Butt the answer to defensive problems

The England boss would love to play Frank Lampard in the holding role at the base of his midfield diamond.

Most of the country would also love to see him play Lampard there, given the Chelsea player's fine form this season and his undoubted attacking flair.

Butt is not as naturally gifted a footballer as Lampard. He cannot spray the same long-range passes or make the same gut-bursting surges into the box.

But he can offer the kind of defensive stability that will be crucial in ensuring that England's European Championship campaign is not left floundering after their very first game.

You cannot win a tournament in your opening match, but you can go a long way towards losing one and England's over-riding priority must be to ensure that they do not leave themselves needing successive wins against Switzerland and Croatia to make the last eight.

That means containing France's attacking threat and Butt, not Lampard, is the man to offer protection to a central defensive partnership still feeling its way in the international game.

Tuesday night's friendly with Japan set many alarm bells ringing, but the most worrying aspect of another laboured England showing was the total lack of cover in front of Sol Campbell and John Terry.

Time and time again, Japanese midfielders found themselves in a yard of space on the edge of the England penalty area.

Shinji Ono exploited the gaping hole to score Japan's leveller, and David James was forced to make a succession of smart saves as both Shumsuke Nakamura and Alex Santos made telling bursts into scoring positions.

One wonders what the watching French side made of it all?

There were times this season when Zinedine Zidane ran a Real Madrid game while being man-marked. He will wreak havoc in Lisbon's Stadium of Light if he is given the time and space afforded to the Japanese midfield on Tuesday.

Ironically, Lampard did not have a bad game in the City of Manchester Stadium. He almost scored after latching on to Steven Gerrard's incisive through ball shortly after the break and passed with his usual assurance and poise.

But his natural instinct is to be on the front foot. His game is all about a sudden burst of energy that surprises opposition defenders but leaves his own side susceptible to any counter-attacking move that pulls apart the two centre-halves.

The problem would not be so acute if England possessed other midfielders drilled in the art of defensive diligence.

They do not. David Beckham and Steven Gerrard relish the freedom to drift in from their respective flanks, creating a fluidity that is one of England's major attacking strengths.

But that strength is also a defensive weakness, as neither player is readily available to shore up Eriksson's defensive diamond when England are on the back foot.

If the wings are not to be adequately covered then the central area must be watertight as, with the full-backs forced into wide positions, Terry and Campbell become over-stretched if they are asked to cover a midfield runner as well as their two centre-forwards.

Butt would provide that cover. His natural instinct is to be on the back foot, alert to impending danger and diligent enough to be in the right place to deal with it.

He was the star of England's last World Cup doing just that, and his match-winning display against Argentina was the perfect illustration of how to frustrate and harass some of the best midfielders in the world.

His limited first-team appearances for Manchester United are a concern, but it is far easier for someone like Butt to slot straight into his role than it would be for a Michael Owen or a John Terry.

Lampard was one of the Premiership's best attacking players last season and, if things do not go to plan against France, he could still play a pivotal role in England's final two group games. But, regardless of how consistent he has been in a Chelsea shirt, he must be sacrificed for the greater good.

Gambling has never been Eriksson's forte. Now is not the time for him to start.