Steve to give Lescott the Cole role

By MATT LAWTON

Last updated at 00:01 16 October 2007


Steve McClaren could spring a surprise in Moscow on Wednesday by handing Joleon Lescott a daunting full competitive debut and leaving Frank Lampard on the bench.

The England coach continued to

keep his players guessing

on Monday but their training

session on a plastic pitch at a

school in Altrincham pointed to

just two changes to the team

who beat Estonia 3-0 on

Saturday.

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Joleon Lescott

While a fit-again John

Terry will return for Sol

Campbell, yesterday's action

would suggest that Lescott will

replace the injured Ashley Cole

at left back.

McClaren has considered a

change of formation as well as

personnel, switching to a 4-3-3

line-up that would allow

Lampard to return as part of a

three-man midfield. Given that

Guus Hiddink likes to organise

his Russia side in a 3-4-3

formation, there is certainly a

case for such a reshuffle.

But the players now feel that

McClaren will resist the

temptation to tinker with a

winning formula and remain

faithful to a team who secured

a fifth successive 3-0 win in this

European Championship

qualifying campaign.

After missing Saturday with a

knee problem, Terry came

through yesterday's session

unscathed and was given the

all-clear by the medical experts

from Chelsea and the FA to

travel on England's afternoon

flight to Moscow from

Manchester.

While McClaren should again be

admired for having the

strength to make tough

decisions, one has to hope it is

not a rigid 4-4-2 he intends to

deploy at the Luzhniki Stadium.

Against Russia at Wembley he

positioned Emile Heskey wide

left of Michael Owen and urged

Shaun Wright-Phillips to push

forward, thus creating a front

three, and he should consider

doing the same this time.

Wayne Rooney has played wide

left for Manchester United

before, while Wright-Phillips

can again join the attack.

Selecting Lescott is a bold

decision, but one that was

difficult to avoid in the absence

of Ashley Cole and Wayne

Bridge. Phil Neville is

predominantly right-footed

and Nicky Shorey has suffered

from a loss of form at Reading.

Lescott looked a little nervous

on what was his debut against

Estonia, which was perhaps

understandable as he came on

as a second-half substitute for

Rio Ferdinand then had to

switch to left back when Ashley

Cole disappeared with a badly

twisted ankle. McClaren,

however, recognises Lescott as

defensively sound on the flank

— a role he filled regularly for

Everton last season.

As the squad arrived in Moscow

last night, Steven Gerrard

reminded his team-mates just

how important a contest this is

tomorrow evening. 'The

incentives and rewards from

this game are massive,' he said.

'A draw wouldn't be a bad

result, but we know that we can

qualify with a win and that's

what we're aiming for.'

Gerrard likened the game to

England's crunch qualifier in

Istanbul four years ago.

He said: 'I can remember the

tremendous atmosphere in the

dressing room before that

game. You looked around and

you knew you could trust the

player next to you. We gave

everything and came through.

The feeling now is similar.'

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