Can Lampard and Gerrard play together for England?

Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard

The Lampard-Gerrard debate isn’t exactly a new one. Both are two of the most talented midfielders of their generation and both rank among the best ever midfielders to come out of England. Both have represented their country and have played many matches together. However, despite the fact that both are influential players for their respective clubs, they have never managed to reproduce the same form for England.

On the face of it, the partnership would never work well simply because both players are far too similar to actually compliment one another. Both are goal-scoring midfielders who like to get into the final third as much as possible, although Gerrard can play in a deeper role as well. Nevertheless, the fact that neither of them is defensively inclined means playing the two of them together in a two man midfield isn’t necessarily a good move.

Sven Goran-Eriksson first began to use the two of them together when England used to play a 4-4-2 formation. The fact that both of them are similar meant neither of them could be as effective as they would be if deployed alongside an enforcer-like midfielder. A two man midfield should ideally possess one deep-lying playmaker alongside a defensive midfielder, although a box-to-box midfielder can also be used if he does his fair share of defensive work. Lampard isn’t exactly renowned for his defensive work; Gerrard does track back quite regularly when possession is lost but he isn’t very defensively inclined. Naturally, the duo struggled whenever they played together for England, especially against some of the bigger teams. Both are exceptionally talented in their own right, but they cannot play together as a duo.

The fact that they couldn’t replicate their club form for their country led to a fair share of criticism. It can’t really be put down to them though; the partnership was doomed from the start. This was something that was recognised by Fabio Capello, and the Italian began to deploy Gareth Barry in midfield.

The simple fact is that Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard are two very gifted footballers, but they simply cannot play together in a two man midfield. Roy Hodgson will no doubt be taking both of them to Brazil come the summer of 2014 but if he chooses to play a 4-4-2 or a 4-2-3-1 formation then one of either Lampard or Gerrard will have to be dropped. Given that Gerrard is currently the captain of England, it seems likely that Lampard will be the one chosen to sit on the bench. Hodgson also has Michael Carrick and Jack Wilshere as midfield options, which means Lampard will find it much harder to nail down a regular spot in the side. The fact that his Chelsea form has been mixed won’t exactly help his case.

Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard cannot play together in midfield unless Hodgson decides to go 4-3-3, as he has done on a few occasions during the qualifiers. However, history has shown the world that the two cannot play together as a midfield duo.