'Gerrard led but wasn't followed'

In an article for today's Sunday Telegraph, columnist Henry Winter assesses Steven Gerrard's performance as England skipper in the 1-1 with USA. Here's an extract from the piece.

Only one English lion looked like he belonged in Africa. Only Steven Gerrard really rose to the occasion of an opening World Cup game, scoring for England and driving his team on but too many of his teammates faltered on the highveldt last night. The captain led by example but sadly nobody followed.

Even Wayne Rooney was off the pace, sparking into life only when Gerrard moved near. The pair are friends off the pitch, on the same wavelength on it and England's manager, Fabio Capello, must restructure his side to ensure they are closer together. The likelihood is that Gerrard may be shifted back to left midfield to accommodate Gareth Barry in central midfield against Algeria in Cape Town on Friday.

However Capello reconfigures the team this week, he must instil Gerrard's attitude in the rest of the side. The Merseysider was everywhere, engaging in what the US coach Bob Bradley called a "big, hard battle'' in midfield, and breaking forward.

Unfortunately in the second half, Gerrard dropped deeper and deeper as England became more desperate, retreating into the dark ages with some of their Route One football: all 4-4-2 predictability, all long balls meat and drink to the excellent Oguchi Onyewu, all pointless.

Capello talked afterwards of the "spirit of England'' but that really only suffused his No4. Gerrard's focus had been unmistakable in the tunnel, the England captain ignoring his American counterpart Carlos Bocanegra, breaking his concentration only to shake hands with the passing subs with their purple Fifa bibs. In dressing-room parlance, Gerrard was "up'' for this. Pity more of his teammates weren't.

Gerrard had known the eyes of the nation were upon him, that there were those who questioned his right to be considered one of the world's best.

It was not simply the assured way he controlled the lay-off from Emile Heskey, guiding the ball into a prime shooting position, that so impressed.

It was not only the way Gerrard used the outside of his right boot to flick the ball so accurately past Tim Howard, Liverpool beating Everton, that caught the eye.

It was the intelligence of the run, the realisation that gaps were opening through the middle as the US struggled to regroup when Glen Johnson took a quick throw-in and Frank Lampard helped the ball on to Heskey. It was the energy, too, the stamina and speed to drive forward, keeping ahead of Ricardo Clark, who simply could not live with Gerrard's surge.

England's captain said he would lead by example and he was true to his word. Shortly after sliding on his knees across the pitch in celebration, Gerrard was tracking back, sliding in to nick the ball away from the flying feet of Robbie Findley.

On his 81st international appearance, Gerrard was ubiquity personified, one moment putting in a thumping tackle on Clint Dempsey, the sandy soil flicking up into the air, and the next skilfully turning Jay DeMerit. He was such a force between the areas, dropping deep to make himself available for a pass from John Terry, who was under pressure and looking to offload quickly.

Gerrard had talked about the way England could progress at the World Cup, about using "our power and strength, the things that teams fear about us'', and the 30 year-old embodies that. Going into this competition, the reflective Merseysider has sought inspiration from a range of sources, from watching DVDs of Lions rugby tours to South Africa and footage of sprint champion Usain Bolt, hoping that England could be equally quick out of the blocks. So it proved.

Read the full article here>>