735 St. George’s Protection on England

Even though Twain told Capello not to worry about George Wood's fitness problem, Capello still kept Wood benched in their third game against Brazil. He really did not have to worry about Wood's fitness. He was worried about Wood's yellow card.

Wood received a yellow card for his defensive tough work against South Korea. In the match against Brazil, Capello was concerned that Wood had been shown another yellow card, leading to a suspension. That would have been a big loss for England.

Bearing this in mind, Capello's view of Wood was already completely different even though he was benched as he had always been.

Both sides tacitly sent off non-main players. England eventually lost to Brazil, which was in second place.

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Unlike George Wood, who had a tortuous World Cup tour, David Bentley, who was his team mate and Twain's focus on the trip, had a much smoother trip. He had no opponents on the right and was a player Capello heavily relied on.