England: Gerrard and Lampard?

[Forever A Shrimper]

Can they work together in harmony, if not... Why not?

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Yes, cf Euro 2004.

 

[TrueBlue]

Yes they get paid enough they will do as they are ****ing told!!!!

 

[Slipperduke]

No, Gerrard likes to be the big fish and refuses to track back these days. Look at the improvement in his performances since Rafa Benitez finally gave up arguing and brought Alonso and Mascherano in behind him to compensate for his marauding. Suddenly, he looks good again.

Lampard, as good as he is, isn't the best holding midfielder. I'd stick Hargreaves in behind Gerrard, maybe with Barry as well to replicate Liverpool's midfield three. We've barely got any decent strikers, so we may as well cut down and add a midfielder.

 

[number11]

Yes, cf Euro 2004.

Wasnt Scholes in there as well at that time and basically Lampard was on the left of a narrow midfield?

Id say they probably should be able to work together, but why would you want them to. Both want to do the same job, and neither would be as good as doing the less fancy job as Hargreaves or Barry. Looking at the personnel we have at the moment, in the absence of Owen finding form, Id be inclined to play a midfield three (Probably Hargreaves, Carrick and Gerrard) With Cole and someone on the right (Lennon) supporting Rooney from wide.

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

No. The styles don't match, the egos don't match, they've become a self-fulflilling prophecy of their inability to blend now that Gerrard doesn't work as hard as he used to, and in any event, the future is beginning to look like we should be playing a 4-4-1-1 as follows...

.............................James.......................

Richards.......Ferdinand......Terry..............A. Cole

Lennon.........Gerrard.........Hargreaves......J. Cole (or maybe Barry)

..................Rooney....................

................................Walcott.......................

We've done best in recent years when we've had a nippy striker up front being fed by talent just behind him (Beardsley / Lineker; Sheringham / Shearer; Scholes / Owen)... so, err, what's wrong with that as a tried & tested formula?

Pace hurts sides at international level, and in Lennon & Walcott, we have the men to hurt them...

That would be my line-up, anyway. And you simply pick Lamps or Stevie G for the centre-mid role alongside Hargreaves (or, conceivably, Carrick or Barry), depending on whichever is playing better at the time. Keep 'em on their toes, Mr. Capello...

Matt

 

[number11]

.............................James.......................

Richards.......Ferdinand......Terry..............A. Cole

Lennon.........Gerrard.........Hargreaves......J. Cole (or maybe Barry)

..................Rooney....................

................................Walcott.......................



Matt

Not bad team but think WAlcott has a lot to prove yet. As much as it pains me greatly to say, but you would have to have Defoe ahead at the moment (I feel sick).

Id go with James, Richards Ferdinand Terry (King if fit and playing regularly though) Cole, Hargreaves Carrick Gerrard, Lennon Cole, Rooney in a 4-2-3-1 kind of thng similar to how Liverpool have been lining up lately and how Chelsea and sometimes Man u do.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Wasnt Scholes in there as well at that time and basically Lampard was on the left of a narrow midfield?

Id say they probably should be able to work together, but why would you want them to. Both want to do the same job, and neither would be as good as doing the less fancy job as Hargreaves or Barry. Looking at the personnel we have at the moment, in the absence of Owen finding form, Id be inclined to play a midfield three (Probably Hargreaves, Carrick and Gerrard) With Cole and someone on the right (Lennon) supporting Rooney from wide.

Scholes was in there as well, but I think it might have been Scholes on the left. It was narrow anyway.

 

[leeblue]

no way, lampard is an attacking midfielder and thats about it, thus putting the stoppers on gerrard generaly bombing all over the place, forcing him to sit back and hold, would rather have hargreaves in the holding roll and let gerrard join in the attacks

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

no way, lampard is an attacking midfielder and thats about it, thus putting the stoppers on gerrard generaly bombing all over the place, forcing him to sit back and hold, would rather have hargreaves in the holding roll and let gerrard join in the attacks

The thing is when Lampard has missed England games, Gerrard hasn't been bombing all over the place and all these other fabulous attributes he is supposed to bring to the team. He's instead looked disinterested and gifted possession to the opposition with numerous Hollywood passes which rarely come off. Gerrard playing badly because Lampard is in the team is a myth perpetuated by Gerrard's golfing partners.

