Frank Lampard

Steve McClaren stunned his England players in training on Monday by working with a 4-4-2 formation, rather than the 4-3-3 expected against Russia here on Wednesday. Most surprise revolved around the sight of Frank Lampard left in reserve.

The Chelsea midfielder had expected to start this Euro 2008 group E qualifier, primarily because McClaren insisted it was a job for “experienced players”, and because England need numbers in midfield against Russia. McClaren even used the last 22 minutes of Saturday’s victory over Estonia to develop the understanding of a three-man midfield of Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Gareth Barry.

If Lampard is omitted, it will be a massive snub, indicating that McClaren believes England are best served with a central pair of Gerrard and Barry against heavyweight opponents like Russia as well as such lightweight foe as Estonia.

It must have been a tense flight from Manchester on Monday afternoon. Yet if England’s head coach has decided that Gerrard works best without Lampard, as some observers believe, then McClaren should be applauded for having the courage of his convictions.

Lampard certainly will have found little blessed about Monday’s session at the Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College in Altrincham. More buoyant was John Terry, his Chelsea colleague. Terry will return to the starting fold, the ebullient defender reclaiming the No. 6 shirt from Sol Campbell and the captain’s armband from Gerrard, after safely negotiating training following his tweaked knee.

McClaren looked at Joleon Lescott at left-back and is weighing up whether to use the inexperienced Evertonian or his veteran club-mate, Phil Neville, as Ashley Cole’s replacement. Cole limped into Chelsea’s Cobham training centre where medical staff assessed his damaged ankle. “It is definitely, definitely not broken,” stressed a Chelsea spokesman.