England vs Croatia: Is Lampard a better bet if delivery for Crouch is missing?

From the screaming back pages of the tabloids it is clear that there is a football match on tonight, and that David Beckham and Paul Robinson will make way for Shaun Wright-Phillips and Scott Carson. Whilst not ruling out a late cameo for the Hollywood star this news does appear to reduce the effectiveness of Peter Crouch.

Crouch is not the quickest forward and relies on delivery and a quick shot or header after a minimum number of touches for most of his goals. David Beckham may be increasingly a one-trick-pony - but his deliver is still a fantastic trick. I would expect Beckham to be introduced as an impact player with half an hour to go, as this would not test his suspect fitness.

But if the best hope for Crouch is missing what about Frank Lampard. He will enjoy playing in a 4-3-3 with a holding player behind him, in what is fundamentally the same style that Chelsea play. Lampard is bagging a lot of goals at the moment and it would be a surprise if he gets less than three long range blasts and the chances are that one will go in.

Lampard is about half the price of Crouch for a goal, feels that he has something to prove, is in form and in a formation he is happy with. Sounds like his stage.