November no friend of international football

[tamim_saif]

Stockholm's Friends Stadium awaits its inauguration on Wednesday. It will be a historic night for Swedish football. The Swedish FA have decided to invite England, one of the two oldest international teams of all time, to help them with the grand opening.

When choosing that opposition, they would have envisaged names like Rooney, Lampard, Cole and Gerrard gracing Solna. Instead, they will be welcoming only the last, on admittedly a gala night for England’s captain, his hundredth cap. The other three will be absent. Even in times when England’s supposed golden generation is tarnished, the other three are still stalwarts, but instead the former Rasunda Stadium must welcome Wilfried Zaha, Leon Osman and Carl Jenkinson.