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Does Cole’s Injury Automatically Mean Bridge Will Play?

Published by Ian John on February 15, 2010

The news last week that Chelsea left back Ashley Cole will be out for three months with a broken ankle, thus raising questions about his chances of being fit for the World Cup in June, has seemingly led to the media anointing Wayne Bridge as his obvious successor in the England team, largely on the back of the mounting paranoia that he and John Terry won’t be able to play in the same team together and will no doubt spend 90 minutes fighting with each other, allowing players from American, Slovenian and Algerian descent to race through and score goal after goal… Yada Yada Yada.

This of course is making several basic assumptions, firstly that Ashley Cole won’t be fit in time. Three months from now is mid May and the finals don’t start off until mid June. That gives Cole a further month to prove his fitness. Unless he suffers a setback of some form, that to me gives him plenty of time to be fit.

But it is the assumption that Bridge will be Capello’s natural choice to replace Cole at left back that bothers me. The fact of the matter is that since joining Manchester City, Bridge has not set the world alight with his performances by any means. Along with Joleon Lescott (who, incidentally, can also play left back) he was named by many Manchester City fans as one of the underachieving defenders that saw City drop so many points in games that they perhaps should have won under Mark Hughes and which eventually led to the Welshman’s dismissal from Eastlands.

Certainly on his day, Bridge is a talented left back and a worthy understudy to Cole but in the past two years two or three other talented options have come through the ranks and I feel to overlook these players is a tad unfair, especially since both have shown markedly better form for their clubs than Bridge has managed in the past year or so.

Firstly there is Aston Villa defender Stephen Warnock. The former Liverpool and Coventry man made a name for himself at Blackburn with some marauding displays down the left allied to a strong defensive ability. He’s been on the fringes of the England squad for a while now and can count himself unlucky that he hasn’t featured. In my mind, he is in better form at the moment than Bridge.

The same can be said most certainly for Everton left back Leighton Baines. Capello should know plenty about the former Wigan man from Stuart Pearce who was his manager when Baines was a talent in the England Under 21 team. Certainly as a direct replacement for Cole, who loves to get forward quickly and assist in attacks, he is in the form of his life and should be given serious consideration.

Then of course there is Joleon Lescott who has played left back for club and country before and who’s versatility, despite a lack of club form, may well be useful in a 23 man squad setting. Let’s not forget either that Gareth Barry has played that role many times in the past too.

At the moment, if I was Fabio Capello, Bridge would be one of three names I’d have ready to replace Cole and to be brutally honest, he’d no longer be top of the list. Not because of his torrid private life, but simply because other left backs are playing better than he is and deserve a chance.

Image Courtesy of ***Galeria_Futbolera*** on Flickr.com

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