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By luck or design, England went ‘click’ this week. Time for City to do the same.

16th September 2007 By Rick Waghorn Leave a Comment

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A quote from one of this weekend's papers.

“The message is that it's not about individuals, it's about balance and about playing with attitude, commitment and passion…”

The author of that quote was not Canary boss Peter Grant, but rather England coach Steve McClaren after a week in which 'Second Choice' Steve's reputation has risen to unexpected heights courtesy of those two, back-to-back 3-0 wins against first Israel and the Russia.

Cue a hasty re-write of this autumn's expected script – the England manager's demise had been greatly exaggerated. He was, actually, a tactical genius. Either that or he suddenly got very lucky. Or both.

Right up to Saturday afternoon when Emile Heskey's international renaissance ended in typically Norwich fashion. Normal service had been resumed.

But on the back of City's efforts this weekend, there were one or two parallels to be drawn between McClaren's sudden change in fortunes and Grant's hopes of kicking a consistent run of results and performances together this autumn.

For at the heart of that vastly improved England effort lay that word 'balance' – above all, it was there for all to see in the middle of that England midfield where Steven Gerrard found a perfect foil in Gareth Barry.

A right-footed surger and a left-footed prodder and passer, the two clicked. End of.

It was interesting to note a remark from Barry afterwards that in some earlier England youth life, he and Gerrard had been mates; the two gelled – just as much off the pitch as on it.

Maybe 'balance' is the wrong word; the two aren't identical players. Perhaps 'complement' is better – the two players complement eachother perfectly; if one does have a weakness, then that tends to be the other's strength.

One will naturally open up his body and pass one way off his stronger foot; the other will, by the same token, do the same – only off the opposite stronger foot.

They are in harmony – in opposing, yet wholly complementary styles. They work. As a two, they click. Just as much as an Ian Crook and a Jeremy Goss worked; just as much as a Gary Holt and a Damien Francis did, albeit on the park rather than off it.

That same argument could, of course, be applied to virtually each and every other department in that England side – Heskey-Owen up front, Richards-Wright-Phillips to the right, the Coles to the left… Click, click, click.

Terry-Ferdinand does a job. For me, their cause is not helped by Paul Robinson behind them – Arsenal's opener at Spurs on Saturday hammered home that point again; that there is a big opportunity there for someone of Ben Foster's ilk to grab. Robert Green, even.

The best individuals? Or the best balance? The latter, most definitely. Most would suggest that both Owen Hargreaves and Frank Lampard would shade Barry individually; as a foil for Gerrard? Wayne Rooney for Emile Heskey is an obvious gimmee, but as a player to bring the very best out of Michael Owen?

He wouldn't exactly be the worst substitute in the world.

It is a logic that is worth applying to this current Canary crop as Grant continues to mix and match, to dabble in the kind of player alchemy that, ideally, delivers play-off gold as opposed to mid-table green.

Could Simon Lappin and Darel Russell work as a central midfield two, given the balance left and right that exists there? Of the positives, the way in which Luke Chadwick and Jon Otsemobor linked down the right offered promise; Adam Drury has long lived with the trials and tribulations that comes with playing behind Darren Huckerby in a 4-4-2.

Two, big pals – at this level you ought to be able to get away with them as a pair. Particularly when Huckerby is in full flow going forward.

But that's the trick; by luck or design, that's what McClaren stumbled across last week – the beauty of playing 4-4-2 when all your pairs match.

Arguably, on Saturday's evidence, Grant has two of his five 'pairs' getting there – Croft versus Chadwick is an on-going debate, but for now left and right wouldn't be my principal concern.

It's the three pairs that effectively run the team through the middle that have yet to be nailed down – David Strihavka challenges Cureton-Brown; Grant's remark afterwards that, with the ball, Russell and Brellier were too similar leaves a question mark over their compatibility; it's still perm two from three and a loan at the back where the only thing that stops Dublin's name being penned in for good is his age.

To complete the England comparison, just as McClaren now has to contemplate keeping the likes of a Lampard and a Hargreaves on the bench as the Barry-Gerrard show takes centre stage, so the impending return of Jimmy Smith gives Grant further food for thought.

The trick there, of course, might be to revert back to a three in midfield – something that has never, really suited England's purposes that well either.

Two's company, three's a crowd runs the old saying and it has its supporters in a football context – that if getting that perfect, complementary balance in a two is hard enough, getting the same level of harmony in a three is next to nigh impossible unless you can afford the bespoke articles; the real deals.

Shop at Harrods, to borrow from the Middlesbrough chairman's phrase, and you can get a Lampard, an Essien or a Makelele to make a three work; shop from Tesco's and it is altogether harder to get the kind of ingredients you need to make such a midfield mix to rise to the occasion.

But that's clearly the challenge that lies in front of Grant and his No2 Jim Duffy as this season begins to gather pace; that in the heat of Championship battle, they – just like McClaren – have to find an answer to their prayers; they have to find a team that clicks; five pairs that match. Either that or two threes that gel.

Not easy – certainly not when injury comes to call time and time again. Not easy – not at Charlton away and then Wolves away.

But that's what you need. A team that goes 'click'. Just like England did.


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Filed Under: Column, Rick Waghorn

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