David Beckham
LONDON – Hours after saluting David Beckham as one of the world’s best right-sided midfielders, England coach Steve McClaren reportedly was preparing to bench the Los Angeles Galaxy star for the European Championship qualifier against Croatia on Wednesday.
Several major England daily newspapers, including the Independent, Daily Mail and the Times of London, reported Wednesday the 32-year-old midfielder would be relegated to the bench.
With Russia heavily favoured to beat Andorra, England needs at least a draw against Croatia to avoid missing the finals of a major tournament for the first time since the 1994 World Cup.
In October 2001, Beckham’s goal from a free kick earned a 2-2 draw with Greece and sent England to the World Cup. The 32-year-old Beckham, who was injured for much of his first season in Major League Soccer, will make his 99th appearance if he comes off the bench.
But at lunchtime, McClaren was lavishing praise on Beckham – pointing out how his big-match experience could be vital in the final Group E qualifier at Wembley.
"He’s one of the best players around in that position on the right hand side, and to have him in the squad is invaluable," McClaren said.
He even suggested that he might gamble on Beckham’s fitness for such a decisive encounter.
"There’s risk in everything, but experience is invaluable in these situations," McClaren said. "It’s a big game and you need a big-game player.
"It doesn’t matter what age you are, you can still be a big-game player at 18, at 33 – and we need them."
Beckham was England captain under former coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, but was dropped by McClaren when he took over after last year’s World Cup.
With new talent struggling, Beckham was recalled in May to revive the qualification campaign. He played a decisive role in Estonia, as well as featuring in friendlies against Brazil and Germany before his injuries kept him out of four matches in September and October.
But now he appears to be replaced in the starting 11 by speedier Shaun Wright-Phillips.
In another bold move, Aston Villa goalkeeper Scott Carson is expected to be handed his first competitive start in favour of error-prone Paul Robinson, who has retained his spot for more than three years. Robinson faltered in Zagreb 13 months ago to hand Croatia a 2-0 victory.
Although he didn’t reveal his choices to reporters at their lunchtime availability, McClaren privately disclosed his starting lineup to the players early Tuesday evening.
However, he hinted to reporters that younger players might be preferred.
"You need the experience but also need the innocence of youth to just go out and do the job," he said.
Source: Beckham may not start against Croatia
