From Football 365 Ratings:
Frank Lampard
Not even Football365 would begrudge Lampard being acclaimed for his first-half goal and spirited performance.
Why? Because unlike several of his international colleagues, the Chelski midfielder refused to withdraw from the England squad despite nursing a injury. No matter that Chelski wanted him to throw a sickie in order to protect the broken bone in his foot; Lampard was determined to do duty for his country. "Number one, I want to play for England, and number two, what is the point of resting it for a few days?" he reasoned.
Compare and contrast that attitude to the withdrawals of Owen Hargreaves and Steven Gerrard - the latter's pull-out being announced three days before he starred in Liverpool's draw against Lampard's Chelski.
Such is their Euro 2008 qualifying predicament that Steve McClaren is in no position to be picky about who he picks. Yet it was telling that in his press conference on Wednesday, McClaren declared: "A manager remembers who turns up in times like this."
Lampard's devotion to his country's cause will, it can safely be assumed, be put in an even sharper perspective at the weekend when the injuries of Hargreaves and Gerrard suddenly cease to matter.
