England Captaincy: Gerrard can thrive on responsibility

England / Maxliu / 07 June 2010 / Leave a comment Free £25 Bet

Steven Gerrard will lead England in South Africa

The absence of England's captain should not be underplayed but his replacements are capable of rising to the challenge, says Max Liu.

"Punters still expect England to win Group C at [1.39]; they haven't kept a clean sheet for five games though, which makes [1.9] available on them conceding over 2.5 goals in group games appealing."

Rio Ferdinand is like a Labour government: you might not think much of him when he's there, but you miss him when he's not.

Manchester United know this because when Rio only managed 13 league games in 2009/10, their defensive record was worse than it had been for the previous four seasons.

England fans aren't so sure. They have largely reacted to his injury with indifference, which is down to two common tendencies: anti-United sentiment and the lingering suspicion that Rio is a laconic liability.

He is no such thing and England's tournament odds' drift to [8.8] suggests that punters know this. Ferdinand, who announced himself as a world class performer in Japan and South Korea eight years ago, possesses all the qualities that Fabio Capello admires in a modern footballer; mobile, cultured and committed, there's something worldly and un-English about his composure and ability to bring the ball out of defence. John Terry is relialbe and courageous but he hails more from the Terry Butcher than Franco Baresi school of defending.

Mind you, Ledley King is a capable deputy. He starred at Euro 2004 while Rio was serving an eight month suspension for missing a drugs test and, while punters have understandable concerns about King's fitness, he made more Premier League appearances than Ferdinand in the 2009/10 season. His recent performances for Spurs also make him England's most in-form centre-back.

The major positive which could come from Ferdinand's absence is a galvanised Steven Gerrard. The Liverpool midfielder will lead England in South Africa and the captaincy might inspire him to take a more prominent role. It's wrong to say Gerrard has never peformed well for England - he has and he's scored important goals at significant moments - but he was peripheral in the friendlies against Mexico and Japan. It will be ironic if, after one of his poorest domestic seasons, he plays with the panache and penetration we know him to be capable of.

Whether a change of captain at such a late stage - and the fact that England have now had three leaders this year - will undermine the team's continuity is questionable. Ferdinand had only lead the side twice and it might pay to remember that Bryan Robson, Terry Butcher and Peter Shilton all wore the armband as England reached the semi-finals of Italia 90'.

Punters still expect England to win Group C at [1.39]; they haven't kept a clean sheet for five games though, and Ferdinand's injury surely makes [1.9] on them conceding over 2.5 goals in group games more appealing. Meanwhile, they are [1.52] to beat USA [7.4] on Saturday. The draw - a not uncommon outcome in England's opening fixtures in recent tournaments - is available at [4.6].

What do you think - will England miss Rio? Is Gerrard the man to replace him? Let us know...

Tags: England football betting, Fabio Capello, Ledley King, Rio Ferdinand, Steve Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, World Cup football betting