Out of the picture? Frank Lampard faces a fight to
regain his England place
When Frank Lampard returns to the England fold for the
match against Montenegro at Wembley next month, he is likely to
find some unfamiliar figures blocking his way to the
pitch.
Not just Steven Gerrard, whose form in Lampard’s central role
alongside Gareth Barry in the last two games has been outstanding,
but younger men, too. There will
be no easy route into the team for Lampard, barring injury.
This will be joyous news to some. Lampard has been a symbol of
derision for an unthinking element since the World Cup in 2006.
They ignore his status as the most influential midfield player in
the Premier League — he scores and creates more goals from the
position than any player in the country — and focus on errant
nonsense, such as jibes about his weight.
If England have a bad game, it is always because Lampard and
Gerrard cannot play
together, even if they are in different areas of the field. Lampard
has done nothing to merit being dropped by England, except being
out of the team when phase two of Fabio Capello’s game-plan has
come together.
His return is an issue because it would necessitate shifting
Gerrard back to the left,
therefore stifling the progress of James Milner and Adam Johnson,
two of the players
who have given England fresh impetus after the disappointment of
the World Cup.
Making the grade: James Milner has given England a new
lease of life
Not so much as a hair out of place: With two goals in
two games, Adam Johnson has adapted to the rigours of international
football remarkably
Milner will be suspended against Montenegro, but coming
on for Theo Walcott after 11 minutes against Switzerland, his
Manchester City team-mate Johnson showed the way forward for
Capello, in the short term at least.
Over time, Milner may come to occupy the left midfield role
regularly and Johnson might battle it out with Walcott on the
right, but unless injury messes with Capello’s
plans, simply switching the City pair seems the most obvious
tactic, given the need to put the dark horse Montenegrins to the
sword.
The rise of Milner and Johnson has done most to shake up
Capello’s thinking since
the World Cup and bring a premature end to Lampard’s status as an
England regular.
By solving the conundrum on the left, they have returned Gerrard to
the centre, probably for good. This squeezes Lampard from his
familiar berth beside Barry.
It is hard on Lampard, but Gerrard’s form makes him irresistible
in the role and, while doubts remain about Barry as a defensive
midfield player against top-class opposition, there is nothing in
this qualifying group that he should not be able to handle. Euro
2012 itself is another matter; Jack Rodwell of Everton needs his
chance, once his fitness is restored.
Double act: Xabi Alonso (left) and Segio Busquets
(right) keep Cesc Fabregas out of Spain's side
International football is about finding a balance, and
there will always be undeserving casualties. Spain find room for
Xabi Alonso and Sergio Busquets ahead of Cesc Fabregas, not because
they are better midfield players but because the system
works.
Considering the dismal displays in South Africa, Capello’s
England have performed better than anyone can have expected in the
first two competitive games of this campaign.
Walcott, Milner and Johnson, the young players on the flanks,
have been integral to the transformation. Lampard picked the wrong
time to have hernia surgery.
It is a myth Gerrard could not perform from a left-sided
starting position for England. He has been just as influential from
there as he was against Bulgaria and Switzerland, but using him in
that role has always been a matter of compromise and necessity.
Lampard could not start on the flank, using Wayne Rooney there
would have hindered his partnership with Emile Heskey and now
Jermain Defoe, while Walcott needed to find his feet as a right
winger first.
So Gerrard turned in what he came to call the graveyard shift.
It should never have been a hot-button issue, as plenty of
match-winning players operate from there, not
least Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry and
Ronaldinho, but no matter.
Middle man: With the added responsibilty of
captaincy, Steven Gerrard has flourished in a central role
Gerrard is no longer required there because Capello can
choose Milner or Johnson. With Gerrard returning to the centre, it
becomes a straight battle between three players for two
positions.
Gerrard and Barry would appear a better fit in that role than
Gerrard and Lampard. The problem is that none of the three is a
conventional holding player. That is the next riddle for Capello to
solve, at which moment Lampard and Barry may be reunited; but
this time, on the bench.