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Venables - "Carrick has to play but there is no room for Owen or Crouch."

Terry Venables Interview
by Martin Samuel - news of the world

SOMETHING has to give if Sven Goran Eriksson is to find a team to win this World Cup ? and that something may have to be Michael Owen.

England's attacking strength is in midfield, which means Eriksson has to find a way of getting the most out of Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard.

That means putting Michael Carrick in the holding role ? but the numbers will not work unless we rest a striker.

It is too late to play three at the back and we have identified the current midfield quartet as the heart of the team so, while it pains me to say it, we have to sideline one of our front men.

In fact, with Wayne Rooney now fit I'd go further than that ? we have to rest the two strikers who have started England's World Cup campaign.

My England team to play Sweden, and beyond, would line up 4-3-3: Paul Robinson; Jamie Carragher, John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, Ashley Cole; Steven Gerrard, Michael Carrick, Frank Lampard; David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, Joe Cole.

Why Rooney? Simple ? he is the one player capable of doing everything that is required of England's front man, holding the ball up, linking the play, scoring the goals.

If he is fit, I would start him on Tuesday, with Carrick holding to get the best out of Lampard and Gerrard. Whatever our results in the first two games, nobody can claim that our present set-up is working. The match with Trinidad and Tobago was tougher than many imagined ? as it always will be when an opponent puts 10 behind the ball ? but it does not have to be that difficult.

With some minor repair work and the introduction of Rooney, I'm convinced England can win the World Cup.

This is no slight on Owen or Peter Crouch ? they will both have important roles to play, but from now they would have to do it from the bench.

It is not Crouch's fault that we have become a long ball team with him in the side.

It is certainly of no great use to him to have the ball played up in such a crude way, if anything he is better with the ball at his feet.

Yet from the start against Trinidad and Tobago we were sucked into this direct style which gets the worst out of our strikers.

Owen is unhappy with his back to goal and it is not as if Crouch can score from that position, either ? no striker can.

I know how this is supposed to work. The idea is that the ball is played up and Crouch holds it until joined by the midfield.

But our quality was not sufficient to make this work. We were playing speculative long balls from the back and by the time Lampard had set off to link up, the move had broken down.

Trinidad coach Leo Beenhakker said we lost patience, but I think he is being kind ? we didn't seem to have any from the start.

When did we get our breakthrough? When Becks finally hit Crouch with a ball he could run on to. Ask all strikers ? you have to face forward to score.

If we are to get the most from Crouch we have to stop thinking of his size and start playing to him as we would any other striker. Adriano of Brazil is a big man, but you don't see them change their style one bit. They know which way to run to score goals. I feel sorry for Owen. He does not look his usual self and that has to be a fitness issue.

If England were playing in a way that got the most out of him he might overcome it but, if anything, he is even less suited to England's style than Crouch.

From now, it should be that he is introduced to games to give the opposition a headache. Starting him has not worked.

So Rooney holds the key. He is a goalscorer, a link man and can play with his back to goal if the occasional ball is launched from deep.

Playing him would allow us to get the most from our wide midfielders, Becks and Joe Cole, just as playing Carrick would allow Lampard and Gerrard to push on, without leaving the defence unprotected.

We should spare a thought for the much-maligned Owen Hargreaves. He only gets handed cameo roles, often out of position and yet he has what England need.

He defends quickly, has a snappiness to his tackling and can pass the ball quickly and accurately. His medals won at Bayern Munich tell me he deserves respect. Playing

Beckham and Cole high, in a shape like Chelsea's 4-3-3, means most of the service would be in front of Rooney, coming on to the ball and unleashing his shooting power.

There could also be variation in attack with Becks checking inside and Gerrard going outside to provide crosses from the right. The 4-3-3, can easily become 4-3-2-1 in this way, with Beckham and Cole supporting Rooney.

Were Rooney to tire, Owen or Crouch could replace him ? Owen would be a lot happier getting crosses that he could meet ? while Aaron Lennon could inject pace on either flank, even if it means moving Beckham to right-back.

I've said all along that this is not about what suits one man.

We are here to win a World Cup, not keep a handful of stars happy. It is too late for 3-5-2 or the variations that could have kept all of our biggest hitters in the team. We go with a shape the players know.

But there won't be room for everybody at the table. Sorry. I've checked ? 11 it is.

By  Gamblog UK, at 11:07 PM