NOV 16 — Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard saw their reputations enhanced as England’s reserves suffered a 1-0 friendly defeat against Brazil in Qatar at the weekend — without even playing.
The midfield dynamos, who both missed out on the fixture in Doha through injury, were highly conspicuous by their absence as Fabio Capello’s side found themselves comprehensively outplayed by their South American opponents.
Without Gerrard and Lampard, there was very little attacking thrust from the England midfield — Jermaine Jenas, Gareth Barry, James Milner and Shaun Wright-Phillips were unable to impose themselves on the game, conceded possession too easily and provided scant service to strikers Wayne Rooney and Darren Bent.
After the game Capello commented that he “learned a few things” about some of his players — the vital importance of his two missing midfielders was certainly one message that made itself loud and clear.
Gerrard and Lampard produce so many outstanding, match-winning performances for Liverpool and Chelsea that it’s hardly surprising to state they are key players for England — but that hasn’t always been the case. By coaxing the pair into reproducing their hugely productive club form at international level, Capello seems to be succeeding where other England managers largely failed.
For a long time under Sven Goran Eriksson and Steve McClaren it was felt that the duo were incompatible in the same midfield; they often seemed to get in each other’s way, both wanting to occupy the same attacking areas on the pitch, and there were even ongoing suggestions by the media that one of them should be left out.
There’s no doubting their importance to the national side anymore, though — Gerrard and Lampard combined for an impressive total of seven goals during England’s 10 World Cup qualifying group games, and their presence allows Capello to boast one of the finest midfields in world football: with Gareth Barry, Michael Carrick and Owen Hargreaves all highly capable anchormen to do the fetching and carrying in front of the back four, Gerrard and Lampard providing goals and a consistent line of service to the frontmen, and David Beckham, Joe Cole, Theo Walcott, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Aaron Lennon all competing for the remaining slot, Capello is fortunate to have such rich reserves of talent at his disposal.
Only Spain can lay claim to a comparably wide array of midfield talent — after all, you’ve got to have a pretty special team if you can afford to leave out Cesc Fabregas! Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Xabi Alonso formed a formidable central trio in Spain’s 2-1 friendly victory over Argentina on Saturday, and with David Villa and Fernando Torres also in their attacking ranks and a solid defence containing the excellent Carles Puyol and Sergio Ramos, Spain look like being the team to beat next year. If anything, they’ve got even better since triumphing in the European Championships 18 months ago, and there’s every chance that another trophy will be added to their collection in South Africa.
Brazil, as ever, will also be among the leading contenders and their performance against England in Doha demonstrated a nice balance of defensive organisation and attacking creativity. As you might expect from a team coached by Dunga, a highly disciplined, defensive-minded midfielder in his playing days, the flair and flamboyance shown by former samba stars is now a thing of the past, but Brazil remain a highly effective force and will take some beating.
England aren’t too far behind either, and Capello’s men could even go all the way if Gerrard and Lampard are both fit and firing on all cylinders; without that pair, the side starts to look distinctly ordinary — it will be an anxious few months of watching and waiting for Capello.
Show/Hide comments
Show/Hide comment form
