I've long rejected notions that Gerrard and/or Lampard should be moved on from but now it really is the time. Every game I watch of either one of them it seems to pass them by more and more, they still have game-changing moments within them but these days I don't think either of them can any longer control a game and can no longer be the keystone of a midfield.
Lampard's not having a great season and plays in a less attacking role, as does Gerrard. They don't have the legs anymore.
Really it just comes down to massive lack of squad depth compared to any other country. Gerrard I'm ok with if we use him in a midfield which actually has some balance in it. Which we won't.
Agreed. They've both slowed but Gerrard has been quietly engineering his positioning so that he operates just in front of the back 4. I'm actually surprised by Lampard. I'm sure I saw him playing better only 6 months ago, but the Chile game seemed to pass him by. I don't think he has quite the same skill set as Gerrard to be able to retreat. Both should be phased out in my opinion. There's enough quality around and it needs to be brought on.
The problem is that England don't have the right balance with Lampard and Wilshere and our defence therefore gets less protection. Gerrard and Barry seems to work and Carrick is a great playmaker but it is all about getting the right pairing or otherwise runners from midfield will overwhelm us, like against Chile.
Carrick Barry would be best with Milner as reserve. Gerrard is not a DM and isn't good at it. He also has very little range to his passing. It's either short passes sideways or back or the big 60 metre diagonal ball to an isolated forward that everybody raves about for accuracy but gains is nothing. Lampard was better than Gerrard last season but he seems to have fallen of the cliff now. Maybe last season was like a last 'second wind'. Problem is after Gerrard, Lampard, Carrick, Barry, Milner who else DM can come in from a 'new crop'? I think Roy is as frustrated with his options as we are TBH. He is continually trying to get new names on the pitch in a 'semi experienced' side but with many of them not getting regular game time it's a tough prospect and can only be a good thing for Saints' players who do get game time and 'the chance to play'. Man U try it as well with youngsters. Cleverley, Smalling, Wellbeck, Evans all getting plenty of game time. Whether you rate them or not is a different matter. I'll bet a few of the untried could do a blinding job given the chance. but how many chances does Roy have a season to get new players in for a couple of games?
Nathaniel Chalobah, Tom Carroll, Eric Dier. I'd play Phil Jones there at the moment, but obviously he got injured against Chile.
Shame that Rodwell has been so unlucky with injuries, I think he would be the one slotting straight in there if he had remained fit and carried on improving. We really need Hodgson to realise that he needs to play a holding midfielder before the World Cup or we're doomed. Currently, the answer is Carrick. Carrick and Barkley could be good if Barkley keeps it up.
That Pirlo chap is pretty useful in centre midfield for Italy. It's not always about running around at 100mph and tackling. Gerrard is our best passer and was great against Poland. I know it's fashionable to bash the golden generation, but Cole and Gerrard should still be among the 1st on the team sheet. Both have performed consistently well for England in over 100 games and deserve a little more credit from some. I do agree on Lampard. When he doesn't offer a goal threat he doesn't offer a hell of a lot extra and there should be someone with a bit more of an engine to get beyond the strikers which was his forte. I know it's just one game, but saw Chalobah against Finland Thursday and he was poor. The people who criticise Wanyama's passing ability would of burst a blood vessel. I don't see anyone in the u21 which is better than the senior side currently. We need a good blend of youth and experience and I think Roy has that in his selection he now has to decide how he wants to play and stick to it.
Roy has qualified for the World Cup despite a weakfish team and has given some new players a chance. It is very difficult for an international manager: little time for team practice and only a few games to work things out. I bet he would like to be adventurous at the World Cup and build for the Euros...after all that is what the FA has said. However, they would hang him out to dry on his own once the media got on his back after another poor performance. It would be impressive if the media could be truthful....support England and by all means hope for surprise results, but realise that we are not going to win the damn thing.
