Kaka, Robinho in, Ronaldinho out as Brazil squad named

There was no place for AC Milan's Ronaldinho on Thursday as Brazil coach Dunga named his 22-man squad for next month's 2010 World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Colombia.

Dunga called on Ronaldinho's club-mate Kaka, whose last game for his country was against Uruguay in November last year, and Manchester City's new wonder signings Jo and Robinho.

Despite appearing at the Beijing Olympics last month, where he scored two goals before Brazil were knocked out in the semi-finals, Dunga chose to leave Ronaldinho out.

“Ronaldinho has not had enough time to improve with his new club. He is missing rhythm,” said Dunga. “I have confidence in him, as do all Brazilians, and I hope he can become again the Ronaldinho that all the world knows.”

Brazil play Venezuela on October 12 then Colombia four days later.

Squad

Goalkeepers: Julio Cesar (Inter Milan/ITA), Doni (AS Roma/ITA)

Defenders: Maicon (Inter Milan/ITA), Daniel Alves (Barcelona/ESP), Lucio (Bayern Munich/GER), Juan (AS Roma/ITA), Thiago Silva (Fluminense), Alex (Chelsea/ENG), Kleber (Santos), Juan (Flamengo)

Midfielders: Gilberto Silva (Panathinaikos/GRE), Josue (Wolfsburg/GER), Lucas (Liverpool/ENG), Anderson (Manchester United/ENG), Elano (Manchester City/ENG), Kaka (AC Milan/ITA), Mancini (Inter Milan/ITA), Julio Baptista (AS Roma/ITA)

Strikers: Luis Fabiano (Sevilla/ESP), Jo (Manchester City/ENG), Pato (AC Milan/ITA), Robinho (Manchester City/ENG)

FIFA boss expects successful World Cup in South Africa

FIFA president Sepp Blatter said Sunday he had no doubt that South Africa would host a successful World Cup, adding there was no 2010 plan B.

“The plan B is South Africa and the plan C is South Africa,” Blatter told a media briefing after meeting President Thabo Mbeki in Pretoria.

“We are informed and monitoring all the work and we have no doubt that when it comes to stadia, when it comes to the logistical organisation, that everything will be done.”

Blatter is heading a four-day FIFA delegation to South Africa to inspect venues and meet political leaders, including former president Nelson Mandela.

The cup would give South Africa, which has a high levels of violent crime, as a legacy of being identified as a safe country, he said.

“Most of the criticism now is that it is not secure (…) but you go to big cities anywhere in the world (…) tell me where you have 100 security? It does not exist.”

Both Blatter and Mbeki said a change of government in next year's elections would not affect the cup preparations.

“I'm saying quite firmly that we are on course with regard to meeting our obligations,” Mbeki said.

“It doesn't matter what happens here with regard to whatever the political challenges, this country will meet its commitments to FIFA to (…) ensure that we have a very successful 2010 FIFA soccer world cup. That will happen.”

Mbeki was responding to a question about a court judgment last week in which it was implied that his government had meddled in corruption charges brought against Jacob Zuma, tipped as South Africa's next president and whom Blatter will meet on his trip.

The court ruling led to widespread debate over Mbeki's future in weekend media.

Blatter said he had a special dedication and love for Africa, where football was “more than just kicking a ball.”

A World Cup in South Africa would show that Africans were able to host the FIFA event, he said. “It is justice to South Africa for what Africa has given to the world of football.”

England driven by unfinished business, says captain Terry

ohn Terry, England's captain, has rallied his team-mates before Wednesday's daunting trip to Zagreb by insisting that they have "unfinished business" with Slaven Bilic's side as they attempt to become the first visiting team to win a qualifying tie in Croatia for 14 years.

The Croats have never been beaten in a European Championship or World Cup qualifier at home since they began competing as a nation in 1994, and the convincing 2-0 victory they inflicted on Steve McClaren's side in October 2007 still smarts. Bilic's team followed that up with the decisive 3-2 success at Wembley which cost the England coach his job and the nation a place at Euro 2008.

"I think we have got unfinished business with Croatia," Terry said, after the Croats eased past Kazakhstan at the Maksimir stadium to extend their unbeaten competitive home run to 35 matches. "This is a new campaign and we are going there to pick up three points. If we can get off to a good six-point start, we'll take that. We know it's going to be tough again but, hopefully, they will come at us a bit more than Andorra did.

"You just try and rise to the challenge whenever you go back to a ground where you have bad memories. We know it's difficult and we know they have not been beaten there for a long time. We have the same at Aston Villa with Chelsea - we have not won there for a few years and every year we go back to Villa Park and we know it's going to be difficult, but we try our hardest. We have to go there with a clean slate and not think about the last game there or the last game at Wembley."

England's medical staff will assess Terry's centre-back partner, Rio Ferdinand, who has been sidelined with a recurrence of a back injury and is in doubt for the Group Six match.

