With just 22 days until their opening game in South Africa, the clock is ticking on England’s World Cup build-up. Mexico provide the opposition for the first of two warm-up games on Monday, and Fabio Capello still has five crucial questions to answer ahead of the big kick-off against the United States.

1 Who are the seven players he will leave out of his final squad?

Capello claims to have a good idea of what his final squad will look like, but there is still time for some subtle tinkering before the 23 names are submitted to FIFA on June 1.

Looking at the provisional squad, it appears likely that three defenders will go along with three midfielders and a striker.

One of the two left-backs will definitely be axed, and given that he started March’s friendly against Egypt, Leighton Baines would appear to be ahead of Stephen Warnock.

With Jamie Carragher looking certain to be selected, Capello can afford to dispense with two centrehalves.

Ledley King will not be one of them, so by a process of elimination, you can probably wave goodbye to Michael Dawson and Matthew Upson.

The midfield selection hinges on Gareth Barry’s availability. Assuming the Manchester City midfielder makes it, there will be no need to hold on to Tom Huddlestone or Scott Parker.

The squad looks heavy on wingers, and it had been thought that Adam Johnson would be vulnerable to the cut.

Johnson has sparkled in the early training sessions in Austria, however, and his emergence might well squeeze Shaun Wright- Phillips from the squad.

That would mean a place for both Joe Cole and Theo Walcott, negating the need for five orthodox centreforwards.

If one is axed, it will be Sunderland’s Darren Bent.

2 Who will play in goal for the opening game against the United States?

Monday’s team selection should go a long way towards answering this, as Capello is likely to at least start with his first-choice goalkeeper against Mexico.

At the moment, it could be any one of three, and none of them appear to have any inkling of their manager’s thinking.

Joe Hart was the most consistent of the trio last season, but thrusting a goalkeeper with just one cap into the heat of a World Cup finals is a risky proposition.

Capello wasn’t manager when the inexperienced Scott Carson collapsed against Croatia, but he will be fully aware of what happened.

Robert Green ended the international season as England’s number one, but his domestic form for West Ham was poor and it is questionable whether he is really good enough to be a top-class international.

David James certainly is, and for all his vulnerabilities, the 39-yearold is the right way to go.

His performance in the FA Cup final was the best audition possible, and his experience is enough to edge him ahead of his rivals.

3 Is Ledley King a first reserve or a possible starter at centre-half?

Capello clearly rates King highly, or he wouldn’t have taken such an injuryravaged player to Austria in the first place.

The centre-half was arguably the most impressive defender in the Premier League whenever he was fit enough to play for Spurs last season, and observers close to the England camp claim Capello has been pleasantly surprised by his fitness levels.

With that in mind, might he edge ahead of Rio Ferdinand to take a place in the starting XI against USA?

For all his problems, King made seven more Premier League starts than Ferdinand last season, and it could be argued that picking the Manchester United defender is actually the bigger risk.

Capello imbued considerable faith in Ferdinand when he handed him the captain’s armband, but the Italian views the honour as symbolic rather than anything more substantial.

Might he display his ruthless streak by axing one of England’s ‘untouchables’?

4 What should the midfield formation be if Gareth Barry is ruled out?

If Barry is fit and available, England’s midfield just about picks itself. Steven Gerrard on the left, Barry and Frank Lampard in the middle, and either Aaron Lennon, Theo Walcott or at a real push Johnson on the right.

If Barry is ruled out though, things become more complicated. Does Capello go with Michael Carrick, the nearest thing he has to a sitting midfielder in his squad, or does he reopen the age-old debate of whether Gerrard and Lampard can play together at the heart of midfield?

On the evidence of the early training sessions in Austria, he’s edging towards the latter, with Gerrard spraying passes from a deep-lying role.

Pushing Gerrard inside leaves a hole on the left, and Capello must decide whether to fill it with James Milner or Adam Johnson.

Their strengths are different, but Capello would be wise to go with the safer option of Milner initially.

Johnson could have a role to play in the finals, but he will surely be better off the bench.

5 Should Emile Heskey still be guaranteed a starting spot?

The arguments are well rehearsed. Heskey doesn’t score and, for most of last season, he wasn’t even deemed worthy of a place in Aston Villa’s starting line-up.

Yet as Sir Alf Ramsey famously explained, winning the World Cup isn’t about picking the best 11 players, it’s about picking the best team. And, for all of his failings, Heskey is still part of England’s best team.

His ability to hold the ball up with his back to play brings the rest of England’s attackers into the game, and his partnership with Wayne Rooney was the key factor behind England’s success in qualifying.

Rooney is the one genuine match winner in Capello’s squad so, to a certain degree, the Italian’s selection must be designed to maximise the likelihood of him making an impact.

That means picking Heskey above Peter Crouch or Jermain Defoe, and accepting he is a means to an end rather than an end.