No one's safe from Capello... Beckham may get century but even Terry may face axe

Injury or catastrophic loss of form permitting, the LA Galaxy midfielder will walk out at Wembley on February 6 to clock up a century of appearances during England's friendly against Switzerland, Sportsmail can reveal.

Having initially frozen Beckham out at Real Madrid over concerns about the distractions of his commercial activities, Capello was impressed by the way he knuckled down, worked hard and forced his way back into the side.

But if Beckham would be safe under Capello, who is the overwhelming favourite to succeed Steve McClaren, other big names have no such security — not John Terry, not Frank Lampard, not Steven Gerrard and certainly not Michael Owen.

Capello is flying to London this afternoon. He is due to meet FA chief executive Brian Barwick for dinner this evening and will outline his plans for the 2010 World Cup tomorrow morning.

A morning may not be enough for Capello, but the former Real Madrid manager is eager to get to work.

According to those closest to him, there will be surprises in the squad for England's friendly against Switzerland. No one in the team that surrendered so meekly over 12 Euro 2008 qualifiers is safe.

"The one thing Capello has noticed in the England team is that there are only three or four personalities," revealed a close friend yesterday.

"He is fascinated by the talented players like Wayne Rooney, but he wants them to express themselves. There are one or two big names in the dressing room that he really is not sure about.

"If Lampard and Gerrard cannot play together under him, he will simply drop one or both of them. There will be casualties, for sure."

Capello is convinced England's players have talent to compete at the highest level and even believes they are on a par with world champions Italy. So why couldn't McClaren tap into that rich source of talent?

Capello was said to have been astonished when he saw a picture of McClaren, always eager to please, flashing his pearly whites for the cameras when he rugby tackled England skipper Terry on the artificial surface in Moscow last month.

The Italian, who has managed Real Madrid, Juventus, AC Milan and Roma during a hugely-successful managerial career, is not here to make friends.

He will coach the team himself but the players can expect little dialogue.

He will patrol the perimeter of the pitch during his notoriously intense training sessions, form his opinions and then post the team on the dressing room wall an hour or so before kick-off. Simple as that.

Capello does not have time for disgruntled, disaffected or disillusioned players and it will be left to Franco Baldini, his trusted lieutenant, to explain why they have been omitted.

"The Italian national team has a mentality that England don't possess," continued the source. "That will change under Capello, everyone can be sure of that. Life is simple for Capello's players. Play well and you are in the team. Play badly and you are out. It is an easy choice.

"Don't worry, they will soon find that out."

There will be no pussy-footing around with the £130,000-a-week footballers who failed to qualify for Euro 2008 under McClaren's weakwilled management. Not a chance.

Capello, armed with a c.v. boasting seven league titles in four cities and a Champions League triumph with Milan, will mean business when he arrives in London from his Swiss home (one of four dotted around Europe).

Dressed in his sponsored RH+ spectacles, Armani suit (Giorgio sends them direct from the factory, 'gratis Fabio') and a pair of finest black, Italian leather shoes, Capello has the class to carry it off. From the moment he intimated that he wanted the England job on November 22, he has been studying England's footballers in the finest detail.

Forty years of failure have ensured that the future of English football will be in Capello's hands when he is presented with a contract worth £4.5m a year and he is determined to lead from the front.

There will also be increased tactical responsibilities under the new regime.

Capello prefers zonal marking, as opposed to the man-to-man system so prevalent in the Premiership, but he will encourage an expansive approach.

Those closest to him reveal that he became disillusioned with life in La Liga during his second spell with Real Madrid last season. He was appalled by the dives, the cheats and cynical side of the game in Spain.

From afar, he has always respected England's players for their honesty and his friends claim he has been revitalised by the six-month break from football.

Like his predecessor at Soho Square, he rarely reads the newspapers, but the FA's communications department can put their feet up for the next two years.

Laura, his wife of 40 years, reads every word and has been known to set the record straight from time to time.

There are no skeletons in Capello's closet — Laura details his every move in the same meticulous manner as her husband — and he always presents the perfect family image.

As for his views on the England WAGs, don't even go there.