THE OLD saying has it that the battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton. Which might have come as something of a sobering thought to the poor bloody private soldiers being blown away by cannonballs without the benefits of any kind of education.
Some academies do seem to be adept at preparing their alumni for fierce contests though. When it comes down to the Premier League face-off it might not be too fanciful to suggest that the English title will be won in the late 20th-century youth teams
of West Ham United.
Those Upton Park Academy graduates summa cum laude, Rio Ferdinand, Joe Cole and Frank Lampard will have a major role in deciding the destiny of this year's championship, with a substantial speaking role also going to Cockney-Geordie former Hammer Michael Carrick. Given that West Ham's own title ambitions are unlikely to ever again reach the heights they briefly scaled in the 1980s, this kind of vicarious kingmaking is the only consolation for bored Eastenders.
Manchester United's somewhat uncharacteristically tentative approach to recent matches has thrown the spotlight on their back four, and particularly the often maligned figure of Rio Ferdinand. Ferdinand played with such confidence against Barcelona on Wednesday night that he even assumed that team-mates Edwin Van Der Sar and Owen Hargreaves were capable of reading his mind and collecting cavalier passes.
Even the Italian papers, normally as rude about British defending as they are about the British dress sense, made Ferdinand man of the match.
If it is understandable that Cristiano Ronaldo is the hot favourite for all this season's player of the year awards, the Portuguese forward's brilliance has tended to overshadow the fact that this has been Ferdinand's finest season in English football. Given that he has been playing at the highest level for a decade, perhaps it's a little late to talk about coming of age, but Ferdinand now carries all the composure and resilience of an international class centre-back. With the return of Nemanja Vidic, United once more have the best centre-back pairing in the Premier league.
In many of United's facile victories this season their defensive excellence hasn't been required and so hasn't been noticed. In matches like Wednesday's struggle in the Camp Nou though, when Ronaldo misfires or is stifled, Ferdinand's qualities come into clearer focus. In the league, United's goal difference may yet decide the title. It is a recognition of defensive as much as attacking strength.
A player's importance can be emphasised by their absence. If Ronaldo or Ferdinand had been missing for any substantial stretch of United's season, they would be unlikely to enjoy their present advantage, slender as it is. It remains to be seen whether Chelsea's impressive challenge will founder on the loss of Frank Lampard from a handful of league matches at a key stage of the season.
The death of Lampard's mother looks likely to keep the midfielder out of today's lunchtime summit meeting with United, although the damage may already have been done to Chelsea's points tally.
In the match against Wigan at Stamford Bridge twelve days ago, it seems probable that Lampard's drive and energy would have propelled Chelsea towards increasing their single goal lead, and avoiding the calamity of surrendering two points to Emile Heskey's stoppage time equaliser.
Under Jose Mourinho, Chelsea's two successful title campaigns were underpinned by the leadership of John Terry and the dynamic midfield interventions (and goals) of Lampard.
The Russian owner and the Israeli coach might be slow to acknowledge it, but Chelsea's Premier league success had a very English basis.
With that element diluted, they are still a formidable side, but one that is a little too over-staffed with itinerant players wondering if their next big salary might come from Spain or Italy.
In the prolonged absence of John Terry and the short-term loss of Lampard this season, a greater share of the team's local character has fallen on the dipping shoulders of Joe Cole. Always a star pupil at the West Ham academy, there remains a lingering sense that Cole has fallen short of becoming the world-beater he promised to be as a teenager.
That might seem a slightly harsh judgment on a player who has won two titles, is one step away from a Champions League final, and was England's best player at the last World Cup. In a generation that includes Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney, he is still England's most naturally gifted footballer.
At West Ham he was long coveted by Sir Alex Ferguson who would pester Harry Redknapp for regular updates on the player's progress. Cole would fit into the United set-up more easily than he does Chelsea's, but it's a testament to the player's development that he has become one of the side's most potent attacking options, while Andriy Shevchenko, no less, failed to adapt to the team's tactical set-up.
West Ham denied United the title with a draw in 1992, and they have still to visit Old Trafford this season after beating them in the last three league matches between the clubs. That fixture might yet have a decisive bearing on the title outcome, but for today it will come down to a battle of the exes.
United, with Ferdinand, Carrick, and Carlos Tevez, have the edge on Chelsea, especially if Lampard is missing. And if that advantage does prove decisive, they might at least have the decency to tie a discreet claret and blue ribbon amidst the red ones on the Premier League trophy.
The full article contains 945 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