Cole I agree with but Gerrard was being outperformed by Lampard last season and barring a few little glimpses he has not performed well at all through the whole qualification. You can't really compare Pirlo to Gerrard. Pirlo is like Morgan, controlling the pace of the game and recycling possession well, keeping the ball moving. Similar in a way to Scholes in his later years. Gerrard is a gung ho box to box driving forward player. When he is asked to do the Pirlo role he continually looks for runners into the wide areas and pings a 60 yard pass straight to their feet but when they are isolated. This rarely comes to anything other than that player being dispossessed. His engine isn't there anymore and he isn't as clever a player as Scholes who was able to adapt from a striker in his younger years, to one of the best No10s in Europe to a box to box midfielder and later on a deep lying playmaker. Gerrard has just done the same thing all through his career and now he is getting older is unable to adapt to a different role. The only time in recent years he did work was when Barry was sweeping up in front of the defence and now people slate Barry. Carrrick is much more similar to Pirlo and calms the whole team play down but as seen over the last couple of years he cannot make up for the other midfielder who isn't performing and then Carrick gets slated for it. Gerrard after all has been the poster boy for England. It's about time that someone who can keep up and can play at International level was put in there and then Rooney might not have to do the midfield job for them. Then the Rooney haters could find something else from his game to complain about. Rooney is the same as Beckham was. The hardest worker in the team that gets frustrated having to make up for others and ending up getting slated himself for not sticking to his position.
Well, Gerrard is basically playing the Pirlo role for the team that's currently second in the premier league, so although he may not be the player he was, he must be doing something right. I see no reason he can't do the same for England provided he is played alongside someone who is able to do some of the legwork for him. The idea that Schneiderlin is more comparable to Pirlo than Gerrard is pretty laughable to be honest. The only similarity between Pirlo and Schneiderlin is their position on the pitch. Barry's playing well for Everton and may well get back into the England squad for the world cup on current form. Back to Gerrard though, he also covered more ground than anyone else against Poland and scored a goal in the last few minutes so I'm not sure it's entirely fair to say his legs have gone. Tonight will be a good indicator of exactly where he is in terms of the national team. I can't really envisage us going to the world cup without him though.
You haven't noticed that Morgan has been pinging the ball around this season then..? He does a nice line in aerial passes forward and out to the flanks from behind/within the centre circle. He's added more bits to his game. Not comparing him, but it's worth noting.
I can't say I've noticed him doing it significantly more than last season, no, and certainly not in a way that is comparable to Pirlo. He's always had a good range of passing but it's not really what his game is built around. Pirlo is a player who doesn't really put himself about, doesn't really tackle, but just kind of patrols around the midfield pinging balls to forward players, taking great set pieces to boot and generally oozing class. While Schneiderlin is a player I admire, he doesn't have Pirlo's languid style and doesn't really play in a remotely similar way. Schneiderlin makes a lot of tackles, runs around a lot more and gets forward a lot more than Pirlo does. They're completely different players. It's hard to make the argument that Gerrard is Pirlo's equal, but he is at least playing a similar role.
To say that someone is currently playing a role for their team is not the same as they are good at it. Liverpool are second because Sturridge and now Suarez since his comeback are on top form. Once one or both of them fall away from that form then Liverpool are going to struggle again. There are only 2 teams this season that put pressure on Liverpool's midfield. Liverpool lost both games and those 2 teams will play each other on Saturday. Also when looking at Schneiderlin comparisons to Pirlo you would have to look at Pirlo at the same age. Anyway like I said earlier we aren't really blessed with quality that isn't still in their first few caps so he will go to Brazil. We'll probably end up stuck with Cattermole as a DM after Brazil when Barry retires and that is really scary. lol
Well Gerrard currently tops the assists table for the premier league, and is third behind only Suarez and Silva in terms of key passes, so yeah, I'd say he is good at it. Why? And how does that change anything? Pirlo has pretty much always played the same way he is now.