Fabio Capello must also decide whether to recall David Beckham to the starting line-up after describing Theo Walcott's performance against Andorra as "excellent". Beckham's experience could prove crucial at the intimidating Maksimir. "We've got experience in the squad, players who have played in some of the biggest games in the world," said the 33-year-old. "We've got that experience and we will need it on Wednesday."

Cesc: I Must Become More Complete

The Catalan playmaker had set up the goal for David Villa in la Furia Roja's 1-0 win in Murcia, but otherwise had a quiet game alongside Xavi and Marcos Senna.

Although he was angered by the change, when he was replaced by Xabi Alonso, Cesc recognised that it was probably a good thing that he was not pleased.

"The day that I am taken off and it does not annoy me is the day that I give up the game," he told reporters.

"The main thing is that we won and that we have start the new qualifying campaign with three points. It was not was and we had to work hard to find a way through their defence, but we did it."

Now Cesc has vowed to improve his game and become more defensive after also being withdrawn in the final of Euro 2008 when Spain had gone a goal up against Germany.

"They always change me when we are winning. That means that I have to improve defensively and become a more complete midfielder," he continued.

Finally, Cesc was praised for his link play with Villa for the winning goal, but he modestly stated that it was not he that had done the hard work,

"He made it appear even better because he scored a goal from angle that appeared to be impossible," he concluded.

Lucas Brown, Goal.com

Capello: the story so far

Analysis

What is clear as England move towards their first competitive matches under Fabio Capello is that a revolution has yet to take place. There was a belief that the Italian would change drastically the side that failed so abjectly under Steve McClaren but, if anything, the status quo has remained.

New faces have been introduced, such as David Wheater and most recently Jimmy Bullard, and others have received their first caps under the new regime, such as Joe Hart and Stephen Warnock, but overall the same faces are filling their regular spots. Indeed, all the players who have appeared in four or more of Capello's six squads so far were capped under a previous manager, and every player who started in England's most recent match, the 2-2 draw with the Czech Republic, had been a full international for at least four years.

It could even be argued that Capello is going backwards in term of selection policy. Having called up Aston Villa's Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor in his initial squads, he discarded the pair for his most recent and instead turned to Emile Heskey, who first played for England in 1999.

There is one way, however, in which England are progressing. In each of Capello's five matches in charge the side have maintained more possession than their opponents, even in the 1-0 defeat in France, where the visitors had 56.6% of the ball. The figure was even higher in the supposedly muddled draw against the Czech Republic - 56.8%. England also passed the ball better than their five opponents, reaching a 87.7% completion rate in Paris.

Interestingly, the team are tackling less as Capello's regime develops. They made 22, 24 and 22 tackles in his first three matches in charge but only 12 in each of the last two. Their tackle success-rate is, though, improving overall, from 77.3% in the 2-1 victory over Switzerland to 83.3% in the most recent fixture. What this all suggests is that although Capello's England may look very similar to the team that went before, they are playing in a more composed manner, consistently keeping the ball better than their opponents and showing a decisive, measured approach in the tackle.

There is also a sting to this side. England have had 64 shots on goal under Capello, resulting in nine goals, compared with a total of only 37 by their five opponents.

England will not win anything until top players stop buckling under pressure, says Cole

The convening of Fabio Capello's England squad, with the first competitive matches of the Italian's reign a little over two weeks away, drew an admission from Joe Cole last night that players who have excelled in the Premier League and even conquered the European Cup have been guilty of buckling under the pressure when asked to represent their country.

The national team confront the Czech Republic at Wembley tomorrow in their final friendly before the qualification campaign for the 2010 World Cup finals begins against Andorra and Croatia next month. It is 14 years since England last failed to reach Fifa's showpiece tournament yet, having imploded in qualification for the summer's European Championship, frustration abounds that a group of footballers once nicknamed the "Golden Generation" have struggled to reproduce the consistency and confidence of their club form so often at the higher level.

While English players have regularly endured accusations that they lack the technical skills of their counterparts abroad, Cole acknowledged yesterday that their greatest challenge is hurdling a "psychological barrier" which has prompted under-achievement. "The main thing for England is that you need players who can play under pressure, who can do it under the spotlight, because you know there's a lot of criticism waiting out there from the public if you fail," said Cole who trained at London Colney yesterday, with only Jonathan Woodgate absent from the session. "You've got to deal with that. That's the hardest obstacle we've got to get over as a team - to learn to play under that intense pressure.

"Maybe some players do it better than others. That's just how it is. England must get over that psychological barrier. Sure, there'll be games when we don't play well, but you need to feel that - even when things aren't going to plan -you're going to win the game. It's something we need to improve on. I wouldn't say that any one player lacks confidence or belief when he puts on an England shirt, but I just think that, while you can improve your technical and fitness stuff, we need to improve our mentality as a team.

