Can Lampard be the England Number 8 Again?

By Zain Alvi | 27th March 2009

englandvkazakhstanfifa2010worldcupqualifierp84cz0v2czal

Can Lampard be the England Number 8 Again? | read this item

Related News

englandvkazakhstanfifa2010worldcupqualifierp84cz0v2czal Fabio Capello may have led England to one of its best starts in a World Cup qualification campaign. However, as the Three Lions’ last outing against European Champions Spain suggests, there is still a lot of learning to do for Mr. Capello before he gets his starting eleven completely right. At least I feel this way.

To start the likes of Phil Jagielka and Stewart Downing is not exactly irrational. But given that Capello had a determined Micah Richards and an in-form Ashley Young on the bench that night, these decisions came as quite a shock. However, as far as I am concerned, the biggest blunder on the Italian’s part was to drop Frank Lampard yet again in favor of Gareth Barry.

I know a good bunch of England fans (perhaps the majority) will disagree with me. They believe that Barry is a more sincere and hardworking player compared to Lampard, who they accuse of not caring at all about England. In fact, this anti-Lampard movement was initiated by the very fans who jeered their own number 8 at every single home game that England had played, following a disappointing World Cup campaign in Germany 2006.

Then-England manager Steve McClaren finally got a reason to give in to the fans’ demands, and replace Lampard with Barry for the first time, when the Chelsea talisman suffered through a long-term injury at the beginning of the 2007-08 season. To signal this move as somewhat permanent, Barry was awarded Lampard’s number 8 shirt as well.

While Barry performed well on an individual level, his contributions were not significant enough to improve England’s form drastically. The fact that the England side controlled its own fate going into the last Euro 2008 qualification game was not down to Barry’s genius. Rather, it was down to Israel’s shocking win over England’s qualification rival Russia.

I refer to that final qualification game as the defining moment where Lampard put his best foot forward to prove his critics wrong. He returned to a conservative starting line-up, where he was accommodated by both Steven Gerrard and Gareth Barry in a packed England midfield.

On this dismal night for England, Lampard stood out and finally brought his incredible club form to the International stage as well. As England trailed by two goals early on, he refused to give in, as demonstrated by his brilliant ball distribution. Finally, when England were awarded a penalty, the Wembley crowd roared as Steven Gerrard held the ball and began walking towards the penalty spot.

That moment was unforgettable. A player of Gerrard’s class was walking towards the penalty spot with all the support in the world from the fans. And yet he looked even more nervous than he did at Istanbul, in Liverpool’s historic Champions League final clash with Milan.

At that moment, Lampard took the ball from Gerrard and volunteered to take the penalty. Thousands jeered him for no good reason, given that he was only taking responsibility in a situation as nerve-wrecking as this. Maintaining his composure, Lampard swiftly ran up to the spot and converted calmly to bring England back into the game. In an instant, he reminded the English fans that he was just as loyal and hardworking as he had been in a brilliant Euro 2004 campaign.

Despite Lampard’s great efforts, however, England failed to qualify for the Euros, and McClaren got the sack. As Capello took over, Lampard was once again ignored and Barry continued to gain the preference. With no disrespect to Gareth Barry, Lampard is capable of helping England’s cause much more than Barry can.

For starters, Lampard has played with a huge club – Chelsea – for the last half a decade, and has won a series of titles in this time-frame. Therefore, he has experienced the pressure of big-game situations, much more than Barry, whose Aston Villa side has won nothing significant in this time-frame. Besides, Lampard is in sizzling form for Chelsea right now, almost exclusively driving a title challenge that, not too long ago, seemed over for the Blues.

Therefore, if Capello still refuses to give Lampard’s position back to him, as the Three Lions get set for International action over the next week, I doubt there is a valid reason behind it. And no, saying that Lampard has generally failed to convert his club form on the International stage is not a valid reason for his omission, as almost the entire English team is guilty of this.

For that purpose of preferring club over country, some do not even feel that a spot in the International team is worth fighting for. But at the end of the day, if justice is to prevail, I feel Lampard should be welcomed back as the England number 8 once again.

Will Lampard make a comeback in England? Have your say in the forum or comment on this article below!

Zain Alvi says:

March 29, 2009 at 6:07 pm

To reiterate what I also stated in the article, his ball distribution is often misjudged. Of course there are days, where like every other player out there, Frankie does not pass as well as he can. But on his day, his playmaking abilities are a testament to how well he can pass. There are too many instances to cite here but for example, remember the 2007 FA Cup final where he chipped Didier Drogba clear against Manchester United. To say that he can’t pass after looking at such videos is a travesty.

As for not being able to play with Stevie, that is not exclusively Frankie’s problem; Stevie shares the blame. Hopefully after that 4-0 win over Slovakia, where Frankie scored yet again to highlight his importance to the Three Lions, this England side can put away Ukraine and be well on its way to the WC next year.

Reply to this Comment
Faraaz says:

March 28, 2009 at 4:24 pm

problem is, Lampard can’t pass. And he cannot play with stevie

Reply to this Comment