Fabio Capello urged not to tinker with England

Too much time has passed since the key men, who impressively guided England to the top of their World Cup qualifying group with four straight victories, have played together.

And while Capello's predecessors such as Sven-Goran Eriksson often used warm-up games as a chance to tinker with fringe players and new formations, the Italian can't afford that luxury.

England's challenge to secure a place in South Africa next year resumes on Wednesday with a home game against a capable Ukraine side and they must avoid the risk of being undercooked.

Two friendly matches have sandwiched the traditional winter break for international fixtures which means many of England's star players have not been seen in a Three Lions shirt for a lengthy period.

When England won in Belarus in October, it helped them establish a five-point lead at the top of Group Six but it was also the last occasion supporters saw influential trio Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard represent their country.

Of course they didn't intend to pull out of the friendlies that followed against Germany and Spain, those omissions were enforced through injury. And that did allow Capello to assess back-ups such as Gabriel Agbonlahor, Phil Jagielka, Matthew Upson and Michael Carrick.

But it could also have done some damage and disrupted the momentum that was building so impressively. Take Rooney, for example. The Belarus match saw him bring up five goals in three England games and afterwards he admitted that he was in the best form of his international career.

He has obviously been playing regularly for Manchester United since then so his fitness isn't an issue. However, there is a danger that he will have lost some of the understanding with his England team-mates as Capello continues to introduce his methods.

England will require him to reach those heights again so he must get back in the groove with a lengthy outing tomorrow. It will also help put events of last weekend fully behind him having been sent off in United's defeat against Fulham and then warned by the FA of his future conduct.

Capello has also had a word in the striker's ear about his 'crazy' behaviour and he may benefit from another test of his temperament tomorrow.

What better way to put them on the back foot ahead of their confrontation than for the 23-year-old to bag a couple of goals in front of a packed Wembley.

It should also offer another opportunity for him to work with fellow striker Emile Heskey, although that is not the only key playing partnership that needs further refinement. As reported in Standard Sport yesterday, Frank Lampard believes Capello has found a way for him and Gerrard to both deliver the goods for their country.

Yet, the Liverpool captain's England absence for the last five months means they have not had any more time to improve on the progress made.

There has been much discussion over whether Gerrard should be given the chance to play in the same second striker role he plays for his club but Capello is unlikely to want to disrupt Rooney by making such a move.

In all likelihood, Gerrard will once again be seen on the left of midfield, with Lampard playing a more disciplined role next to Aston Villa's Gareth Barry. But, in my view, there is nothing wrong with that considering how well it worked against Kazakhstan and Belarus. As a result, Stewart Downing would miss out but few would expect him to be anything more than a squad member at the World Cup anyway.

Just as critical to England's World Cup bid is John Terry's central defensive partnership with Ferdinand being reformed for a solid 90 minutes. They haven't been paired together since England's emphatic 4-1 win in Croatia back in September.

The duo have taken it in turns to miss games through injury and, while Upson has proven to be a good back-up, these two are England's best.

Defenders rely on an understanding between each other more than any other area on the pitch and Slovakia give the pair a chance to iron out any rustiness. Ashley Cole should also be present giving a chance for any home fans still wanting to make the Chelsea left-back suffer for his error against Kazakhstan or for being arrested earlier this month, But this mustn't affect his performance in midweek.

That leaves few positions for Capello to try something different. It would be good to see Aaron Lennon given a chance to replicate his Spurs form on the right wing. But David Beckham is also in contention so he can mark breaking Bobby Moore's landmark of 108 caps with a start, rather than a token appearance as a substitute.

There would be little harm done if United keeper Ben Foster comes in to replace David James while Glen Johnson merits another run-out at right- back. Some may argue that playing too many first-team players provides an unnecessary threat of injury but playing too few could prove more costly.