Hindsight has made that exclusion a greater mistake even if there was, back then, the nagging thought that he might just provide a little impetus, pace, wild-card difference and balance. Leaving him out was, perhaps, understandable but would have made more of a difference than, for example, Shaun Wright-Phillips? It feels like he would.
This is a natural left-winger, something England have craved throughout the years of shoe-horning the likes of
Steve McManaman, Trevor Sinclair, Joe Cole and, of course, and to much debate, Steven Gerrard into the role. Certainly his inclusion last night suddenly helped facilitate a change in formation, allowing a 4-2-3-1 to be used with Theo Walcott on the right, meaning there was pace on both flanks with Gerrard up through the middle. It was progressive. Now there needs to be persistence.
Johnson’s early interventions burst with promise - just as he had done in that brief cameo, on his debut, against Mexico last May when a cannier player would have collapsed in the area and won a penalty. Capello upbraided Johnson for not doing so then but he is an avowed fan. There will be much continued pillorying of the Italian but he has been aware of Johnson for the past two years, describing him as the best player in the Championship and then encouragingly after that big-money move, £8 million, to Manchester City in January.
Capello knows all of these players. He has tracked Jack Wilshere, he has followed Kieron Gibbs - who may just have gone to South Africa in any case had he been fit - and he also fully appreciates Jack Rodwell’s ability, knowing he needs some more first-team minutes at Everton, but will be selected. Like Gibbs, and maybe even if England had won the World Cup, Johnson was always likely to be promoted by Capello for the Euro 2012 as aware as the manager is for the need for new blood.
After all, Johnson has the attributes. He is quick, he can play on either flank, can dribble with the ball at speed, works back - and, importantly, is a specialist in dead-ball situations and was detailed with taking the corners from the right-flank last night. He can also finish - although he side-footed wastefully over with an opportunity which, really, has to be taken after one moment of fluidity involving Glen Johnson and Theo Walcott with the latter cutting the ball back. Johnson took up the right position but the execution was woeful.
Before that he had headed down cleverly into Gerrard’s path, the angle allowing the captain to pick out Wayne Rooney immediately and there was a raft of neat, sharp touches although they faded as England lost momentum through the first-half. The fear will be, of course, that he may become another Stewart Downing - the man he replaced at Middlesbrough - in an England shirt. At City, Johnson is more usually an occupant of the right-flank and the switch there was made in the second-half with Capello also reversing formation to 4-4-2, accommodating Bobby Zamora. On Monday Capello had considered doing this the other way round - starting with the more familiar formation - but decided against it.
Johnson was trusted with free-kicks too although an attempt to work a short one with Gerrard was a little too clever, the winger eventually shooting over from 25 yards and, soon after, cutting inside to curl a low effort that was easily fielded.
Capello switched back again to 4-2-3-1 changing formation as well as personnel with Zamora the lone striker after partnering Rooney. Gerrard went forward again and hammered in the equalising goal after the ball broke to him from the impressive Gibbs’s drive to the edge of the area. Gerrard surpassed that with his sumptuous second which Zamora, bringing greater definition to the central striker’s role, almost capped with his turn and drive over.
It was surely significant that amid this, and amid the changes, Capello persisted with Johnson who could easily have been one of those replaced. Instead he played the full match. It was either an indication that he was firmly in the reckoning or, as the manager has sometimes done, and players such as Leighton Baines have discovered, allowing him more time on the pitch to confirm he was not up to the task. For Johnson it will be the former. Now that Capello has included him he is likely to remain in the fold. It makes little sense to do otherwise and sense is what needs to continue to prevail when it comes to assessing this regime also.
