Beckham must be firing with Galaxy to hold England place

July 20, 2007

Matt Dickinson, Chief Football Correspondent, in Los Angeles

 

Is it possible to play for England while making the daily grind in the lower leagues? It is certainly not desirable, but that is effectively what David Beckham must seek to do for the next 12 months as he tries to maintain his place during European Championship qualifying while representing Los Angeles Galaxy.

Beckham is adamant that the Major League Soccer experience will keep him fit, as well as give him a long and beneficial winter break, but questions inevitably were going to be asked about the effects on his form and sharpness after the limitations of the Galaxy were starkly exposed in their defeat by Tigres on Tuesday.

Steve McClaren will see the standard for himself when he makes a scouting trip next month, probably to the match against DC United in Washington on August 9, and Beckham must pray for a radical improvement so that the England head coach is not alarmed.

Beckham’s new teammates lacked spirit and cohesion. Their anxiety should pass when the media glare moves on, but it is clear that half the team are of League One standard at best. With a salary cap, it is not as though the owners can readily buy improvements.

David Nugent played for England while representing Preston North End last season, so there is recent precedent for international-calibre players coming from outside the top division, but before him, you have to go back to 1999 and Michael Gray, of Sunderland.

Beckham, who has been lined up for a central midfield role in LA, is not going to lose his ability to strike a great ball, but the next few months may test his powers of self-motivation and his confidence. It is probably as well that McClaren has already intimated that he will be involved with England for the foreseeable future provided that he stays fit. Even if the Galaxy stay rooted to the foot of the Western division standings, Beckham should bring up his 100 caps (he is on 96) but Euro 2008 seems a long way off. The reality is that McClaren will have to judge Beckham on his form in England training sessions rather than with the Galaxy.

Reeling from the criticism that has rained down on the Galaxy in the past 48 hours, Beckham’s people were quick to point out yesterday that this was only one friendly game and that the England international is here on a five-year project. They instantly dismissed the notion that he might get cold feet now that he has seen the Galaxy live for the first time.

A decision about whether Beckham will make his debut against Chelsea tomorrow will be taken after more treatment this morning. Two scans have shown improvement in his ankle, but he will definitely not start. His representatives are adamant that he will not be risked if it could result in a significant setback, and Chelsea have agreed to go easy on the England player should he make a second-half substitute appearance.

Beckham insisted on keeping his promise to travel to Denver last night for the game between the MLS All-Stars and Celtic. He took a private jet to Colorado with Cobi Jones and Landon Donovan, his teammates, after spending several hours greeting hundreds of schoolkids at his soccer academy at the Home Depot Centre.

On Sunday, a party to welcome the Beckhams to Los Angeles is being hosted by Tom Cruise and Will Smith, the film stars, at the Museum of Contemporary Art. The guest list reads like a “Who’s Who” of the film and music industries, with media moguls and politicians also invited.

What Beckham really needs is for his teammates to cast off their shocking form. Kyle Martino, the left winger capped eight times by the United States, has accepted that they played against Tigres with a lack of heart. “I’m sure David is concerned by that performance, but so is everyone else,” Martino said. “We’ve got to make sure we don’t do that against a great team like Chelsea or we will have real problems.”