Time for Capello to turn off Lamps
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Time for Capello to turn off Lamps
It's time for Fabio Capello to bring the curtain down on Frank Lampard's international career.
Lampard was on the bench against Bulgaria and will only slip further down the pecking order when Steven Gerrard and Jack Wilshere return from injury.
Plus there are promising kids like Tom Cleverley and Jordan Henderson snapping at his heels - the writing certainly seems to be on the wall for the 33-year-old.
Lampard has been a good servant over the course of his 87 caps, even though he and Gerrard never quite worked out how to play in the same central midfield.
There comes a point in every player's career where you are declining, others are on the rise, and time catches up with you.
Frank is an intelligent man and he may realise himself that he has reached that point, even if he doesn't admit it publicly.
We need fresh talent, although our development hasn't been helped by the cavalier attitude shown to the Under-21 side.
Teams like Germany and Spain gel because they have been playing together for years, but our best young players shunned the chance to play in the Euro U21s.
It was supposed to help them come into the new season in peak condition, but you only have to look at Jack Wilshere and Andy Carroll to see the flaws in that argument.
Wilshere could be out until December with an ankle injury, and may well be wishing he had played when he had the chance.
As for Carroll, he was sent off on holiday and has come back out of shape. I saw him in Malaysia in pre-season and he was clearly not fit, and he still hasn't had the match time to regain his sharpness.
Clearly his lifestyle is an issue, though I don't think Fabio Capello should have mentioned Carroll's drinking earlier this year.
It might be frustrating for him when he only sees his players 10 times a year and they turn up out of shape, but his concerns should be voiced privately.
It is disrespectful to the player and his club to be so vocal, and I can imagine Kenny Dalglish wasn't too happy.
After a decent performance against a poor Bulgaria side, a lot of people will be expecting England to wipe the floor with Wales.
I'm expecting a tough test against a team who are on a high after beating Montenegro.
The most important thing at this stage for England is not the result but the performance.
Managers often say they are happy to win while playing badly, but the best ones do not mean it.
Sir Alex Ferguson is very much performance-oriented - when I was at Manchester United we would get absolutely slaughtered if we played poorly, even if we won.
Focusing on performance is the only way you improve, and that's something the best countries like Spain and Holland do very well.
The challenge for England should not be qualifying for Euro 2012 but competing in the latter stages of the competition.
And we have a lot of improving to do if we want to be involved at the sharp end in Poland and Ukraine.
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I will never turn down England, says Frank, despite losing his starting place
Look who's back: Frank Lampard battles with Jack Collison
Frank Lampard has insisted he will not give up on England and vowed to prove wrong those who have written off his international career.
The Chelsea midfielder wants to add to his 88 caps and be part of the Euro 2012 finals, even though he will turn 34 during next summer’s tournament.
Lampard admits his form needs to improve but is promising to fight for a place in Fabio Capello’s squad. ‘People can talk about my age for as long as they like,’ he said. ‘There’s nothing better in football than proving people wrong and I’ll try to do that for as long as I can.
‘I’d love to get to 100 caps but it’s not something I’m going to hang around and be trying to do if it’s not there. I’ll just be proud to play for as long as I can.
'There are only two ways I won’t play for England — if I don’t get picked and if I found it beneficial to my long-term career at Chelsea. I’ve never expected to play for England. I’m very proud to play and if your form is good, the manager will pick you. I want to be a big part of the squad. It’s simple. I don’t know what all the fuss is about.’
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Frank Lampard has never reproduced the same form for England. He is one of the worst whenever he puts on an English jersey. No creativity and has never scored for england in a major tournament.
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