Steven Gerrard was accommodated in the England side for many years as a result of his lofty reputation and club form. This was despite the fact that his performances at international level were consistently disappointing. Within a supportive club context at Liverpool, Gerrard flourishes in a central role. With two defensive midfielders bolstering the team, Gerrard usually plays an advanced central position for Liverpool (usually) behind Fernando Torres. A little further back in time, Dietmar Hamann provided the defensive shield which reduced Gerrard’s defensive concerns.
For England, the team set-up has been less able to provide the reinforcements to support his talismanic attributes. In addition the fear of vilification is greater when playing for England, when performances are considered to represent the nation. At international level, Gerrrard formed a much maligned pairing with Frank Lampard with neither player looking comfortable in the absence of a genuine defensive-midfielder. But nor did Gerrard really assert himself on the few occasions he was allocated to a more advanced central role. For example, when Sven Goran-Eriksson placed a holding player behind Gerrard and Lampard at World Cup 2006, this failed to spark any upturn in performance. Gerrard’s place within the national team might have come under threat if his form had remained indifferent. But Fabio Capello struck upon a ploy that has significantly boosted Gerrard’s displays for England: he now tends to play in a nominal left-sided role with licence to drift infield.
It may have seemed that a laissez-faire, work it out yourself approach would be the best way to stimulate creativity and attacking proclivities. Free from constraint, the artist or performer is free to express themselves in any manner that they see fit. In actuality, exercising a craft in a formless context with no clear brief can be psychologically constricting. It is the blank canvas which engenders anxious inertia! Sawrey & Weisz also highlight the links between stress and decision-making. In fact, decision-making is stress. When electric shocks were administered randomly to rats they did not develop gastric ulcers. However, when they needed to walk over an electric grid to obtain food and water, thereby making a decision whether to attain a shock or not, then ulcers developed. The narrower parameters of an inside-left role have provided a firmer but more facilitative prescription of action for Gerrard. Excessive decision-making within a more demanding central role (within a context that is more oriented to hostility than his club environment) had previously neutralised Gerrard’s effectiveness. Gerrard still takes up central positions for England when required, but this is a clear tactical response initiated by the coach. When left for 90 minutes to forge an on-pitch relationship with a non-complementary central midfielder whilst living up to excessive national expectation, the decision-making stress was too high.
Capello didn’t just place Gerrard on the left in a vain endeavour to fix the problem of England’s midfield. He reconfigured the side to enable the most talented players to operate effectively within the same team. He also reduced some of the psychological pressure by reducing decision-making stress, whilst bequeathing the clear but flexible parameters within which players such as Gerrard could confidently express their skills. However, Gerrard was used with Lampard in central-midfield against Japan, with both of them sitting behind advanced midfielder Joe Cole for the majority of the second-half. With Owen Hargreaves unavailable, Barry struggling to make it for the start of the tournament and the other central-midfield options failing to convince, Capello could be forced to field Gerrard and Lampard in the middle again. Landon Donovan and co will hope to benefit from the increase in decision-making stress across England’s midfield!