearing a return to competitive action at club level, yet the England manager will need to see evidence of match sharpness if Ferdinand is to be included in the squad for next month's qualifier against Montenegro.

Capello has consistently stated that Ferdinand remains his captain with Gerrard as deputy, and last night Ferdinand told The Sun he believes that is still the case. "I think he answered it the last time the squad were together," he said.

Only last month Ferdinand said: "Why do we have to change?" That was after the Liverpool midfielder scored twice in the 2-1 win over Hungary, though the Italian deviated pointedly from that stance in the wake of last night's hugely encouraging 3-1 win in Switzerland. Asked whether Gerrard may have done enough to earn the role permanently, the manager appeared uncomfortable and said: "Is there another question, another question? For me, the performance of the player is important, not the armband. It is not a priority for me. It is more about the players, the performance, the next game. Another question, please."

That represented a subtle, and potentially significant, change in outlook. Gerrard's recent form for England in a central role – "I am playing him like a midfielder and, this season, he has started playing fantastically," said Capello – may yet have implications for Frank Lampard's place in the team too, but it is undeniable that the stand-in captain is leading by example.

The Liverpool player said in the build-up to the Switzerland game that he is only standing in for Ferdinand, yet his candidacy has already gained support from within the game, with a former team-mate at Liverpool, Danny Murphy, suggesting this week that Gerrard would be a logical long-term appointment.

"He is emerging as our real leader," said Murphy, now with Fulham. "Rio has done absolutely nothing wrong but given his unfortunate injury record he will be grateful, initially, just to be back in the squad. For the sake of continuity, I think Capello must stick with Steven as captain."

James Milner, a current team-mate who played in England's defeat of the Swiss, added: "We're lucky to have Steven Gerrard and he's shown his leadership skills. Not everyone has to be a shouter. He leads by example with or without the ball, and he'll have a word and shout when it needs to be done. I'm lucky to have someone like that to look up to and learn from."

Much will still depend upon Ferdinand's rehabilitation, though the necessity to rush him back into the team has been eased by the impressive nature of Phil Jagielka's graduation into the senior side. The Everton centre-half, overlooked for the World Cup, has earned praise from Capello having excelled in the absence of Ferdinand and Terry, who should return for Chelsea at West Ham United on Saturday after missing both England qualifiers with a hamstring complaint. There is arguably less reliance now upon those two, meaning both will have to prove themselves worth a return. "Jagielka is good, Rio is good, [Joleon] Lescott played very well," said Capello. "Also John Terry is another important player. Lescott played before he was injured. Jagielka was the same. It is good for me to know more players and about the confidence of the players. They played very well. I have always said the door is open for all players. I have to decide who will come in. After that I will decide who is in the first XI. These players did very well. They won two games and scored seven goals. Also, they created a lot of chances. This is a nice group but the door is open for all the players. It is important that we created a new group with a winning mentality because I understood immediately when these players trained what they can do. It is a new atmosphere.""

Capello is still awaiting news on the extent of Theo Walcott's ankle injury while there were unconfirmed reports last night that Jermain Defoe may be out for six to eight weeks with ankle ligament damage, which would rule him out of the Montenegro game and around half of Tottenham's Champions League group matches.

The manager's confirmation that he will not be tempted into extending his employment, even if the team were to excel at Euro 2012, falls into line with the Football Association's publicly stated intention to seek a British successor and will allow it a prolonged period in which to decide upon the right candidate. "I will finish in 2012, absolutely, absolutely," Capello said. "Of course we have to qualify first [for the finals]. I will be too old after that. I want to enjoy living my life as a pensioner."