Which one for England?

Stevie Gerrard or Frank Lampard for the England central midfield role eh?
After the two played directly against each other, in yesterdays FA Cup semi final between Liverpool and Chelsea, it was tempting to assess the players merits for that England place.
While Sven may opt to play the two together with a holding midfielder like King or Carrick picking up the pieces behind them, the chances are that in a tournament like the World Cup, circumstances will dictate that the shape of the team will change for either tactical reasons or through misfortune.
With only one starting place available in the central midfield position and two top-class players to fill it, a difficult decision awaits the England manager sometime this summer. Who Sven utimately chooses ahead of the other during England's best chance of winning the World Cup since 1966, probably rests on two or three points.
The first is really nothing the players can do much about themselves and says far more about one of Sven's weaknesses than any the players possess, namely the Swede's habit of sticking by certain players. Gerrard has been the beneficiary of this largesse more than the Chelsea man in the past, possibly due to being such an influence at Sven's dream start with England when they thrashing Germany.
The manager may not favour one over the other the same way he favours David Beckham, even when the players form has dipped drastically, but the possibility is there for another tactical mishap Sven is notorious for.
The second point is form itself. Aside from a recent flourish of goals from Lampard, he hasn't been anywhere near as influential a prescence on the pitch as he was during the first half of the season, whereas the Liverpool Captain is in a good vein of form that he has sustained from the remarkable achievements of last season and Istanbul. It was evident during the semi final on Saturday, certainly in the first hour where Lampard was rarely noticable, that Gerrard is still capable of driving his team forward and inspiring the best from his team-mates along the way. Taking such form into the World Cup would not only ensure the player himself is at his peak, but also greatly help the national side in progressing through the tournament.
Lastly, how each player fits into and enhances the midfield around them should be high on the managers priorities. Hopefully Sven has dismissed the idea of playing Beckham anywhere but the right side and with Joe Cole playing consistently well on the left for England, the team is fairly well settled and stuffed with quality players. Playing Gerrard and Lampard alongside each other in a traditional 4-4-2 has always left England looking vunerable for long periods of a match and shouldn't feature in the manager's thinking. If Sven goes for King or Carrick as part of a bolstered five man midfield, then the two should fit well into a strong, attacking England side with a great chance of winning the World Cup.
Sven may play more conservatively though with a traditional midfield encompassing a defense minded player partnering either of Gerrard or Lampard.
The Liverpool man always appears to have a more maurauding and inspirational game about him, but doesn't seem to have good, or lucky, tournaments and has an annoying habit of attempting 50 yard cross field balls that concede possession. Lampard however, while sometimes going AWOL for periods on the pitch, has usually come up with the goods and the goals when playing in the England jersey.
Personally i'd go for Gerrard if the choice had to be made, with the satisfaction of knowing I had the opportunity to bring on the Worlds Scond Best Player to make an impact if I needed to.
A managerial headache like this is one that managers are supposed to relish. With these two experienced, world-class players at his disposal, alongside many others in the first team, Sven has a gilt-edged opportunity to write his name in history as the man who led England's finest to World Cup glory in Germany this summer.