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Arsene Wenger has backed forward Theo Walcott to become a “great football player” for Arsenal – and England. Walcott has been hampered by injuries and a dip in form, and after the match against Egypt said he may struggle to make England’s World Cup squad. However, the Gunners boss is convinced Walcott, 20, will progress: “I believe Theo will be a great player, he is young, he will have a great future. “For a while people expected too much and now they are too hard with him.” Wenger reiterated his belief in his young attacker after former England winger Chris Waddle questioned Walcott’s England credentials, claiming the Arsenal man “doesn’t understand the game”. “Don’t worry for him,” added Wenger of the player who cost the Gunners £5m when they signed him from Southampton in 2006.
“I believe Theo has not only a football brain, but he has a brain – that means he will continue to develop at a very quick pace. “I believe in him because he has a fantastic attitude, he’s an intelligent boy and highly motivated.” The winger’s season has been hampered by injuries to his back, knee, hamstring and ribs, but Wenger has previously stated his belief that England boss Fabio Capello will include him in his squad for the World Cup in South Africa this summer. After returning to fitness with Arsenal, Walcott started for England in Wednesday’s friendly against Egypt at Wembley before being replaced by Shaun Wright-Phillips after 57 minutes. Capello must pick an initial 35-man World Cup squad by 12 May, with a 1 June cut-off date set by Fifa for teams to name their final 23-man squads. |
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By Lee Dixon
BBC Sport pundit |
If there is one area of the England team that has divided opinion in recent years, it is the midfield.
The perennial problem for the England manager used to be who would play down the left.
The main bone of contention then became whether Chelsea’s Frank Lampard and Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard could play together in the middle, but, thanks to Gareth Barry’s success as a holding midfielder, that is no longer an issue either.
The Manchester City left-footer is now a regular in the England set-up, enabling the likes of Lampard and Gerrard to play successfully in the same team and do what they do best.
Barry might not have the X factor of his Chelsea or Liverpool rival, but his importance to England is illustrated by the fact he has started nearly every game since he was brought into the side during qualifying for Euro 2008.
But does Barry limit England’s attacking options in some games? Or would he be helped in other matches by having another holding midfielder next to him, like Manchester United’s Michael Carrick?
In this week’s World Cup scouting report, I assess Barry’s importance to the England team and ask whether he is the best man for the job.
Barry’s reputation and worth was underlined two summers ago when Liverpool wanted him to replace Xabi Alonso. That move to Anfield never happened and Barry ended up staying at Aston Villa for another campaign before joining City at the start of this season.
The 29-year-old has admitted that under former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson he had despaired of ever making the international breakthrough. But under the Swede’s successor, Steve McClaren, he got his chance and almost instantly provided balance and stability to the England midfield.
Barry is definitely in the driving seat as far as the position of holding midfielder is concerned, although things could have been different had Manchester United’s Owen Hargreaves been fit.
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BARRY AND CARRICK THIS SEASON
 29 – League appearances – 28
7 ——— Assists ——— 2
2 ———- Goals ———- 2
36 – Total England caps – 21
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Hargreaves was arguably England’s best player at the last World Cup, but the former Bayern Munich player’s career has been blighted by knee injuries, allowing Barry to capitalise. Hargreaves is nearing a return to first-team action at United but it is unlikely he will play in South Africa.
Hargreaves’s club-mate Carrick is a certainty for the England squad, however, although I think he will be hard-pressed to make the starting XI.
If you play Barry and Carrick together from the start, you either have to lose one of your key players in Lampard or Gerrard, or sacrifice width by taking off your right winger. That’s unlikely to happen, although England manager Fabio Capello could turn to Carrick if he wants his team to shut a game down or maintain possession.
West Ham’s Scott Parker and Tottenham’s Tom Huddlestone have been suggested as possible contenders, but I think they are way behind Barry and Carrick in the pecking order. If you throw into the mix the likes of Aston Villa’s James Milner or Tottenham’s Jermaine Jenas, then England are not short of central midfielders.
Capello already has plenty of options. The skill, of course, will be in picking the right blend.
Barry is the type of player who has never been blessed with blistering pace, but as a holding midfielder you do not really need it. He is very good at keeping things simple and retaining possession, which is something that England have failed at in the past.
But there is a lot more to Barry’s game than that.
At Arsenal, Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit were capable of doing some great work with the ball, but they also took it in turns to sit in front of the defence and protect the back four. Having that type of player who can work in a crucial area of the pitch we call “the hole” helps relieve pressure on the centre-backs.
At international level, you often get players who operate between the midfield and the defence. It is a huge advantage to have that type of player in your side, as you can see from the graphic above.
The holding midfielder and centre-backs form a little triangle, helping the team avoid being pulled out of position and thus preventing gaps from appearing in defence.
Some teams, like Liverpool or Spain, now like to play with two holding midfield players. There was a degree of that with Vieira and Petit, although Vieira usually had licence to go forward and Petit tended to do the sweeping up.
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If England had a fit Hargreaves then he would be the most suited to that holding role
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England have had some success when employing Barry and Carrick together in the centre of midfield. They improved the team’s second-half display against Egypt at Wembley and worked well together in the 2-1 win over Germany in Berlin in 2008, although both games were friendlies.