"We're trying to do it. We're not burying our heads in the sand. We're going out there and trying to play, getting the ball down and trying to build. We need to stay cool and calm and keep going forward. It's pigeon steps, going forward a little bit every time. The World Cup isn't for another couple of years, so we don't want to be peaking too early. We just want little bits of improvement every time and, by the time we get there, hopefully we'll be in a better position than we are in now: technically, physically and mentally."

Cole's admission that confidence is a problem in the national team comes as eight of the squad are assembled at the team's regular Hertfordshire hotel base representing Manchester United and Chelsea, powerhouses in the Premier League and last season's Champions League finalists. The party also contains another two European Cup winners in Steven Gerrard and David Beckham. Yet, despite reaching the quarter-finals of the 2002 World Cup, 2004 European Championship and 2006 World Cup, England's best players have rarely played with the fluidity or belief that have become trademarks of their club form. Indeed, many have been unrecognisable when wearing national colours.

The new Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari, who has eliminated the national team in each of the last three tournaments in which England have competed, has already suggested that English players suffer "mental problems" at crunch times in key games. That has manifested itself most notably in penalty shoot-outs, but Capello himself admitted last month that his biggest challenge was boasting confidence within his squad. "I have to get individuals to play for England like they do for their clubs," he said. "There has been a lack of confidence among players and it's my job to rebuild that. There's a lot of pressure when playing for your country and this has perhaps weighed down too heavily on some players. We need to free them of that so they can play naturally, without fear."

"For me personally, playing for Chelsea and playing for England are two completely different things," added Cole, who earned his 50th cap in May. "International football is different. If you're asking me how I think we can get better, it's about...learning to play under pressure. It's a process and, as a group, it's something we need to improve on. We need to go out there and play freely. Results help that. There's no science to it but we are moving in the right direction."

Capello names Heskey in favour of Young, Crouch and Bent

The Wigan Athletic striker Emile Heskey has been recalled to the England squad for the friendly against the Czech Republic on Wednesday. The England manager Fabio Capello named Heskey in a 23-man squad, but left out the Aston Villa winger Ashley Young, the Portsmouth forward Peter Crouch and the Tottenham striker Darren Bent. Heskey last played for England against Russia last September, although was picked in Capello's first squad for a friendly against Switzerland in February before withdrawing through injury.

The Newcastle forward Michael Owen is currently injured and was not in the squad named yesterday by Capello. West Ham's Dean Ashton scored twice against Wigan on Saturday but injured a hamstring, leaving Manchester United's Wayne Rooney, Portsmouth's Jermain Defoe and Arsenal's Theo Walcott to compete with Heskey for a place in the England starting XI.

The Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart keeps his place after winning his first senior cap as a substitute against Trinidad & Tobago, and Paul Robinson, recently signed by Blackburn Rovers also earns a recall. Both are understudies to David James, who is expected to start the match in goal.

There are few other surprises, with Steven Gerrard, Gareth Barry, Frank Lampard, David Bentley and Michael Carrick named in midfield, alongside David Beckham, who could win his 103rd cap.

The friendly at Wembley is the final match before Capello will name his first competitive squad, for the 2010 World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Croatia in September.

Full squad

David James (Portsmouth), Paul Robinson (Blackburn Rovers), Joe Hart (Manchester City); Wayne Bridge (Chelsea), Wes Brown (Manchester United), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Glen Johnson (Portsmouth), John Terry (Chelsea), Matthew Upson (West Ham United), Jonathan Woodgate (Tottenham Hotspur); Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Gareth Barry (Aston Villa), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Joe Cole (Chelsea), David Bentley (Tottenham Hotspur), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), David Beckham (LA Galaxy), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough); Wayne Rooney, (Manchester United), Jermain Defoe (Portsmouth), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Emile Heskey (Wigan Athletic).

Del Bosque: We Must Keep Our Feet On The Ground

he former Real Madrid trainer is excited about replacing Luis Aragonés at the helm of La Furia Roja and is looking forward to his first game against Denmark later this month.

Expectation levels in Spain are always high and Del Bosque wants to ensure that fans do not think the team will win every game comfortably just because they have tasted success this summer.

"This is a team that knows what it can do all too well and that enjoys playing and entertaining, so we will try to just give a few personal touches where necessary," he told reporters.

"We must feel proud of the way that we play, but that should not impede is. We have to keep improving and learning.

"Everything that I have seen and heard has been positive. We are in a very positive moment and it is something we have to take advantage of.

"Our objective is to go for everything, but that does not mean that we can expect to win and we have to keep our feet on the ground."

Spain travel to Denmark for the friendly encounter on August 20, before they meet Bosnia Herzegovina at home on September 6 in th e first World Cup 2010 qualifier.

Lucas Brown, Goal.com