THE THREE LIONS

Something special is happening in the Three Lions' camp under Fabio Capello. Four World Cup qualifying wins out of four bear testament to that.
Capello has made it cool to play for England again; players do want to be involved.
Certainly Frank Lampard does, despite a scan ruling him out.
Steven Gerrard missed two England qualifiers because of an untimely groin operation from England's point of view earlier in the season.
And Capello may have been flexing his muscles by ordering the Liverpool captain to travel south to have his injury verified by England's medical team.
But it was confirmed and he won't play a part for good reason.
And perhaps now we see the biggest and best impact Capello is having: to inspire fringe players to challenge the status quo.
Carrick, for argument's sake, has won a Premier League title and a European Cup since last he pulled on an England shirt.
He was in the last World Cup squad under Sven Goran Eriksson and he will want to be in the next.
Only now that Gerrard and Lampard are ruled out does Carrick get one of perhaps precious few chances to show that he should be part of Capello's long-term vision.
The same goes for Darren Bent. After a lean spell, he is on fire.
He's scored seven goals in as many appearances and is the top English marksman in the Premier League.
If he gets to play against Germany, then we will likely see the best of him.
If Capello opts for Peter Crouch and Jermaine Defoe, then they must put pressure on the missing Wayne Rooney and Emile Heskey in Capello's mind
If they fail to do that, then Bent is breathing down their necks. That competition for places is surely priceless for Capello and England.
Of course among the top clubs, managers will seek to wrap players in cotton wool at a crucial point in the season.
And the temptation among first-choice players may be to please those who pay their wages when this is only a friendly, but if they do that then a Carrick or a Bent may just be ready to steal their places.
Nothing is guaranteed under Capello. The players know that.

Germany v England Kick-off: Weds Nov 19, 19:45; Olympic Stadium, Berlin TV: ITV1, ITV HD (Freesat only) Radio: BBC Radio 5 Live