Waddle: Sven can't win without a dribbler

He said: 'I'm not suggesting England no longer have good players.

' We have a lot of dedicated professionals who are very fine passers of the ball, who can use it well and who are extremely fit and very mobile. But what we don't have are players who can take on the opposition, who can change the course of a match with their individualism and flair.

'Where is England's answer to a Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo or a Robert Pires. We have decent players but not ones in that class.'

Waddle, whose forte was taking on the full back and getting to the bye-line, believes the one player who might develop into a midfielder with that match-winning spark is Blackburn Rovers' David Dunn.

The youngster won his first full cap against Portugal on Saturday after captaining the England Under 21s.

'He is the nearest player we have to Paul Gascoigne, who is prepared to take on the opposition without fear of occasionally losing the ball and who can create and take chances,' said Waddle, who starred with Gascoigne in England's run to the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup. 'But he needs time to develop in the side.'

The pace and power of Steven Gerrard allows him to make dangerous thrusts.

Waddle, though, is less convinced about the qualities of Joe Cole, the West Ham protege from whom great things are expected.

He said: 'Joe has marvellous trickery but when you examine the end product, what do you get? He certainly doesn't score enough goals and very often he doesn't create them either.

'There is a lot of work to be done on how he harnesses his talent before you can put him in and expect him to change the game for you. At the moment he flatters to deceive.' Waddle blames the coaching culture at club level for cutting the supply line to England of players like himself, John Barnes and Gascoigne, saying: 'I can't believe there are not players around who take the ball right up to the opposing full back and get beyond him.

' The modern game seems to focus on one or two-touch foottheir-ball where players look to move the ball on almost immediately.

'The clubs have young players now at the age of eight yet they don't encourage them to get by defenders in the last third.'

The one exception he sees in the Premiership is Ryan Giggs.

Waddle said: 'If England had him problems would be eliminated. But, of course, he opted to play for Wales.'

All is not lost, however, as Waddle believes there are players at U21 level who can take on their opposite numbers and create problems in the danger areas of the field.

He points to Arsenal's 19-year-old flyer Jermaine Pennant for one. The former Notts County trainee, who moved to Highbury for £2million when he was only 15, is expected to be offered his chance in the Gunners' first team this season, which is bound to aid his development further.

Nottingham Forest's highly-rated midfielder David Prutton is another whom Waddle tips for a big future.

A third is Tottenham winger Matthew Etherington, who has impressed at White Hart Lane after being given his chance to shine under Glenn Hoddle.

SVEN'S LEFTIES

NICK BARMBY
(then Liverpool)
STEVE McMANAMAN
(Real Madrid)
EMILE HESKEY
(Liverpool)
JOE COLE
(West Ham)
OWEN HARGREAVES
(Bayern Munich)
TREVOR SINCLAIR
(West Ham)
DARREN ANDERTON
(Tottenham)
KIERON DYER
(Newcastle)
PAUL SCHOLES
(Manchester United)