Last week, on a training field at England’s World Cup training base at Royal Bafokeng, England captain Rio Ferdinand suffered a tournament ending knee injury that threw Fabio Capello’s squad preparations into disarray. Ferdinand was one part of a center back pairing with Chelsea’s John Terry that formed the bedrock of England’s defense. With the captain on the sidelines, a distress call went out to Tottenham’s Michael Dawson to drop everything and fly out to start his World Cup career. Many pundits have suggested that this calamity may have derailed the Three Lion’s hopes of lifting the World Cup Trophy for the first time in 44 years. But is it really that destructive ?

Rio Ferdinand is widely regarded as one of the world’s top defenders. Ever since his record breaking move for $50m from Leeds United in 2002 to their fierce rivals across The Pennines, Manchester United, Ferdinand has risen through the ranks to now captain his country and rest on the verge of captaining his club. A veteran of 78 international caps, he was a star performer for England at the 2006 World Cup in Germany and has a trophy cabinet that positively swells with silverware. A veteran of three World Cup squads, he was seen as the ultimate leader of a team that has had it’s fair share of leadership issues over the last 18 months. With former captain John Terry’s trials and tribulations regarding Vanessa Perroncel, and with David Beckham breaking down with a torn Achilles tendon, Ferdinand was seen as the type of player who could hold this squad together under the heavy media pressure that always accompanies England to any major tournament. Assured and confident under the media lights, his private business affairs certainly prepared him for the role he was about to play.

However, this past season has not been one of Ferdinand’s best. Persistently blighted by injury, he has only participated in 21 games for club and country this season. An ongoing back injury threatened to possibly end his career and criticisms started to pile up from observers who saw a slower, less confident defender, attempting to play his way through pain. At one time, it looked as if he wouldn’t even be fit enough to pass Fabio Capello’s pre-tournament rule that “unfit players will not be selected”. A complicated back operation seemed to cure his ailments although other small, niggling knocks seemed to plague him. His form, by his own assessment, has been poor this year and with John Terry’s dip in confidence, England’s stalwart central defensive partnership looked to be in trouble. Furthermore, when Jamie Carragher was tempted out of international retirement by Capello, suggestions were rife that Ferdinand’s England career might be over sooner rather than later. However, he never lost his own confidence in his own ability, and even with all injury problems, it appeared that his worst days were behind him. Until last week…………..

Most countries when losing their captain and probably their best defender don’t recover in time. I see it differently. Take the captain’s position. Steven Gerrard is now the leader of the squad. A naturally passionate leader and club captain of Liverpool, Gerrard has had a tough year. Suffering through the Anfield demise, he seemed to have lost some of his drive which forms a huge part of his game. Suddenly propelled into the limelight again front and center, he is now forced to shrug off his personal issues and move forward with this team. This might galvanize him into emerging again as the top midfield player that everyone knows he is.

The most serious consequence of Ferdinand’s absence is the effect on our back four. Ledley King will now be drafted in as a starter but with his ongoing knee problems, questions will be raised regarding his availability for all the tournament games. John Terry’s performances will be more crucial now and certainly other teams will be taking notes. However, I try to be optimistic at times like this, and my own personal view is that this situation might have a silver lining to it.

Let’s say that Terry has a horrible game against the USA or God forbid, gets injured. It potentially leaves us woefully short of cover but I would have no hesitation inserting Dawson in to replace Terry and reunite the Tottenham center back pairing of King and Dawson that played so well together this year. In my opinion, Dawson should have gone in place of Upson anyway, although I had said that maybe we don’t need 5 center backs with Carragher now in the squad. I actually believe that King and Dawson is a better pair than King and Terry, and, if I was Capello, I might start those two against the USA.

Definitely food for thought over the next 4-5 days…