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"Jenas in for Beckham"

Taken from www.BBC.co.uk/football:


Jenas set for first England start

Jermaine Jenas is in line to make his first start for England as a surprise replacement for David Beckham in Baku.

Owen Hargreaves had been tipped to fill in if, as expected, Sven-Goran Eriksson persists with a 4-3-1-2 formation.

But Jenas played on the right side of a midfield three in a training match on Tuesday, with the rest of the team identical to that which beat Wales.

Eriksson's other option is to play a 4-4-2, with Ledley King at left-back and Ashley Cole moving to midfield.

That would mean Jermain Defoe stepping down and could offer Shaun Wright-Phillips the chance of a first start on the right wing.

But Eriksson has hinted he is keen to keep faith with his three-pronged strike force, which caused so much damage at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Such an attacking line-up would make it seemingly impossible to also include Wright-Phillips.

Hargreaves, who replaced Beckham late in the game on Saturday, had looked the obvious alternative.

But Jenas has emerged as favourite to step in for Beckham, who misses the game because of injury and suspension.

Jenas has seven England caps, but has never started a game for his country.

He did not travel to Euro 2004 and has not figured in any of the three previous World Cup qualifying games, but did make a substitutes appearance in the recent friendly against Ukraine.

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I'm sure this will come as a great surprise to just about everyone. As with mine, I'm sure you're first impression was that Shaun Wright-Phillips would be in for Beckham when we saw his suspension come alive, after impressing in a friendly only a month-or-so ago.

But, I suppose, Jenas, with a great knowledge of playing central-midfield, would be best-suited to a three-man line-up if Eriksson is to stick with the three-upfront line-up again tonight.

I mean, as England fans, we've said this many, many times before, but it is "only Azerbaijan". A time to try new things. A team that should pose no possible threat to us what-so-ever.

...And yet, that's something very unlike Sven-Goran Eriksson?


We'll all see how it happens this evening anyhow.

Will Eriksson's latest gamble pay-off for our country?
Is Michael Owen still the right-man to play vice captain to David Beckham?
If he's willing to experiment in the midfield, why can't he do more elsewhere - by giving Joe Cole and others a chance, for example?

Awful game.. boring THANK GOD there's a winter break.

because butt is an attacking midfeilder isnt he

It's all very well saying WP should be given his chance, in part i agree, but in a 4-3-3 system away from home in the middle of nowhere? 3 attacking midfielders? Hmmmmm.

His time will come.

I don't think Jenas is gonna replace Beckham in so many words. He is more than likely to play in the centre alongside Nicky Butt with Lampard shifted to the dreaded left wing duty and Shawn W Phillips to operate down the right.

Going to be a nightmare for the defenders as i can see the Azerbaijan players lumping it forward hoping to capitalise on a mistake. Luckily Rio and the power of the 'fro won't let anything get by

It's a nightmare playing in strong winds.

The match has been given the green light according to the bbc.

All set for an upset though with them strong winds!

Super Kev wrote:
> Its 5.30pm Kick off.

Cheers

Winds upto 60mph, should make for an interesting game ... lots of goals due to swerving shots :)

The game is not certain to go ahead becasue of Winds of up to 60 miles per hour are currently engulfing the stadium.

Jive wrote:
> What time is kick off tonight?
>
> I heard on the radio it was 5.00pm ... just checked the BBC site and
> it says 5.30pm .... anyone know for definite?

Its 5.30pm Kick off.