England's man in the middle

Frank Lampard may be back in the England reckoning following a thigh injury but after his understudy Gareth Barry performed so well in back-to-back victories last month, manager Steve McClaren is unsure as to who to throw into the spotlight against Estonia on Saturday.

'Barry for England'
Five weeks ago, talk of England's UEFA EURO 2008™ qualification aspirations was doom-laden. Without a host of stellar names, McClaren was forced to select fringe players for pivotal Wembley fixtures against Israel and Russia, with Emile Heskey and Barry returning from the international wilderness at a time of crisis. England won both games 3-0; the incoming players received plaudits for providing much-needed balance; and Barry forged an impressive partnership with Steven Gerrard. The cries of "Barry for England" that have volleyed between supporters of his club, Aston Villa FC, have since stopped – the demand finally met.

Long road
How times change. The 26-year-old had all but given up hope of establishing himself among the country's leading lights after being consistently passed over by Sven Göran-Eriksson. His first eight England appearances were spread over nearly seven years following his debut in 2000. "People have their own ideas and when your name isn't mentioned for so long, you do give up hope. Under Sven, I gave up," said Barry, who earned 27 caps at Under-21 level, all in defence where he played before switching to midfield over the last two seasons. "For two or three years I hadn't even made a squad so I felt that, under a new boss, my chance would come again and it eventually did."

Passing poise
He took it with aplomb. Playing a deeper role than Gerrard's in central midfield, he gave passing masterclasses against Israel and Russia, making some key interceptions as England put their Group E destiny back in their own hands. Now, as McClaren prepares for another home match against Estonia before Wednesday's Russia game in Moscow, he has a welcome selection dilemma. Lampard is back and it is never going to be easy to ignore a consistent UEFA Champions League performer with 56 caps who, in 2005, was rated the planet's second-best player.

'Competition for places'
McClaren certainly has options but, whatever he decides, he insists the collective is more important than the individual: "We always say that my best team will not necessarily be my best eleven players. It is about players, of course, but more about the team and about blend and balance ... The Barry and Lampard decision is a massive one, but it is a good position to be in. They are two players who have performed well – Frank consistently over two or three years, Gareth in the last two games. It is one of the toughest decisions this week." Which may bode well for Barry. "It's always a tough one and until the decision is made, I'm not sure how disappointed I'll be if I'm left out," he said. "At the moment it's just great being talked about playing for your country in these big games."