In my view, Carrick is not as much of a shield in front of the back four as Barry, so that is why the City man has the advantage. Barry does not come across as a typical ball-winner – like Hargreaves – but you should not underestimate his tackling skills. He closes space down quickly and breaks up attacks.
What Barry and Carrick both have going for them is that they can pass the ball. In that holding position, you need to be good with the ball or have someone close by to whom you can give it.
Take former Chelsea and Real Madrid midfielder Claude Makelele. He was a master of winning the ball and then giving it to the players around him. Barry and Carrick offer a bit more than Makele in that they can create and score goals.
England’s opponents in Group C are the United States, Algeria and Slovenia, so Capello might not need to play a holding midfielder at all. You could go for 4-4-2 and be a bit narrower. In that scenario, Milner might come into the reckoning.
But if England opt for an attacking line-up, as Capello seems to prefer, featuring an out-and-out winger like Aaron Lennon on the right, plus Gerrard and Ashley Cole on the left, you need a defensive-minded player to sit in front of your back four to cover.
If England had a fit Hargreaves, then he would be the most suited to that holding role, but in his absence I would opt for Barry ahead of Carrick, who is a very good player to bring off the bench.
You need a game plan but you also need a ‘Plan B’. England have that with Barry and Carrick.
Lee Dixon was talking to Alistair Magowan
Is Milner close to usurping Lampard in the England team?
Of the many stories that emerged from last weekend’s FA Cup semi-finals, there was one that may have been overlooked. Sure, there was Portsmouth’s shock victory over Tottenham, renewed criticism of the Wembley pitch, and John Terry’s tackle on England team-mate James Milner, but Frank Lampard also bagged his 22nd goal of the season for Chelsea. His strike sealed a 3-0 victory over Aston Villa and helped put the Blues on course for a league and Cup double. It also meant Lampard has now scored more goals in a single season than ever before. And with the World Cup in South Africa just over eight weeks away, that can only be very good news for England.
Last week, Lee Dixon talked about the defensive midfield options for England boss Fabio Capello. As far as the attacking midfield role is concerned, the 31-year-old Lampard is once again the man in pole. But there are a few challengers to his position, including Milner, who has surprised many, including me, with the way he has adapted so well to the central midfield role at Villa. He has been a real force this season and his form has had Capello rightly purring. I’ve already outlined my thoughts for the right side of England’s midfield and next week I will look at the choices on England’s left, but this week I will assess Milner’s chances of breaking into the England midfield. THE CONTENDERS
It is pretty safe to say that both Lampard and Milner will be in Capello’s provisional squad when it is announced on 16 May. In my view, both will make his final 23-man squad on 1 June, too. Milner’s versatility means he can play anywhere in midfield, but he has a tough job getting into the starting line-up. He is not going to beat Lampard, Steve Gerrard or Gareth Barry to a starting spot, so that leaves the right side of midfield. But with pacy pair Aaron Lennon and Theo Walcott vying for that position, would Milner make it? Michael Carrick is a contender in central midfield, of course, but Dixon spoke about him last week and feels he is more of a holding midfielder. Milner provides more dynamism and has definitely overtaken the likes of Jermaine Jenas in the pecking order. From an attacking perspective, England’s midfield is blessed with riches. Not only can they call upon Lampard but there is always the option of bringing Gerrard into the middle. Personally, I think that is the Liverpool captain’s best position. The problem for Gerrard is that employing Lampard in front of Barry proved very successful for England in their World Cup qualifying campaign, so I don’t think Capello will change that. Why would you want to alter something that has worked so well? STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
The fact that Milner is pushing for a starting spot has come as a pleasant surprise to me, but I’m not shocked he is looking a certainty for England’s World Cup squad. I know him quite well from the time we played together at Newcastle. I can tell you first-hand that he has a tremendous attitude and works very, very hard. What impressed me most about him was that he always wanted to improve. He was one of those players who you had to drag off the training pitch. It appears he is reaping the rewards for all that effort.
Milner is a pretty smart lad, too, and was always prepared to listen. I expect he relishes working under managers like Martin O’Neill and Capello. With five goals and 12 assists in the Premier League so far this season, he is definitely a creative player with attacking intent, but he still has some way to match Lampard. The former West Ham midfielder has scored 20 or more goals in his last five seasons at Chelsea, an incredible achievement for a central midfielder – albeit an attacking one. A lot of strikers would be delighted with those kind of statistics. I think that puts his achievements into perspective. But there is a lot more to Lampard than just his goals. For a start, only Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas has more assists in the Premier League than the Chelsea star this season – Lampard has 12 of them. There is his hunger and desire, too. It seems if you are beyond 30-years-old and you have one bad game, you are past it, but Lampard has not had many of those over the last few years. For me, he just keeps getting better and better. His goalscoring record this season backs that up. It helps that he plays the same role for England as he does for Chelsea, although he did feature in a slightly different position earlier in the season under Carlo Ancelotti. VERDICT
Gerrard might be more suited to playing an attacking role in the middle of midfield, but Lampard is my choice. England have flourished with the Chelsea man in that position, qualifying with ease for the World Cup finals in South Africa. As for Milner, he is a very good option to have on the bench, although I think there is more to come from my former Newcastle team-mate. Alan Shearer was talking to Alistair Magowan of the BBC |
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