No final decision has been made by Capello. He will watch and observe the players in training, as always, but if Ferdinand is left out it will be the first time that he has been 'dropped’ — though it may well be dressed up as being because he is short of fitness — since Sven-Goran Eriksson’s momentous decision to omit him against Austria five years ago.
In that case Steven Gerrard would remain wearing the armband and it is possible Capello may use the opportunity to confirm him as his full-time captain.
Jagielka’s emergence is all the more impressive because of the serious knee injury he has been recovering from and his lack of experience at international level.
Certainly the verdict from the England camp after the last two matches was that he pushed Gerrard hard as the most important player and Capello will now be giving serious thought to the question: does Jagielka deserve to be dropped having played so well, and what sort of message would this send out to the other players?
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