Highlights

  • The Frank Lampard vs Steven Gerrard vs Paul Scholes debate continues to divide football fans.
  • Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson was once asked to give his thoughts after managing the trio.
  • Eriksson also explained why Paul Scholes was the one he made play on the left wing.

It's been one of the biggest debates in English football over the past two decades: which player was the best out of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, and Paul Scholes?

Fans of Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester United will inevitably back their own club's icons. The three retired stars all represented England during their peak years, and former manager Sven-Goran Eriksson had trouble figuring out how to play the trio together. It was a conundrum that often left the Swede with a headache.

Eriksson had arguably England's four greatest-ever midfielders at his disposal between 2001 and 2006, with David Beckham added to the mix. It resulted in Scholes often being shifted towards the left to fit everyone into his starting eleven.

But who was the best midfielder he managed in his England squad? Well, that was a question BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Mark Chapman posed to Eriksson back in 2013. The Swedish coach appeared to suggest that Scholes was the best of the bunch.

Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes and Steven Gerrard's Premier League stats

Lampard

Scholes

Gerrard

Matches

609

499

504

Goals

177

107

120

Assists

102

55

92

Wins

349

321

255

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Eriksson's View on Scholes, Lampard, Gerrard Debate

Swede was full of praise for Scholes

Chapman asked Eriksson: "In your eyes, who was the best midfielder in that squad when you were in charge of England?"

The former England manager, who guided the nation to three major tournaments during his time in charge, didn't appear to hesitate in his response to the question, saying:

"If you look at all-around footballers, they are good all of them.

"But, if you look at Paul Scholes in a very, very good shape he could do everything with the ball. He didn't lose the ball. He could pass it short, he could pass it long, he could score goals. Fantastic footballer and a beauty to see him playing football."

He added: "What do you do with Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and David Beckham? You have to use them. Because if you take Beckham, he had special talents that nobody else had. Gerrard and Lampard were goalscorers, midfielders who were hard-working and could defend and pass. The best solution if we wanted to use all four midfielders was to put, at that time, Paul Scholes on the left."

Chapman intervened and dug out a quote from Eriksson's autobiography, which read: "Scholes was England's best football player. He had everything. It was impossible to take the ball off him, and he never miss-hit a pass. He did not belong on the left flank, but that's where we needed him most." The presenter asked: "Surely, if he is your best footballer, do you not play him in his best position?"

"Yeah, but to put some of the others to the left is not very good," Eriksson replied. "And you want the four best midfielders on the pitch, and it's always like that. You want the best football players on the pitch as much as possible." Watch the clip below:

It seems Eriksson really did rate Scholes higher than Lampard, Gerrard and Beckham, but couldn't fit them all into a formation that suited England, which could be seen as the main reason why they fell short at every major tournament under his stewardship.

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Eriksson's stint with the Three Lions

He failed to win anything with the Golden Generation

Sven-Goran Eriksson

Following the resignation of England manager Kevin Keegan after a home loss to Germany in October 2000, Eriksson was appointed as manager in January 2001 - becoming the first non-British boss to be assigned the role of head coach of the national team.

After guiding England to the 2002 World Cup, the Three Lions drew with Sweden and Nigeria and defeated Argentina to qualify in second place in the finals. They went on to defeat Denmark 3–0 in the Round of 16, before losing 2–1 to ten-man Brazil in the quarter-finals in Eriksson's first taste of a major tournament with the country.

His second competition came two years later at Euro 2004, finishing second in their group following wins over Switzerland and Croatia as well as a defeat to France. However, they were eventually beaten on penalties by Portugal in the quarter-finals.

The Swede's last tournament in charge of the side came at the 2006 World Cup, where they would go on to lose to the Portuguese on penalties yet again. Eriksson failed to win anything with the 'golden generation' at his disposal, resigning soon after being knocked out of the historic competition in Germany.

All statistics taken via the Premier League and Transfermarkt and correct as of 28/03/2024.