Benitez in the Thick of It

Could the rumours really be true? Is it possible that Steven Gerrard will actually be granted the opportunity to play in central midfield, where he and virtually everyone else (with one or two exceptions) will swear he belongs? And, just in case he gets over-excited, is this merely to be a stopgap measure until the talented but less experienced Sissoko recovers from injury?

The Stubborn Spaniard has advanced the argument that it’s all about balance – the right balance for the team. The kind of balance which presumably, in the absence of Sissoko, prefers Bolo Zenden (a man who knows a lot about playing wide) in central midfield to Steven Gerrard, who is arguably the best central midfield player in the country.

As a balanced argument that leaves practically everything to be desired – and not least the wisdom of deploying your players according to their strengths. So you can readily see why it appealed to Steve McClaren, who no doubt will also take an age to appreciate how much more Gerrard can offer in a central position, even when the evidence is before his own eyes – though this is no more than we might expect from a man who regards Frank Lampard as England’s pre-eminent (and absolutely undroppable) central midfield player.

The more you think about it, the more you become convinced that Benitez and McClaren would make quite a team. Though it is doubtful whether Steven Gerrard would be busting a gut to be on the fringe of it.