England's midfielders By Chris Waddle England winger 1985-91

If we all sat down and picked our midfielders then there probably wouldn't be many differences from the one Sven-Goran Eriksson chose.

What we have is a pretty settled midfield full of experience in David Beckham, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Joe Cole.

Then we have a number of very inexperienced midfielders whose involvement will depend on injuries and form.

The four starters will have to play very badly to be left out and Sven probably thinks they will be good enough to see him through the tournament.

If Wayne Rooney is not fit I would play Gerrard off Michael Owen and that would allow Michael Carrick or Owen Hargreaves to start in the defensive midfield role.

Apart from that there are not many choices to make.

That would also give Gerrard the role he wants and needs to show people what he can do.

In a World Cup you have to ask the opposition questions and if Gerrard is playing in front of your defence then every team we play will be really delighted.

But if you see him in the opposition half making runs forward with that freedom he is going to be a worry, and other teams will have to look at how they are going to nullify him.

Born: 02/05/75 Position: Right midfield England caps: 89 England goals: 16 Club: Real Madrid

Ideally you want to see David Beckham 20 yards from goal because he has that ability to create a goal from nowhere - either with a terrific cross or from a long-range shot.

We know he has got that ability and we know his strengths are his set-pieces, his delivery from corners and free-kicks and his long-range passing.

He can make a 50-yard pass as well as a five-yard pass.

Pace-wise he is never going to go past people, he is not a dribbler and when he is one-on-one he needs space to cross.

When people get tight he invariably has to pass it square or backwards and you can nullify him - he has not got a trick and he is not someone who is going to go past a defender.

A lot of people question whether Beckham should be the captain but I think the role of skipper can get over-hyped.

Just because you wear an armband does not mean an awful lot - everyone knows who the players respect, listen to and get on with.

There are enough leaders in this team that once you are on the pitch they know their jobs and they make their voice known.

People say they should give it to Gary Neville or John Terry but Beckham has had it a while and he has done OK so it is not a big decision for me.

Born: 30/05/80 Position: Centre midfield England caps: 42 England goals: 7 Club: Liverpool

Everyone keeps saying if he can turn his Liverpool form on for England we will have one of the best players in the world.

I think he has always been unfortunate having the likes of Lampard around him and he tends to be given the anchor role, which is not his best position.

With Liverpool he plays further forward, he has men behind him to do the defensive duties who allow him to play with the ball.

When he gets in that final 30-40 yards he boasts a terrific shot and is as good as Beckham at crossing the ball and taking set-pieces.

He is a terrific all-round talent and I would like to see him allowed to show that ability for England.

But if you ask him to play as a defensive midfielder you are taking 60-70% of his game away.

I just hope he gets the role where he can hurt teams rather than sitting in the defence where he is wasted.

Born: 20/06/78 Position: Centre midfield England caps: 40 England goals: 11 Club: Chelsea

Frank has got to be in the team after a couple of terrific seasons with Chelsea.

He is similar to Gerrard in that he likes to get forward, has a good range of passing and an eye for goal.

Again he has to balance things off with Gerrard - who can go forward and who has to sit - and it does take things away from your game.

He likes to get on the ball, take it off the defence and get heavily involved.

Sometimes when he plays with Gerrard they take up similar positions and maybe that's why they aren't as effective at international level as in club football.

He needs that licence to break forward as much as possible because he always seems to have a goal in his locker.

Born: 08/11/81 Position: Left wing/centre midfield England caps: 36 England goals: 5 Club: Chelsea

He has done well at Chelsea and had a good season where he has scored a few goals.

He has got the position on the left that nobody seems to want, or be able, to play which has been difficult for England.

I am a great believer you don't have to be left-footed to play on that side and Cole has fitted in quite well and looks to have nailed that position down.

Like Beckham on the right he is not blessed with great pace, but he has quick feet and can beat people which helps him to create around the box.

He doesn't run away from defenders but he has got good close control and always has a trick up his sleeve.

Cole has a tendency to drift out of the game if it is not going his way, when you play wide you rely on good service and a match can pass him by if he does not get that.

Born: 16/04/87 Position: Right wing England caps: 1 England goals: 0 Club: Tottenham

People talk about the likes of Theo Walcott being the surprise package at the World Cup but I think it is all set up for Aaron Lennon.

If we need to change a game he is the man to throw on in a wide position.

He can play on the left or the right, he can get at people, he is very dangerous, he is tricky and he could be the surprise player in the squad.

He has got that great pace so if the full-back wants to get tight on him, with the players and passers we have got he is ideal to get on the end of things.

We all know what team Eriksson will play if everyone is fit but not everything is going to work out and the system might not be right.

Sven needs to be brave and it might mean Lennon on one of the wings.

He is a different type of player than what we have got and I am sure we will see him on the pitch in some of the games.

Lennon is full of confidence at the moment after a terrific run-in with Spurs and scored some goals and I would like to see him on the pitch for England.

Born: 28/07/81 Position: Centre midfield England caps: 6 England goals: 0 Club: Tottenham

I am all for Carrick to play a major part for England in this tournament.

He is a natural defensive-minded midfielder.

He is not the most aggressive player in the world but he has got two good feet, a good range of passing, he keeps it simple and enjoys playing deep in front of the defence.

The way we play we do need that anchor role to provide cover and the way Carrick has played for Tottenham makes him the ideal candidate if we are looking for someone to sit in front of the defence.

Born: 18/02/83 Position: Centre midfield England caps: 15 England goals: 0 Club: Tottenham

He is not really a goalscoring midfielder and he is not really an anchor midfield player.

Jenas is tidy and he has great ability but the one thing he lacks is consistency.

His career has been a mixture of highs and lows - when he was at Newcastle he went from captaining the side to being on the bench a month later.

He has all the talent in the world but until he finds that consistency the jury will be out.

It will be interesting to see if he gets much of a look in.

Born: 20/01/81 Position: Centre midfield England caps: 30 England goals: 0 Club: Bayern Munich

I feel sorry for Owen Hargreaves. He plays in a diamond at Bayern Munich where he sits in front of the defence and does it very well.

You are no mug if you can get in the Bayern Munich team every week.

We do not see the Bundesliga, we just see him come on for England for 15 minutes every now and again and I feel for him.

I don't think he has ever been given a good run in the side but if you are looking for an anchor midfielder, along with Carrick he deserves a chance.

He is very effective in Germany, where they rate him very highly and I don't think we have seen the best of him and I am not sure whether we ever will.

Born: 22/07/84 Position: Left wing England caps: 2 England goals: 0 Club: Middlesbrough

Stewart is a young player who will be on a steep learning curve in Germany.

He is an interesting option for England in that he possesses good pace and a fine delivery.

He has come back from a knee injury and looked a lot sharper towards the end of the season.

When he first came into the Middlesbrough team he had terrific pace and he is gradually getting back to that sort of level.

He is naturally left sided but I suspect Eriksson might be temped to put Lennon ahead of him on that flank.

It will be a good experience but I don't expect to see him on the pitch too much.