By David Gold
July 5 – Team GB men’s coach Stuart Pearce has yet to decide on his captain for the London 2012 Olympics, despite having named his 18-man squad for the Games.
Manchester United wing legend Ryan Giggs (pictured top, right), selected as one of the three overage players, would be a logical choice, however, striker Craig Bellamy of Liverpool and Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey, the former and current captains of Wales, may also be in contention for the honour.
The trio are among five players who defied the Football Association of Wales (FAW) to take part in Team GB.
The FAW, like its Scottish and Northern Irish counterparts, fears its participation could threaten its status as independent football nations within FIFA.
Scotland and Northern Ireland will be relieved none of its players has been selected by Pearce.
It was also announced by Pearce that Great Britain will line up for the first time since 1971 when it faces Mexico in a friendly later this month.
Mexico will pose an extremely dangerous threat at London 2012, despite being without Manchester United striker Javier Hernández.
Coach Luis Fernando Tena’s squad features Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Giovani dos Santos (pictured above), highly experienced UANL defender Carlos Salcido and Marco Fabián, the Chivas midfielder who was prolific during qualifying.
Britain could meet Mexico in the London 2012 quarterfinals depending on what position each side finishes in its respective group.
Britain also faces Brazil on July 20 in another friendly, and Pearce knows his team will have to beat such top-quality sides if it is to claim gold.
“We know full well if we are to be successful we will need to beat teams of the magnitude of Brazil,” Pearce said.
“It is a shining example how seriously Brazil, Spain and so on take the Olympics.
“I’ve picked a squad which will hopefully be good enough to win a medal for our nation.”
Pearce’s team, as reported widely last week, does not include former England captain David Beckham but features Bellamy, Giggs and Manchester City defender Micah Richards as the three players over the age of 23 allowed.
“I sat down with the younger players and then looked at the parts of the pitch where we needed strengthening and those overage players will be absolutely crucial to us,” said Pearce.
As well as Beckham, the other major absentee is Wales and Tottenham wide player Gareth Bale who will spend his summer recovering from back and hip injuries.
If Pearce plays with one central striker, he may go for Swansea winger Scott Sinclair and Bellamy either side of Chelsea’s Daniel Sturridge in attack.
Whomever he picks, Pearce will have a tough task putting together a squad which can gel quickly.
By contrast, most of Britain’s rivals, such as the Mexicans, Uruguay and Brazil, have been playing together in the national team for several years and will know each other’s games well.
Britain has been drawn in a tricky group with Copa America champions Uruguay, Senegal and the United Arab Emirates.
Uruguay will pose a serious threat under the guidance of Oscar Washington Tabárez, regarded as one of the most astute tacticians in the international game.
His side could feature Liverpool forward Luis Suárez (pictured above, in blue), Napoli striker Edinson Cavani and defender-cum-midfielder Maxi Pereira of Benfica.
Senegal will boast a potent forward line which could be spearheaded by Newcastle United duo Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba along with Fenerbahçe’s Moussa Sow.
Spain meanwhile, underlined its status as the world’s top team by winning a second successive UEFA European Championship last weekend, and the World Cup holders will be eager to become the first team in history to hold those titles and the Olympic crown simultaneously.
With players of the talent of Barcelona midfielder Thiago Alcantarã, striker Adrian Lopez of Atlético Madrid and Athletic Bilbao winger Iker Muniain, Spain is well placed to achieve that.
Britain’s other main challenger will be Brazil, which has never won football gold and is desperate to put that right this summer.
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