I'd build that midfield around Hargreaves.

 

[leeblue]

good point, I should have put 'Meant to' I dont think Gerrard is disinterested I honestly believe he tries too hard in an england shirt, I put this down to pressure/fear maybe, did you hear the england 'fans' booing against switzerland because we were 'keeping the ball'

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

good point, I should have put 'Meant to' I dont think Gerrard is disinterested I honestly believe he tries too hard in an england shirt, I put this down to pressure/fear maybe, did you hear the england 'fans' booing against switzerland because we were 'keeping the ball'

Gerrard doesn't seem to suffer from from trying too hard with Liverpool, where his effort has never been doubted. He certainly seems to go through the motions in friendlies rather than playing with pride because he wears the three lions. Scousers don't seem to be the most patriotic, and put Liverpool before England as a rule.

England fans booing that passing move against Switzerland was disgraceful.

 

[C C Csiders]

Scousers don't seem to be the most patriotic, and put Liverpool before England as a rule.

True, as a rule. Although this was never the case with Emlyn Hughes who was fiercely patriotic and run his guts out playing for England, despite his overtly Welsh name.

 

[Pubey]

one thing ive noticed is that having only seen gerrard twice (both for england)... so much of his work is off the ball. sometimes on telly you might not notice him, but he is covering every blade of grass, putting pressure on the ball, forcing mistakes and exactly how we view Nicky Bailey IMO. sometimes things dont come off for him when he is on the ball, and that's all you tend to see on telly, but it's his work off the ball that makes him such a talent IMO.

lampard gets a bad rap, and whilst he is probably a bit more clinical in the box.... gerrard is better at long shots, passing, tackling, set pieces, defending, work rate and heading.... so if it came down to either/or.... it would be gerrard all day.

 

[mattytheshrimper]

they don't work plus i hate lampard. gerrard and barry for me.

 

[samib]

Nobody has said anything about Crouch? Englands best player in the Croatia match (to be fair wasn't hard) and has a great goalscoring record at international level: 14 in 25 considering that he has come on as a sub for a lot of them. He also always seems to score for liverpool in the champions league (when he plays) and this is because players outside the prem don't like his height. I forgot to mention how well he linked up with rooney and gerrard in the 20 minutes i think he got against switzland as he helped set up a goal.

Carson/hart (Don't trust james)​

Richards Ferdinand Terry Cole​

Lennon or walcott Hargreaves Cole​

Gerrard (captain)​

Rooney​

Crouch​

 

[Flinty]

Nobody has said anything about Crouch? Englands best player in the Croatia match (to be fair wasn't hard) and has a great goalscoring record at international level: 14 in 25 considering that he has come on as a sub for a lot of them. He also always seems to score for liverpool in the champions league (when he plays) and this is because players outside the prem don't like his height. I forgot to mention how well he linked up with rooney and gerrard in the 20 minutes i think he got against switzland as he helped set up a goal.

Carson/hart (Don't trust james)​

Richards Ferdinand Terry Cole​

Lennon or walcott Hargreaves Cole​

Gerrard (captain)​

Rooney​

Crouch​

And you must be the fairy for your christmas tree formation then..:p


expecting a lot of work out of Mr Hargreaves...a very attacking team with no width

 

[samib]

And you must be the fairy for your christmas tree formation then..:p


expecting a lot of work out of Mr Hargreaves...a very attacking team with no width

Well obviously lennon/wlacott and cole will be playing on the wings you doghnut

 

[Flinty]

Well obviously lennon/wlacott and cole will be playing on the wings you doghnut

leaving 1nr midfielder in the middle of the park as you have Gerrard bombing on..........you plum...:finger:

 

[Deadly Monkfish]

------------------------James*--------------------

Richards---------King---------Ferdinand-------Cole


----------------Barry-----------Hargreaves---------

-------Lennon--------Gerrard-----------J.Cole------

-----------------------Rooney-----------------------


*I'd have James as he's currently our best keeper. Don't write off any of the other keepers around at the moment though. Green, Robinson, Foster, Hart, Carson. All of them are still in their twenties, I think Green and Robinson are 28/29 so they could have up to 11/12 years left in the game and the David James of ten years ago was nowhere near as good as the David James of the present day.