Gerrard has found perfect partner

Sep 14 2007 By Liverpool Daily Post

STEVE McCLAREN is convinced he has found the perfect midfield partner for Steven Gerrard in Aston Villa’s Gareth Barry.

With the exception of two friendly appearances against South Africa and Serbia, which amounted to a grand total of 14 minutes on the pitch, Barry was completely overlooked by Sven- Goran Eriksson throughout the Swede’s five-and-a-half year reign.

It meant by the time Barry stepped into the breach to help rescue injury-ravaged England’s Euro 2008 qualifying campaign last weekend, it had been almost seven years since his last competitive appearance.

That outing against Finland in October 2000 was so long ago, the ‘old’ Wembley was only just in the process of being closed down.

How fitting therefore that Barry has lit up the magnificent new arena England now call home over the past five days.

In summing up the 26-year- old’s first-half display in the win over Russia on Wednesday, the notoriously hard-to-please Alan Hansen suggested it was ’perfect’. Statistical boffins claimed it was the 89th minute before Barry misplaced a pass.

To come back from the international wilderness in such a manner is truly startling and, having settled on Gerrard as the man he needs to build a team around, it seems McClaren has now found a very able deputy.

"If you had seen him in training with Steven during the week, you would have seen the blend and balance was perfect," enthused McClaren.

"It is not difficult to quantify what he has achieved because we have all seen it.

"I have been watching him and his form for Aston Villa has been fantastic. We actually brought him back in the summer and he did very well in the B game against Albania.

"I know he was disappointed not to remain with us for the matches against Brazil and Estonia but he kept going and has now got his opportunity."

A major factor in any sport at the highest level is a need to take chances when they arise.

It is entirely plausible Barry would not even have been in McClaren’s squad had David Beckham, Owen Hargreaves and Frank Lampard all been fully fit, still less actually start both games.

But now Barry has presented McClaren with a major selection dilemma.

His three main midfield rivals, plus Michael Carrick, who never even made the bench last night, may have more European experience for club and country, but Barry is the man in possession and it would be immensely difficult to justify leaving him out when England tackle Estonia at Wembley on October 13 expecting to collect three points which will leave them on the brink of qualification.

Wisely, given the likelihood of injuries being picked up in the four weeks before he names his next squad, McClaren is not about to become embroiled in the relative merits of each individual.

But, in the same way Emile Heskey brings out the best in Michael Owen, if Barry, in his own neat and understated way, makes Gerrard feel comfortable, McClaren will not need to think too long.

"Gareth has been in squads and he has been left out of them but he has remained patient and then come in and done the job we have asked of him," he said.

With Wayne Rooney due to return as well for the Estonia clash, which is followed by a return encounter with Russia which will effectively determine England’s fate, McClaren suddenly has options opening up all over the field.

As with Barry, Heskey could regard himself as extremely unfortunate if he did not keep his place, although the temptation to recall Rooney must be huge.

Nevertheless, for McClaren and England as a whole, the qualification picture is looking a lot more pleasant than it did when the coach was subjected to such a merciless torrent of abuse in Barcelona last March.

A minimum of five points will be needed if England draw in Russia, while a win over Estonia, followed by a victory in Moscow would take McClaren’s team into next summer’s finals with a game to spare.

"We are in pole position and it’s up to us now," said McClaren. "We have a break now, which is a bit of a disadvantage, but we have shown in the last two games exactly what we can do and how we can play."