Graeme Le Saux: Leighton Baines can bridge the divide for Fabio Capellos England

By Graeme Le Saux Published: 4:23PM GMT twenty-seven February 2010

Top form: Leighton Baines, seen here celebrating an Everton idea with team-mate Tim Cahill, is the majority appropriate gamble for England Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Bridge, the victim, and not John Terry, the purported sinner, had taken shortcoming for a incident not of his own creation and for that he was not at fault.

Fabio Capello, the England manager, will have well known such an finale was roughly inevitable. One of the dual players was regularly going to have to find the bravery to have a decision, such was the trail the Italian had chosen.

Capello: man in the center Sun City an unwelcome captivate Capello refuses to bonus Bridge wholly Chelsea 2 Manchester City 4 Bellamy takes appropriate at Terry Bridge snubs Terry

Capello"s approach, his process of not receiving a approach role, was the usually essential one in his position. He is, doubtless, directing Franco Baldini, the ubiquitous manager, as he talks to both players, but he stays in the background. Only when the liaison impinges on football matters, such as the issue of the England captaincy, has Capello turn involved.

The Italian has not compromised his firmness by apropos inextricable in the nitty-gritty of the matter, avoiding the need to have open pronouncements on the issue. He has recorded his neutrality.

That, though, placed the importance on Bridge or Terry to confirm how the story would conclude, and Bridge should be applauded for the approach he has rubbed the matter. His preference is a dauntless one, in any case of claims he should have put his nation forward of his emotions. It takes courage to confess that he cannot face the awaiting of pity a sauce room with Terry. It takes haughtiness to travel away. His preference is a really human one.

When headlines of his purported misdemeanours initial broke, I fervently hoped Terry would be on the phone to Bridge, charity a frank apology. That was the usually goal of a little form of reconciliation. We cannot be certain, but that it is Bridge who has taken wilful movement suggests it is he, not Terry, who has taken responsibility.

After the incident in in in between me and David Batty during a Champions League tie in Moscow whilst I was at Blackburn, I motionless to apologize for what had happened, even though I did not hold I was usually to blame.

The incident was vastly different, of course, in that there was no third celebration concerned and it was not a personal matter, but the element is the same. Adults contingency take shortcoming for their actions. After I apologised to David, there was no complaint in in in between us, as there was no apportioning of censure and we could go on to work together.

That it is Bridge who has acted will have the incident worse for the Chelsea captain in the prolonged run, as the liaison simmers in the credentials until the summer. Combined with Ashley Cole"s injury, whoever fills in for Bridge at left-back will be underneath surprising scrutiny.

Should Cole"s substitute have a mistake, the incident will resurface. I additionally be concerned that Bridge, the plant in all of this, competence get a little of the blame.

Some might contend he lacks fortitude for a preference he was forced to make, a preference that raises dual similarly erotically appealing issues.

Most dire for Capello is who should reinstate Bridge as Cole"s emissary for South Africa. Chelsea still design Cole to lapse prior to the finish of the season, but England contingency work on the arrogance that he might not be match-fit when the contest starts.

In his absence, Capello faces a preference in in in between 3 dilettante full-backs Stephen Warnock, Leighton Baines and Kieran Gibbs and 3 versatile patrol players, in Gareth Barry, James Milner and Joleon Lescott.

Though Florent Malouda valid for Chelsea in Milan last week that a midfielder can fill in at full-back if he possesses the right characteristics, such a ploy carries the risks. Should the midfielder"s mind lapse for one second, a inapplicable designation can be made, a risk trip by unnoticed. I would rather see Barry or Lescott at left-back than Milner, for all his versatility, but even that should be a last resort.

Gibbs is the majority like-for-like deputy for Cole, but it is asking a lot of a twenty year-old who has outlayed majority of the deteriorate harmed to go true in to a World Cup squad. That leaves Warnock and Baines, both personification well for sides in good form, and right away hexed of the idealisation incentive.

Both are excellent full-backs, but it is Baines who has grown majority in status this season. He is a sprightly, assured impression in aggressive areas, and he has grown impressively underneath David Moyes.

Full-backs increasingly conclude the have use of of space in the complicated game. It is a full-back who sets the settlement of fool around with the initial pass of a move, and an offensively able left-back is constituent to Capello"s system, in that Steven Gerrard is a winger in name only. For me, Baines is the brighter of the dual prospects.

Perhaps some-more dire for football in general, though, is the subject this liaison raises over the place of probity in sport. There is a genuine quandary confronting the game, as highlighted by a period of incidents given Terry"s purported infidelities became open knowledge.

Football clubs are run to have their players" lives as easy as possible, so that they can concentration entirely on their opening on a Saturday. Players are cosseted since it is felt that brings the majority appropriate possibility of success.

A dignified compass does not lay simply with such a philosophy. A club"s reliable formula tends to be predicated on a player"s worth to their team. Paul Merson was afforded good magnetism for his personal troubles by Arsenal, but less poignant players at alternative clubs have not been afforded such calm for identical problems.

Chelsea, too, have away tailored their diagnosis of Terry and Cole for the unintended repairs both have finished to the club"s name. The former was postulated umbrella support, whilst the latter was fined for carrying out his assignations on bar time.

"Do what you similar to in your own time as prolonged as you fool around well" seems to be football"s message. Does such a policy, though, strengthen the sort of poise that has caused Capello such a headache? Do players need a little dignified superintendence from their clubs?