After a week of contemplation, ITV Sport producer Pete Thomas is sure David Beckham will be missed this summer
Beckham was a definite. He probably could have checked in now and bagged himself a window seat on the emergency exit row.
David may have been to the brink more times than Jack Bauer, but his place in Fabio’s 23 for South Africa was widely considered to already be written in permanent marker.
Sadly the body has finally faltered where the spirit and determination have never failed him. His Achilles tendon has snapped and with it all hope of playing at a fourth World Cup is lost, however that prized bulkhead seat on the flight to Johannesburg may still be available.
David Beckham’s place in the England World Cup squad was never likely to be a conventional one. The 23 players selected normally comprise of a starter and reserve for each position, as well as one extra goalkeeper.
However Capello was primed to take three right-sided players rather than two to Rustenburg this summer, just to accommodate Beckham.
This break from the norms of selection policy was because Beckham offered something different.
Capello knows all too well that the right-side of midfield is the only area in which he can utilise that most valuable of commodities in the modern game - pace.
Gerrard, Barry, Lampard, Rooney and yes, probably Emile Heskey (or another big man capable of occupying defenders and thus freeing up space for Wazza) have already shown their effectiveness in England’s front six players, but for all their ability, none have the type of pace that strikes fear into opposition defenders and forces backlines to drop a little deeper.
So it is the right side where Fabio will surely look for the glide of Walcott, the scamper of Lennon or the dash of Wright-Phillips. Two of these three will certainly travel, but originally the plan was for them to be joined by a player who has never been noted for his fleet of foot.
David Beckham was another prospect altogether.
For fans of baseball I would equate his role with England to that of the venerable New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera; ‘the game is nearly won, we need a wise head to calmly guide us to the final whistle, time to throw the ball to David’.
Capello admires the tactical maturity and experience he gets from Beckham; disciplined covering of his full-back and responsible use of possession, keep the ball and wind down the clock.
True he can also whip in a great cross or set piece but his nous and ability to shepherd his team through the closing stages of a match were really appealing to Capello. He had the perfect substitute to close out a narrow victory.
Don Fabio has realised that by inviting an injured David Beckham to join the squad in South Africa he can still utilise some of the qualities that make Beckham such a positive influence in any squad.
In NFL scouting there is often mention of ‘intangibles', the talents that a prospective player brings but that cannot be measured by the over-hyped physical tests that are an obsession in American sport; poise, leadership, discipline, teamwork to name but a few.
David Beckham, even when fit, offers England possibly more intangibles than he does physical attributes.
As such Fabio is completely right to invite David Beckham to be a non-playing member of the England squad.
Rather than proving a distraction I believe that the other players could thrive upon his presence and learn from his experience. If handled correctly, ‘goldenballs’ could help to unite the golden generation to finally fulfil it’s potential.
