How About Gerrard At Right Back? (Part II)

Filed in archive England on June 19, 2006

image: football co.uk

A recent post suggesting Steven Gerrard should play right back for England against Trinidad was less than popular. One Soccer-Weblog reader even commented that "You sound like one of the few people id like managing england less than sven." Ouch.

In my defence, it wouldn't be my first choice to play Gerrard a right back for England, but with Gary Neville out injured and the Lampard/Gerrard partnership looking as disorgainsed as ever I saw it as a way of letting Lampard play his natural game alongside a holding midfielder (Carrick/Hargreaves) and allowing Gerrard to provide a real attacking threat from the right. Just for one game. I'm sure Liverpool fans would rather see Gerrard as the attacking central mid alongside a holding player but there comes a point where you have to be realistic and accept that Sven will not choose between Lampard and Gerrard.

In the end Sven came up with an even wackier scheme. When Aaron Lennon came on for Carragher (who, as I predicted, was solid but didn't have the quality going forward) he dropped Beckham to right back allowing Lennon to run at Trinidad's left back.

It worked a treat. Lennon's terrifying pace, and the fact that he could beat the left back at will, created a bit of extra space, allowing Beckham to put in the cross for Crouch's goal.

So, what next? Gerrard will be rested for the Sweden game due to his one yellow card, but in the second round Sven will more than likely return to the Cole, Gerrard, Lampard, Beckham midfield. And England will look uninspiring again.

In many ways the Liverpool fans who complained are just as guilty as Sven. They understandably love Gerrard, he's amazing, but it doesn't do him or Lampard any favours to have them play together. A compromise needs to be reached, and Gerrard playing right back against Trinidad was a more likely solution than Lampard not playing at all.

Next week: Why Wayne Rooney should play in goal...