...but can he play?
To be honest, I guess I have only seen about 10 full games with Beckham. I admire his skill to cross the ball and take perfect free kicks.
What I wonder however is more than that. He seems a bit like Mihaijlovic to me, who is most valuable out of play, but when the clock is running, he is little more than mediocre.

Not to get me wrong: I think that Beckham is a good player overall, but I wonder if he is a top notch midfielder so many call him. There are so few of them: Zidane, Davids, Fiore, Figo, Rui Costa to name the first to come to my mind. These players can really make a differnece. Beckham can do that too, but as far as I recall it were either free-kicks or corners.

I think I said this before and was shouted down by United zealots.

Put Beckham in space with a ball at his feet, and he will deliver it to almost the exact spot you ask. 60 yard pass? No problems. Free kick into the corner? Sure. Ask him to beat a left back by dribbling past him, and he'll scratch his chin, frown, and decline. He is quite possibly the best striker of the ball the game has ever known in its history, but he has to be presented with the chances to deliver. At United, one-twos and cross-field balls give him the space he needs. If an international side sticks a man on him though, with orders to give him no space, I would like to see what he can offer then.

I have yet to see Beckham dribble or use pace to beat players, and until he adds this to his game he will need the players around him to create the space or as in the Portugal game, be gifted space by the full backs. I would dearly love him to prove me wrong tomorrow night though.

No, that's not true. http://www.soccergaming.com/ubb/smile.gif
Please don't dismiss me as a "Manchester Zealot" yet, but that's definitely not ALL Beckham can do.

With a base assumption that his freekicks, passes and crosses are SO incredible, that by themselves they're enough, we can start on his other qualities.

Now, Beckham is the only player - along with Roy Keane, who is in a class of his own - that preforms full offense AND defensive help. He runs the entire field side to side during the entire game.

David Beckham is a player you see everywhere, front and back, left and right. He runs all over the field...I read somewhere that during the ManU-Juve 2nd leg last year, he ran something like 11(!!) kilometeres during the game. I agree, this seems a *bit* exaggerated, but still....

His kicks, and not only free-kicks, are amazing. He has a problem of being placed in the wing, which creates few in-play kick options. Ocassionally, he does play in the middle, on which occassions you CAN see his strength.

Speaking of which, his, how can I say, "Through-passes", are executed just as well without too much space.

Add those to the aforementioned abilities, and....well, he definitely isn't "The best ever", but I'm one satisfied Manchester United fan.

Drinky ...... good point. Beckham ..... in dead ball situations is definately one of the top three in the world. There is no debate on this.

But Sella ..... A player should not have to play in the middle to dominate a game. Case in point ...... Figo. HE is stuck out on the wing (the right wing, coincidentally the same as Becks) and he TOTALLY outplayed him on Saturday. There was no doubt in my mind, or anyone's that Figo is WAAAY better than Becks. Beckham had two outstanding crosses, and Keegan said it was his best game ever in an England uniform. However, Figo dominated that game. It was his from the beginning to the end and he totally outplayed Beckham. DEfensively Becks did nothing to help control Figo or Rui Costa. When Real played ManU, Macca ran both games and R Carlos shut him down (He runs more than 11kms a game, everygame). When ManU played Barca two years ago, Rivaldo ran both ties. And where was he in Brazil for the World Club?? Today Davids, Overmars and Zenden ran the midfield for Holland, which is why they won. Overmars and Zenden are both out on the wing, yet they found a way to dictate Denmark's defence and they both ran back to shut down their opponents. Great midfielders like Figo, Keane, Davids, ZeZu, Overmars and Rivaldo all can control a game from any position on the field against any player or team. Put Becks in the middle against a team like France, Spain, Holland or Brazil and he will not be seen or heard from for 90 minutes. Becks has a lot to do in order to improve on his game. If given space he is deadly, but you close up on him, and his weaknesses are alarming. He will not take on a defender and leave them behind. He is young and I am sure that if given the opportunity to play in Central Midfield he would eventually adapt and learn to play with the best. But as of right now, he cannot dominate a game. And he is certainly not the second best player in the world.

Drinky,

Spot on, again. (BTW, sorry you didn't get more feedback on your long post in "England v. Portugal". I read it and enjoyed it very much. If it makes you feel any better, no one wanted to even touch my heart-felt pangyricus on England in the same topic.)

But to follow up on your good points about Becks, I don't know if he's the best the game has ever seen, bet the INSIDE of his RIGHT foot is fabulous. But these same limitations you mention also have tactical implications as well. It is because of Becks that England have to play the 4-4-2. He really needs a diligent cover man like G.Neville behind him. Forced into the wing-back role he always struggles.

Bode has been all over the press saying the best way to nullify Beckham is to have threating offensive players in his channel. The Germans know well that the strongest tactic to deal with his threat is to attack his channel. G. Neville should be rather busy Saturday!

In closing, and as a follow-up to Drinky, until Beckham adds some possesion abilities to his game, if not the ability to beat players, at least to fend them off while holding the ball, (Cantona was great at that, though he had no pace in later years,) England will have to coninue with 4-4-2 to bring the best out of Becks (And his dream of playing in the middle will remain a fantasy!)

I'm a united supporter and I would say as so many people do that he's one(or the) best crosser and free-kick taker in the world.
I know that a lot of you guys doubt his dribbling skills like figo or rivaldo have but he can do it believe it or not ...yes he can dribble the ball but he just doesn't show it often.
Take the goal against real madrid in the champs league in manchester he went past r. carlos with a lovely sidestep then dribbled past another player and struck a great shot past cassilas into the top corner so that proves that he can do it.
Just watch him play tonight against germany I'm sure he will be the star player(again)!!

greetz
phil