Club versus country is a perennial struggle. I used to play for England, suffer an injury and the letters from Liverpool fans would question me for putting my country first.
It seemed harsh at the time, especially when I was nursing a broken ankle, but they had a point: I was being paid by Liverpool and missing matches through injuries collected in an England shirt. I estimate that I missed hundreds of Liverpool games. Their harsh words told me what I already knew - Liverpool was my day job.
Your club always has to come first. Not just because of the growth in prestige of the Champions League and the Barclays Premier League in the modern game, but because they are your paymasters. Club first, country second. It's how it has to be.
Liverpool's coaching staff would not have thought for one moment about England's World Cup issues in deciding on an operation for Steven Gerrard. A difficult away game in Zagreb is nothing more than a necessary distraction to them.
There is nothing wrong with them choosing the timing and sending Gerrard for his operation, if that is the advice of their medical staff. It's a loss to England but no club would act any differently.
He will be upset at missing the two World Cup qualifiers, but particularly that match away to Croatia. The England players will feel they have unfinished business against Slaven Bilic's team after the haunting experiences of the last meeting between the nations. You want a player like Gerrard in the trenches for a tricky game like that. England will do well to earn a draw there.
The best players want to play in the big games. This isn't about a player choosing the draw of the Champions League ahead of England duty. What more could he have done?
Gerrard wasn't himself against Standard Liege and nor was he a driving force for England against the Czech Republic, though starting him on the left side didn't exactly help.
So I can understand the need for him to have an operation. Go under the knife, get it right and come back on top of his game for the rest of the season and the qualifying campaign. It's better that he returns to full health, rather than playing on through the injury without being able to fully let himself go.
His absence is a loss for England but it makes the selection simple. If Fabio Capello wants to play with four in midfield, Joe Cole will come in on the left and he's played there before. He's also started the season well and will thrive on the responsibility of taking that position against Croatia.
It will leave Frank Lampard and Gareth Barry in the centre. Capello may choose to add Owen Hargreaves, too, if he is fit to play and England want to play with the 'belt-and-braces' tactic of two holding midfielders throwing a screen across the back four.
The other thing to remember is that England have more than enough quality players to emerge unscathed. Let's not start looking for excuses already.
It seemed harsh at the time, especially when I was nursing a broken ankle, but they had a point: I was being paid by Liverpool and missing matches through injuries collected in an England shirt. I estimate that I missed hundreds of Liverpool games. Their harsh words told me what I already knew - Liverpool was my day job.
Your club always has to come first. Not just because of the growth in prestige of the Champions League and the Barclays Premier League in the modern game, but because they are your paymasters. Club first, country second. It's how it has to be.
Liverpool's coaching staff would not have thought for one moment about England's World Cup issues in deciding on an operation for Steven Gerrard. A difficult away game in Zagreb is nothing more than a necessary distraction to them.
There is nothing wrong with them choosing the timing and sending Gerrard for his operation, if that is the advice of their medical staff. It's a loss to England but no club would act any differently.
He will be upset at missing the two World Cup qualifiers, but particularly that match away to Croatia. The England players will feel they have unfinished business against Slaven Bilic's team after the haunting experiences of the last meeting between the nations. You want a player like Gerrard in the trenches for a tricky game like that. England will do well to earn a draw there.
The best players want to play in the big games. This isn't about a player choosing the draw of the Champions League ahead of England duty. What more could he have done?
Gerrard wasn't himself against Standard Liege and nor was he a driving force for England against the Czech Republic, though starting him on the left side didn't exactly help.
So I can understand the need for him to have an operation. Go under the knife, get it right and come back on top of his game for the rest of the season and the qualifying campaign. It's better that he returns to full health, rather than playing on through the injury without being able to fully let himself go.
His absence is a loss for England but it makes the selection simple. If Fabio Capello wants to play with four in midfield, Joe Cole will come in on the left and he's played there before. He's also started the season well and will thrive on the responsibility of taking that position against Croatia.
It will leave Frank Lampard and Gareth Barry in the centre. Capello may choose to add Owen Hargreaves, too, if he is fit to play and England want to play with the 'belt-and-braces' tactic of two holding midfielders throwing a screen across the back four.
The other thing to remember is that England have more than enough quality players to emerge unscathed. Let's not start looking for excuses already.
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