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Eriksson U-turn leaves Ferdinand axed

07/10/2005

Sol Campbell will start for England against Austria this Saturday in place of the out-of-form Rio Ferdinand, reports suggest today.

The race to play alongside John Terry in the heart of defence for the crucial World Cup qualifier looked to have been won by the Manchester United centre-back after coach Sven-Goran Eriksson paired the two in a full-scale practice match on Wednesday.

However, Ferdinand's alarming dip in form of late does now look to have had an influence on Eriksson's team selection.

Reports claim that the Swede told Ferdinand of his U-turn decision to drop him in favour of Campbell after another disappointing contribution in training yesterday.

The news, although warmly welcomed by the general footballing community, does come as something of a surprise as Eriksson has become famed for standing by his players.

But continual lapses in concentration and elementary mistakes from the player, for both United, and for the national side, particularly during the humiliating defeat in Northern Ireland last month, necessitate a change in Eriksson's eyes and the inclusion of the in-form Arsenal defender Campbell.

Ferdinand, 26, has regularly been one of the first names on Eriksson's team sheet throughout his spell as England coach and should he indeed he omitted for tomorrow's clash at Old Trafford, it will be the first time Eriksson has dropped the player for a competitive fixture.

Campbell's Gunners team-mate Ashley Cole, who himself misses out on England's World Cup double-header qualifier through injury, said recently that he believed Campbell should get the nod ahead of Ferdinand, a view echoed by many within the game.

"He is really focused now," said the Arsenal full-back. "He is a bit more solid and it makes us stronger as a team. He seems to bring the best out in me and a lot of the other players at Arsenal as well."

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