If David Beckham was hoping for an early return to international football, the Real Madrid midfielder will have watched Steven Gerrard’s inspiring display in England’s 5-0 defeat of Andorra with a growing sense of gloom.
Asked once again to fill the right-hand position that Beckham had for so long made his own, Gerrard responded with the kind of performance he has previously reserved for Liverpool and that, more than any other single factor, ensured England got their Euro 2008 campaign off to the expected comfortable start.
England coach Steve McClaren was anxious to stamp his own identity on the position he inherited from Sven Goran Eriksson and took the bold decision to drop the previously untouchable Beckham in an attempt to finally get the best out of Gerrard and Frank Lampard.
And on the evidence of his first two games in charge, McClaren has got it right, with Gerrard emerging as the dominant figure despite having lost out to John Terry in his quest to be installed as the coach’s new captain.
Admittedly Gerrard excelled against arguably the weakest team in the whole competition, but without the midfielder’s drive and all-round quality England could be mulling over yet another underwhelming display against inferior opposition.
But there could be no denying that while his teammates were growing increasingly frustrated at their inability to build on an early two-goal lead, Gerrard took the game by the scruff of the neck and put his side back on course.
The midfielder, who will win his 50th cap in Macedonia next week, had already made an impressive mark when he chested down Ashley Cole’s 13th-minute cross and crashed an unstoppable drive past Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Luis Alvarez to claim his 10th international goal.
Then, with England struggling to break down the visitors’ 11-man defence, a five-minute burst of sheer energy rejuvenated England as an attacking force and culminated with a superb, curling cross that simply demanded to be volleyed home by Jermain Defoe for England’s third.
From that point England assumed a more convincing grip on the game, although the way they failed to add more than two second-half goals to their first-half haul ensured McClaren’s joy at claiming three points was constrained.
But if Gerrard continues to revel in his new-found freedom, the coach’s new-look England can look forward to more challenging opponents with increasing confidence. — Sapa-AFP