Midfield pair must improve

Wayne Rooney might hold the key to England's chances of lifting the World Cup in Germany but the Manchester United ace can't be expected to do it all on his own, which is why it's now time for some of the other star names in Sven Goran Eriksson's squad to answer the call to arms.

For me, Frank Lampard has had a poor tournament so far and if I was picking the team at the moment, he probably wouldn't be in it.

However, it looks as though the Chelsea midfielder will keep his place against Portugal tomorrow and this could well be his last big chance to redeem himself.

Midfield was always going to be the key battleground against the Portuguese, and that's certainly the case now that Deco has been ruled out of the game through suspension.

The Barcelona star is Portugal's most important player, so to lose him for a game of this magnitude is a massive blow to Phil Scolari - and that's where England can capitalise.

If there's one area where England have strength in abundance then it's across the centre of the park.

Lampard and Gerrard are both big talents for their club sides and they command a huge amount of respect across Europe.

But neither player has really reproduced that form as yet in Germany, which is why they owe their country a big performance this weekend.

As good as Rooney is, he can't beat teams all on his own; he needs some help from the guys around him.

In all likelihood, Sven will probably stick with the 4-5-1 formation that worked quite effectively against Ecuador in the previous round.

That means Michael Carrick will again act as a midfield anchor, with Gerrard and Lampard given the licence to get forward and support Rooney in attack.

If those two can strike the right balance between defending and attacking then I'm sure England will prove too strong for Portugal.

Get it wrong and it could be another painful exit at the hands of Big Phil' - England's nemesis.

Agree? Disagree?
Click on the 'add comment' button below to have your say