woh
Monday, October 15, 2007
Hmm... Frank Lampard back in the squad to face Russia? Stupid decision by Steve McClaren if that goes through. Dropping the in-form Shaun Wright-Phillips in favour of a big name, overly-paid midfielder who earns his money by constantly letting balls fly? A 4-3-3 formation against Russia? Disrupting the harmonious 4-4-2 formation everyone is so
damn used to? After so many good decisions, like recalls of players such as Emile Heskey, David Beckham and most recently, Gareth Barry, Steve McClaren's
gonna get the beating of the British media and press if he does all the above against Russia, and more importantly, doesn't win.
You see the thing is, Steven Gerrard and Lampard can't play together. Lampard's attacking role he usually takes is where Wayne Rooney plays, and the latter is for one that would not really be dropped by McClaren. And when Lampard plays, Gerrard's attacking instincts, which defers from Rooney, is reduced, he has to play more defensively, which he is good at too, but all this does not benefit England, or McClaren's job security. It would be a great loss for England if Gerrard isn't playing as the offensive midfielder. England have Barry, Owen Hargreaves, Michael Carrick to play in that defensive midfield role, so why force the very infamous Lampard back into the first eleven?
Barry offers a real sitting back option, simple Makelele-like distribution, and the odd defence-splitting ball.
Hargreaves is a tireless worker, willing to cover for Gerrard and the two full-backs.
His passing isn't that bad either.
Carrick is the last option. Not much pace, but great passing ability. Not much
tackling ability, but much commitment.
So as you can see, there are at least two players who offer much more benefiting options for England than Lampard. Just put the
guy on the bench... Bring him on when one midfielder is injured, or when England is losing a game. He is just overrated.
Lampard sucked for many competitive games in midfield. Gerrard was just not as good as he can be when playing in a competitive game that did not need him to be at his best when England was already 3-0 up by the 35 minute mark.
Do your math if you're still pondering.
One more thing, why can't England just play Rooney with a target man, when Michael Owen isn't performing? England could just start the game with Owen on the bench. Rooney could play with a target man, like Peter Crouch, Dean Ashton or Heskey. Why does Owen have to play? Owen could be the supersub for England now, just coming on in a bid to make use of his great finishing abilities to try to win or equalize a game. A target man could win headers and knockdowns when balls from Rio Ferdinand and John Terry is pumped upfield at times of desperation or lapses of creativity. That target man has to be mobile too and provide other qualities for England, not just his height. Wayne Rooney is the perfect match as he plays behind and can supply the balls to the wings which can provide the crosses those target men desire. Rooney can also cover any midfielders with his hard running and hard tackling. His passing and long range shooting is also very admirable. So for me, England's ideal formation, on paper and on current form is.:
1. Paul Robinson (Tottenham Hotspur)
5. Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United)
__ 6. John Terry (Chelsea)
2. Micah Richards (Manchester City)
__________________________ 3. Ashley Cole (Chelsea)
4. Steven Gerrard (
C) (Liverpool)
___ 7. Gareth Barry (Aston Villa)
8. Shaun Wright-Phillips (Chelsea)
______________________________ 11. Joe Cole (Chelsea)
9. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
__ 10. Dean Ashton (West Ham)
The backline is pretty settled, with Micah, Rio, John and Ashley looking quite a formidable quartet. Stevie G and one of Barry, Hargreaves or Carrick should play. Aaron Lennon could compete with SWP and Joe Cole for one of the two flanking spots. Wayne Rooney and one of Ashton, Crouch or Heskey should finish the line-up. And who could forget? Paul Robinson... Another mistake, bring in Scott Carson!
Bye~!
my thoughts at 7:41 pm