With one week to go, has the England curse returned? England could be without their captain Rio Ferdinand after reports suggest he could be ruled out of the World Cup after suffering a knee injury in training.
The 31-year-old centre-back had a scan after hurting his left knee following a challenge with Emile Heskey during Friday's first training session. He is on crutches and getting a second opinion but a Football Association source has told the BBC "it's not looking good".
The FA is due to confirm the seriousness of Ferdinand's injury later and make a statement. Tottenham's Michael Dawson is on stand-by to be recalled to the squad, but the question is who would partner John Terry in Rio's absence? West Ham's Matt Upson is the most likely given Capello's recent choices, with Ledley King and Dawson as back-up on the bench.
Arguably Rio hasn't been in the greatest form of his career in a season already plagued by injuries; he only started a dozen or so Premier League games for Man Utd this season. But recently he had enjoyed more consistent playing time and he came through the 2 recent friendlies unscathed.
So the questions I'm pondering are these...
Is this a blow that England's already shaky defence can withstand? Rio's pace makes up for Terry's lack of it, do either of the replacements have that asset?
Are the relatively inexperienced Upson, King or Dawson good enough replacements given the pressure of World Cup football?
Or could it be a positive? Fresh blood and a player in better recent form in the heart of England's defence?
Gerrard would take over the captain's armband; could that responsibility invigorate his recent lacklustre form?
And has Emile Heskey made his most telling contribution to England's World Cup hopes before the tournament even begins?
Your thoughts are welcomes as we wait for the final news on Rio...
PS - Looks like Didier Drogba's out of the Ivory Coast team too; anyone upset about that? What a shame... ;)
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