Will Tidey - Beckham delivered more than free-kicks
Published: 15 Mar 2010 - 09:26:46
Football.co.uk's managing editor delivers his verdict on the injury that threatens to end David Beckham's glittering career.
My frustrations this morning are with those who have reacted to David Beckham's Achilles injury with casual indifference. "He's not a great loss," they're saying. "He wouldn't have played at the World Cup anyway."
It's an opinion you will definitely hear today, one that paints the bearer as a football fan first and a romantic second. The Beckham love-in is not for everybody, and there will always be mileage in undermining a national treasure.
But to underestimate Beckham's potential impact this summer is nothing short of spectacularly uninformed.
On the field, Beckham's obvious merits as a dead-ball specialist would almost certainly have been deployed in the latter stages of matches. He would not have started against the USA, but you can be sure he would have appeared if England needed a goal with 30 minutes to play - and especially when Peter Crouch was on the field.
And he would definitely have played a part in the knock-out stages, where penalties loom large and wise heads are at a premium.
Beckham also had his merits in defensive situations. While Fabio Capello appears set to start with one of Theo Walcott, Shaun Wright-Phillips or Aaron Lennon on the right, Beckham's wealth of experience would likely have seen him introduced if England needed to hold on in games.
Moreover, in the twilight of his international career, Beckham has delivered far more than free-kicks and corners.
In South Africa he would have taken a good deal of the media attention away from England's first-choice XI, and provided a knowing presence for the likes of Ashley Cole and John Terry.
Nobody knows how to react to adversity better than Beckham, and his leadership qualities would have provided a steadying influence on a squad rocked by scandal.
We will never know what could have been in South Africa, but history tells us David Beckham would have made an impression.
- Football.co.uk staff
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