England
will wait for Beckham
By Henry Winter (Filed: 11/04/2002)
ENGLAND will give David
Beckham, their captain and creative catalyst,
until
the eve of the World Cup finals before even considering replacing him
for the summer showpiece following encouraging bulletins on the
midfielder's foot injury yesterday.
Beckham's
importance to England's cause is immense, not least because of his
prowess at free-kicks, one of which, against Greece at Old Trafford, swept
England into the finals. "When David lines up a free-kick, you see
the opposition shaking," said the England defender, Sol Campbell,
yesterday.
England are not over-stocked
with those skilled at transferring a still ball into a chosen area. Paul
Scholes and Michael Owen are fine at dispatching penalties but, in
addressing a free-kick, neither can bend it like Beckham. Scholes,
particularly, drills them hard straight but it is Beckham's ability to
swerve a speeding ball that guarantees Sven-Goran Eriksson will wait as
long as possible to give him a chance to regain his fitness.
Kieron Dyer is a candidate to
assume responsibility at free-kicks
as is Owen Hargreaves, who often delivers set-pieces for Bayern
Munich, but only Teddy Sheringham, who is not expected to start, comes
close to even hinting at matching Beckham's menace at free-kicks.
The free-kick issue is a
serious one. The lesson of recent tournaments reveals that many free-kicks
are awarded early on as referees implement new FIFA strictures. After a
few card-filled matches, the players get the message, see what officialdom
are not tolerating and start behaving. The free-kick and card count dips
accordingly. England need Beckham fit for the start of the tournament when
free-kicks will abound.
FIFA have ordered this
summer's World Cup referees to clamp down on shirt-pulling and any acts of
"simulation" (cheating), particularly when such misdemeanours
occur around the penalty area. Such situations offer golden opportunities
for Beckham. "Games can come down to set-pieces," added
Campbell. "You need someone to put decent balls in and David
can."
It is worth waiting for
Beckham's left foot to heal simply so that England can inflict pain on
opponents via Beckham's right foot at set-pieces. United declared
yesterday that Beckham would be out for "six to eight weeks"
while the Football Association's chief executive, Adam Crozier, said the
absence could actually only be "six weeks".
The prognosis is more
optimistic than initially feared when Deportivo La Coruna's Aldo Duscher
crashed into Beckham, because the bone broken, a second metatarsal bone in
Beckham's left foot, is surrounded by strong bones supporting it.
Everyone has expressed relief
that it is Beckham's left foot, and not his fabled right, that has been
damaged but they forget that it is his left that bears his body weight
when he strikes the ball with his right. Beckham places a phenomenal
pressure on his left foot when taking free-kicks, corners or just passing.
But like the highly motivated
Roy Keane,
also
currently lame, Beckham is a determined figure and, if anyone can defy
the gloomier medical prognoses, it is the committed and disciplined
England captain. "His attitude is spot-on and he will do everything
in his power to get there," said David Platt, the England Under-21s
coach, of Beckham's chances of making the World Cup. "He's the type
of player Sven will wait on."
The expectancy is for
Eriksson to name his talismanic captain in his final 23 on May 7 and hope
Beckham regains his sharpness in time for England's opening game on June
2, against Sweden in Saitama. Encouragingly, FIFA said yesterday that
Eriksson could take Beckham to the finals and then fly in a replacement as
late as May 30 should the midfielder struggle. Platt's under-21s are on
standby for late call-ups.
The message from his England
colleagues was loud and clear: they want Beckham on board the plane to
Japan and Korea. Campbell spoke for all of Eriksson's players when he
said: "I feel for David but he will still go to the World Cup, even
if he's just getting back to fitness. Sven will take a chance because
David's fantastic, a world-class player.
"David's a part of the
team and you need all the different cogs in place for the team to run
smoothly. If we keep on going in the competition, you never know, he may
play a game. Obviously, it's going to be difficult for David - a broken
foot is a broken foot."
As well as enduring the
initial pain, Beckham must undergo some serious remedial work when the
cast is removed if he is to experience any of the World Cup.
Understandably "devastated", according to his father, Ted,
Beckham was driven by Dwight Yorke to United's Carrington training ground
yesterday to plan his recovery.
United and England kept in
contact during the day. "I have spoken to the club," added
Crozier, "and I understand that the prognosis is slightly better than
it was last night - about six weeks. We're still hopeful about the World
Cup."
Eriksson added: "This is
a real blow for David personally, for Manchester United and for England
but there is nothing we can do about it. I am sure that the medical staff
at Manchester United will be doing everything in their power to ensure
that David recovers fully and quickly."
