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Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard

Craig

World Traveller
Nobody can dispute their form they have been in for Liverpool and Chelsea respectively, none more so with Lampard being runner up in the player of the year polls, and making him top of the rumours with moves to Man U and even Inter Milan (dont know if the Inter bit is true or not).

Steven Gerrard has been the reason why Liverpool finished 4th with Harry Kewell having a good year, off set by injuries, and the inconsistent form by Michael Owen, and really is critical to his side's success.

The upcoming Euro 2004 tournament to me is crucial for their careers and for England to do well. If they do very well, I think we can start putting them up towards world class, instead of good and then very good?

Agree or not?
 

Craig

World Traveller
Who will start ahead of Lampard? Nicky Butt? He cant even make the starting line-up at Manure.
 

marc71178

Eyes not spreadsheets
Yes, but he's playing a completely different role to Lampard - you can't just stick any players in wothout thinking of the balance.
 

roseboy64

Cricket Web Content Updater
Lampard plays in more of a forward role than Butt.He plays more attacking while Butt plays more defensively.
 

Neil Pickup

Cricket Web Moderator
Gerrard is already World Class. Without him Liverpool wouldn't have made the top half.

I reckon Gerrard and Lampard will alternate in the back of the diamond/holding role in a similar way to that Lampard and Makelele do at Chelsea.
 

Craig

World Traveller
So England's midfield should/could look like this:

Beckham (c)-Scholes-Lampard-Gerrard

?
 

garage flower

State Vice-Captain
Neil Pickup said:
Code:
      Scholes
Lampard     Beckham (c)
      Gerrard
With Lampard and Gerrard alternating

Really is essential that England get the best out of Gerrard and, to a lesser extent (as I don't think he's quite as good), Lampard.

Not sure how you do it, but I don't think the holding role is necessarily the answer. He may resort to his oft-used tactic - for England - of sitting deep and attempting 70 yard Beckham-style passes, which he doesn't do as well as Beckham or, indeed, well enough for it to be effective.

He needs to be in a position where he has plenty of license to drive forward with the ball, presumably a central midfield role in a "flat" 4-4-2. Then, of course, you're back to the interminable left-side problem. If only Ryan Giggs had.........
 

superkingdave

Hall of Fame Member
I think it could be a case of Scholes or Lampard. Gerrard has to play and i don't think he can play in the holding role either.
 

Craig

World Traveller
marc71178 said:
Because Sven likes Scholes too much.
Which he hasn't got the same scoring record for England as he has for his club.

I suppose Scholes, like Dyer and Joe Cole can play as support strikers, justify England only taking four strikers. Or rather Sven's justification.

I personally would of had Alan Smith or Jermain Defoe offer Dyer. I think Euro 2004 is a good time for Dyer to open his goal scoring account for England which stands at 0.
 

marc71178

Eyes not spreadsheets
Craig said:
Which he hasn't got the same scoring record for England as he has for his club.
For a number of reasons - for a start, the way the team is set-up.


Craig said:
I think Euro 2004 is a good time for Dyer to open his goal scoring account for England which stands at 0.
No kidding?

I would have though that if he were yet to open his scoring he'd have 10 International goals...
 

garage flower

State Vice-Captain
Still no resolution to the Gerrard/Lampard and indeed entire midfield positional/formational conundrum after the insipid display on Tuesday.

Just to try and inject a little spark I'd like to see - from left to right - J Cole, Gerrard, Beckham, Dyer as the Midfield 4, forgetting about "diamonds" and the like. Then I'd probably play Scholes off Owen, with Rooney/Lampard on the bench.

Definitely won't happen - and probably wouldn't work - but it would have the advantage of having at least a couple of midfielders playing in positions they actually play for their clubs. We'd also have - shock, horror - players who can go past people! Now wouldn't that be a thing!

On a more realistic note, it would certainly appear that Butt will replace Lampard if we stick with the "diamond".
 

Craig

World Traveller
Poor guy.

He was England's best player last season and attracted interested from the likes of Inter Milan, Juventus and even Real Madrid apparently, and yet because of the midfield formation, he sit's on the bench for his country.
 

Oli Norwell

School Boy/Girl Cricketer
I'd much rather Lampard played than Butt, and I'd like to see Vassell on from the start in a few games. I'd also replace in the squad Heskey with Defoe.

Nice to see Lampard score today, he's really come on a lot during the last 12 months.
 

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