Why Fabio Capello won’t experiment

Fabio Capello's England may be sitting pretty at the top of Group Six and be a win and a draw away from qualification, but don't expect to see any experimentation with youth against Andorra tonight, writes Oliver Kay in the Daily Telegraph. "No, time for Gary Neville and David Beckham."

"According to one of his few confidants, Fabio Capello does not know the meaning of the word 'experiment'," Kay continues "Much like the tale about him replacing a striker with a defender to protect a 1-0 lead during AC Milan’s pre-season tour to China in the mid-1990s, the observation was offered not sneeringly, but in full praise of the man’s dedication."

For the time being, the only target in Capello's mind is to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Only then, Kay assumes, will "the focus switch to the longer term" and we may see names such as Ashley Young and James Milner of Aston Villa break into the team.

"There is a part of you that wants to urge Capello to think of the future, to look at Young or Milner on the left side or even to give Micah Richards a barely merited opportunity to rebuild his confidence at right back, but there is also a part of you that marvels at the Italian’s refusal to look beyond the immediate task in hand."

Soon the time will come for youth, "Whatever Capello's reservations about the immediate merits of players such as Richards and Young, that will mean looking at what young talent exists beyond Wayne Rooney and Theo Walcott. Of the 25 players Capello has used in this World Cup qualifying campaign, all but five - Stewart Downing, Glen Johnson, Rooney, Aaron Lennon and Walcott - are over the age of 26.

"But when you look at how well Capello's judgment has served England so far - six World Cup qualifiers, six wins, 20 goals scored - it is impossible to take issue with him." ·