When Fabio Capello says he has learnt from the World Cup embarrassment let us hope he has learnt what England fans have known for years, balance is the key to everything.
When I say balance I mean players must play in their best positions. It means that Steven Gerrard must play in centre midfield, and that must not be alongside Frank Lampard. Every England manager has tried to find a combination that includes both of these players, but two impressive wins against Bulgaria and Switzerland has shown the nation and hopefully Fabio Capello that if England are to move on and rebuild England must have a balance that suits every player on the pitch – not two players who want to play in the same position.
With all the positive talk about England’s performance during these two internationals, come October 12th we will see how much Fabio Capello has learnt from this week and the World Cup. With Frank Lampard injured Capello didn’t have to make the decision of does he stick with Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard? In an ideal world Capello like every manager would like to play the same XI, but that happens very rarely in International football. Already England is without James Milner after he picked up two yellow cards meaning he is suspended for the next game. Without Milner this leaves the left side of midfield empty and there is a possibility England could go back to Steven Gerrard playing out on the left and Frank Lampard returning alongside Gareth Barry in the centre. Putting it simply one simple change could see England take two steps backwards and going back to how they played during the World Cup and all the positives from these two performances are instantly forgotten and met with groans and disappointment.
Now this is my point, with Theo Walcott and Adam Johnson being in sensational form for both club and country, and as long as Walcott’s ankle injury is not serious, why not move Adam Johnson over to his ‘natural’ left side, keeping Theo Walcott on the right side and continue to build towards the future. Capello if he chose to could follow the modern way of right footers on the left and left footers on the right (think Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry – Barcelona under Frank Rijkaard) put Theo Walcott left and Adam Johnson right allowing them to both cut in and link up with Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney and Jermaine Defoe.
There is also the option of replacing the suspended Milner with former team-mate Ashley Young who has made his reputation playing on the left side; cutting inside delivering killer balls with someone like Jermaine Defoe would thrive on. But let’s hope Capello does not go with Shaun Wright-Phillips who somehow managed to sneak back on the pitch replacing Wayne Rooney during England’s convincing 3-1 victory over Switzerland.
England will no doubt finish top of this group, whether they perform or not, but what England need is something to build on and work towards. A new revolution and less pressure can sometimes work in the favour of International teams – such as Germany in the World Cup this year. What Germany had that surprised others was a system they knew, a real balance that allowed Mesut Ozil and Bastian Schweinsteiger to influence the game the way England need Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney to do in England’s quest for qualification for Euro 2012. What Germany also had were players who could come in and instantly fit into a system, something England showed signs of developing this week as long as they keep everything ‘balanced’. There is no better replacement for Steven Gerrard in a central midfield position than Frank Lampard and whether it is Theo Walcott or Adam Johnson who starts right-side they have the other waiting in the wings to instantly fit into that position.
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