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Jerrad Peters: How I see it
15 October 2007

I have never masked the fact that I do not endorse Steve McClaren’s tenure as England manager. That said, the man is clearly growing into his job and looks to have had a stroke of genius over the weekend.

I am one of the many who holds that many of McClaren’s key decisions have been forced upon him through injury and suspension. The recall of Emile Heskey was brilliant and instrumental in not only a pair of 3-0 victories, but a trio of Michael Owen goals. However, if Wayne Rooney had not been injured and Peter Crouch suspended, Heskey’s name would never have been in the mix.

Similarly with the reintroduction of Gareth Barry. Injuries to Frank Lampard and Owen Hargreaves prompted the call-up of the Aston Villa left-back turned midfielder. And, even more than Heskey’s, his inclusion was monumental against both Israel and Russia last month and Estonia over the weekend. Alongside Steven Gerrard, the 26-year-old has been nothing short of a revelation. His passes have been boot-to-boot and, more to the point, his positioning has allowed the England midfield to function with more fluency than it has in years. Even with Lampard’s return to health, dropping Barry at this point would be inconceivable.

Now to the stroke of genius. I love Frank Lampard. I think that he is a tremendous player and I rate him highly. He was the engine-room of back-to-back Premier League titles at Chelsea. Admittedly, however, the midfield partnership with Gerrard has never blossomed. And I find it extremely unfortunate that it hasn’t. Lampard and Gerrard are the type of players that a country produces once or twice in a generation; and to have them available to England at the same time should be a boon for the national team.

Regrettably, I feel that England have not done enough to help them succeed together. Under McCLaren and Sven-Goran Eriksson before him, I think everybody just thought the two would eventually gel. When it didn’t, the fans and media turned on Lampard.

I see no reason why Lampard and Gerrard didn’t combine to form an unstoppable midfield duo. England might have hired a coach with the specific mandate to work exclusively with both of them. They should have spared no expense. As if money has ever been an issue at Soho square. Then again, I suppose Juninho, one of the world’s premier players, never got a real crack with the Brazil squad. Neither, until recently, Juan Roman Riquelme with Argentina. The best players do not necessarily make the best team. But you just get the feeling that if England could utilize both midfielders, they would be well near unstoppable.

Finally, cross your fingers, it appears as though McClaren has got his finger on it. I have long advocated the use of a 4-3-3 formation for the England team and, unless he has a change of heart before Wednesday, the manager seems to have come around to my way of thinking.

England do not need out-and-out Beckham-esque wingers. They do not have them; and why they have constantly persisted in employing a pair of wide midfielders is beyond me. For starters, they have nobody to properly patrol the left. Joe Cole is not a natural in that role. Stewart Downing is rubbish. Besides, Micah Richards and Ashley Cole are wonderful attacking full-backs. They provide ample width and have enough pace to get back behind the ball.

McClaren’s plan for the Russia match calls for Gareth Barry to play in the centre of the park. He will sit deep in the formation – just in front of the defense. Lampard and Gerrard, to his left and right, respectively, will have cart-blanche to attack. Michael Owen will be the centre-forward and Shawn Wright-Philips will play to his right. Wayne Rooney will make his darting runs from the left.

For the first time in his fifteen months at the helm, McClaren has got it bang-on. He is playing to England’s strengths – not trying to stick players where he won’t get the best out of them. Each player in this formation is comfortable and accustomed to the role that he’ll be assigned in Moscow. With any luck, this will be the formation that the manager takes into Austria-Switzerland.