Frank Lampard vs. Steven Gerrard

Like any good football fan, I've thought long and hard about the Frank Lampard/Steven Gerrard conundrum. Who should be starting in the center of the midfield for England? Can they play together? When it comes right down to it, who is the better player?

For a while, I thought that I had it all figured out. Start Gerrard in the center and bring Lampard off the bench, if at all. Stevey G, I reasoned, was just the more inspirational player. He has an absolutely wicked shot, he always sneaks into the right place, he's a bull when he's bringing the ball down the pitch and he's a clutch player.

Lampard, by contrast, I thought, was too polished. While he can score with the best of the center mids, he's not the ultimate team player like Gerrard. Sure, Lampard's great for Chelsea, but when England's in the trenches, Gerrard is the man you want. It just seemed obvious to me. They're the same player, but Gerrard is better.

Also, Gerrard just has a better story. Growing up poor in Liverpool and then becoming a lifer (so far, at least) for the team he's always loved. He just seems like a nice guy. Like a dude you'd want to get a lager and some fried fish with.

Lampard, born into a rich footballing family, just seems like a d-bag, though. He's reportedly a supporter of the Conservative Party and he looks like a jerk.

But, on Saturday I finally realized that I was being a damn fool. I was watching Chelsea play Manchester City and as the second half started, I decided that I would keep my eye on Lampard and try to figure out why he keeps getting the call for Engalnd in the center of the pitch and why he has so many supporters out there who actually think he's a better option than Gerrard.

It didn't take long for Lampard to convince me. Just about seven minutes into the half Frank the Tank comes through with this:

Good one, Lamps. It seems that I still have a bit to learn.

Add on a goal and two assists (one absolutely mind-blowing) yesterday against Bordeaux in the Champion's League and I finally understand the root of this debate. It's not like Stevey G's been playing too shabby either. He scored two goals yesterday against a French team in the Champion's League (Marseille for those keeping score at home), as well .

So what is England manager Fabio Capello supposed to do? I certainly don't know. Lampard vs. Gerrard is one for the ages. But Capello really needs to figure this one out and give one of them the keys to England's midfield. With the emergence of Theo Walcott and the continued dynamism of Joe Cole it's not the right move to put Gerrard on the wings. And put them both in the center and it gets all clogged up. Time for Don Fabio to make a choice and stick with it until 2010.