Beckham: Sit him or Play him?

England took care of business against Ecuador today 1-0 in what was generally a rather boring affair. England's lone goal came from a masterful free kick from skipper David Beckham.

Despite Beckham's heroics - his beautiful pass also set up Peter Crouch's game winner against Trinidad and Tabago - a slew of voices have suggested that Beckham would better serve his team on the bench rather than on the pitch. The argument is that Beckham has lost a step or two and that someone like the faster and quicker Aaron Lennon would be pose more problems for opposing defenders and enhance the flow of the England offense. Anyone who say Lennon against Trinidad and for the briefest of moments at the end of today's game against Ecuador can see where the critics are coming from.

Though I don't profess to be an expert - or even a novice - when it comes to football, I don't know if replacing Beckham would solve England's problems. When you yield the kind of incendiary right foot that Beckham does, you're a threat to score whenever/wherever you touch the ball. You better have something really special in reserve if you're going to give that up and though Lennon is a nice young player, I'm not sure his upside merits replacing Becks.

(Photo Credit: Ron Scheffler - US PRESSWIRE)