Micah Richards must have suspected the writing was on the wall when Fabio Capello took him to Montenegro last month but played a central defender at right back.

While Manchester United's Phil Jones was handed his England debut in a foreign position, Richards sat in the stands.

Since that evening, Richards has played in four Barclays Premier League games for Manchester City. All have been won. One of them - the 6-1 dismantling of United at Old Trafford - saw the 23-year-old nominated by many as man of the match.

Case for the defence: Micah Richards (right) is the in-form English right back

This week, however, Richards is at home while Capello prepares a squad for friendlies against Spain and Sweden. It is fair to say that as his club form continues on a sharp upward trajectory, his chances of playing in Euro 2012 are receding.

Richards is Capello's blind spot. The England coach doesn't rate him; doesn't trust him. He thinks Richards' defending is suspect and believes he is unreliable and prone to 'switching off' during games.

« Previous12345Next »