Thursday, September 18, 2008

put Gerrard on the bench for England

It was in Gerrard's absence that England produced one of their most impressive displays in recent years. The Liverpool captain was sidelined after a groin operation as his fellow countrymen destroyed Croatia 4-1 in Zagreb last week, Theo Walcott the hero with a well-taken treble.

The talismanic Red is fit again and has taken no time finding his form, putting in a match-winning performance on his return to Rafael Benitez's first XI with both goals in Tuesday's 2-1 win over Olympique Marseille.

Now Capello must decide whether to make room for the 28-year-old in his starting line-up for the World Cup qualifying clash against Kazakhstan on October 11. Opinions are bound to be mixed given Gerrard's superstar status and, in contrast, his relatively indifferent international record.

"The trouble with Gerrard is that he is one of the best midfielders in the world, he is vital to Liverpool and a figurehead for the England team," Redknapp said in 
The Sun.

"Two goals in Marseilles on Tuesday night underlined his importance and sent a loud signal that he is back all guns blazing after a minor groin op.

"However, Capello will have to wield the axe to accommodate him for the Kazakhstan game next month. And that is where the problem lies."

Brave Decision

The question is whether Gerrard will improve the team that destroyed the Croats, especially given the abundance of midfield talent at England's disposal.

Frank Lampard put in an unusually satsifactory display against the 
Vatreniand was man-of-the-match in Chelsea's win over Manchester City at the weekend; Gareth Barry has been as consistent as ever for Aston Villa; Joe Cole continues to prove his importance to both the Blues and the Three Lions; and 19-year-old Walcott is putting in a very strong claim for England's right-wing slot.

With such depth available, Redknapp believes Capello must fulfill his promise of ignoring reputations and leave Gerrard in the stands when the Kazakhs come to Wembley next month.

"Capello just cannot break up the side which demolished Croatia, gave England’s World Cup qualifying campaign a major shot in the arm and did wonders for confidence in the camp," the Pompey boss continued.

"If I were England boss, I’d have to make a brave decision and put Gerrard on the bench. 

"He is going to have to bite the bullet and accept there is no place for him at the moment. It is just a harsh reality of the football world. I’m sure Steven would take it squarely on the chin and realise he’ll be back in the side sooner rather than later. 

"There is no bigger fan than me of Gerrard. But if Capello claims he does not pick teams on reputations then this is a big test of that philosophy."

Borat

Redknapp added that Gerrard would not be a huge loss to England given Kazakhstan's relatively low standing in world football.

"The opposition for the next game does ease the dilemma a little if we’re honest," he said.

"Gerrard wants to play and win every game of course, but is missing out on playing Kazakhstan a real blow?

"They will probably have Borat in midfield because they haven’t exactly got the biggest pool of talent." 

source: Leslie May

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