Piping down at the back
by Herr PaulSven Goran Eriksson has a serious problem. No, not Nancy Dell’Olio. Or his increasingly erratic behaviour both on and off the field. No, Eriksson has a new problem. Where once his central defensive options were manifold, they have now, suddenly, dwindled.
At the turn of the year, Eriksson could choose between John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, Ledley King, Jonathan Woodgate and Jamie Carragher, while Sol Campbell was expected to recover in time for Germany ‘06. This sextet was the envy of the world pundits told us, but after last night’s friendly win over Uruguay at Anfield Eriksson is left scratching his head.
With Jonathan Woodgate’s nightmare season taking another turn for the worse – after winning over fans at the Bernabau during a brief, uninterrupted run in the Real Madrid team – and Sol Campbell’s astonishing, and slightly worrying, disappearing act, the door was left open for Rio Ferdinand to really stake a claim for a starting berth in Germany. But a lacklustre performance last night had the pundits in rampant mood this morning:
“Rio Ferdinand’s complacency led to the sort of errors that might have proved terminal. In particular, Ferdinand’s botched attempt to perform a Zidane-style roulette against the alert Mario Regueiro in the first five minutes spoke of an exaggerated faith in his own skill.” Richard Williams, The Guardian
“England collapsed to their dreary, unimaginative worst - a period when all the hallmarks of this team in crisis could be identified: a bad challenge from David Beckham, a lapse of concentration from Rio Ferdinand, the increasing desperation of Wayne Rooney to involve himself in a meaningful passage of play.” Sam Wallace, The Independent.
“Casual at the back and continually gave the ball away. He was a worrying liability. Will have to get his act together — and quickly.” The Sun
So is Ferdinand a real liability, as The Sun calls him? It seems Eriksson, after showing the Manchester United defender commendable loyalty during the past six months, may be losing his patience. With Woodgate’s return still not guaranteed, and Campbell unlikely to be match fit even if he does decide to return to football, England have serious problems at the back.
March 2nd, 2006 at 9:15 pm
The problem is compounded if Carragher is required to cover left-back. Wes Brown has come into the reckoning, but England’s central defence is no longer over-resourced with in-form world-class talent. Apparently Terry is not as convincing for Chelsea this season either, but I think the whole Chelsea team may be suffering from ‘winning fatique’.
With Carragher, King and Brown in the squad we’ll hopefully be OK - but an in-form Ferdinand, or fit Woodgate, would probably be a classier partner for John Terry.
March 3rd, 2006 at 9:04 am
Worst comes to the worst, dust off the old guard and get Southgate and Ehiogu back in the squad. Or Upson for a bit of young blood. Or maybe even Anton Ferdinand. And lets not forget Danny Mills has World Cup experience. And if Ledley King is pressed into service at the back, then who better than Michael ‘Les’ Dawson to keep him company?
March 4th, 2006 at 3:14 pm
Has Terry Butcher retired yet? I think he’d add character to the back four. Slightly lacking in pace maybe, but that never did Andy Sinton any harm
March 6th, 2006 at 2:43 pm
I’d rather see Pat Butcher in the back line. She’d bring some much needed style and flair to the team. Maybe Roy Evans could also be introduced in a coaching role.
Seriously though, I’d like to see Titus Bramble given a chance.