Eriksson faces Beckham dilemma

England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson faces the bizarre option of dropping his inspirational captain David Beckham against Liechtenstein in order to boost his team's Euro 2004 qualifying bid.

Beckham, though desperate to play at his former Old Trafford home on Wednesday, is a yellow card away from a suspension that would rule him out of next month's decisive Group Seven match in Turkey.

Beckham's return to Manchester a few weeks after leaving United for Real Madrid would be a highly charged moment for the 28-year-old and the fans who worshipped him in a red shirt.

The argument in favour of England's methodical Swedish coach denying both sides that moment is a clinical assessment of the facts.

England are perfectly capable of beating Liechtenstein's assortment of part-timers and journeyman professionals without their 35-million euro midfielder.

By contrast, it would be extremely difficult for England to get the result they need -- a draw if they beat Liechtenstein -- without Beckham on October 11 in Istanbul.

Beckham's passionate attachment to the England captaincy has often made him a ferocious competitor in games in which his team mates are struggling.

His committed tackling and ability to galvanise England's attacking play through his trademark pinpoint passes can turn defeats into victories.

Alongside his sheer stamina and work rate, Beckham's other contribution is the most important of all -- scoring goals.

Eriksson confirmed him as captain when the Swede took effective charge in February 2001 and Beckham has repaid that faith with 12 goals in 25 starts -- an astonishing record for a midfielder.

Inevitably, his most memorable performances are when Beckham combines his roles as battler and goalscorer.

England's best player on Saturday, it was Beckham's match-winning penalty in Macedonia that sealed a priceless win. In Slovakia last October, Beckham's equaliser set England on their way to a similar 2-1 comeback victory.

Best of all, though, was his performance in the final 2002 World Cup qualifier against Greece at Old Trafford, capped by a memorable free kick goal in injury time to make it 2-2 and seal England's place in the finals.

In Turkey, England face a similar task -- needing a draw in their final qualifier to reach a major tournament.

However, this time they are playing in Istanbul instead of Manchester and World Cup semi-finalists Turkey are a very different proposition to Greece, with the crowd -- in theory bereft of England fans after the FA turned down its ticket allocation -- likely to be hostile.

It will not be an easy decision for Eriksson.

The Swede could find himself in a similar situation to Beckham's former manager Alex Ferguson, whose captain Roy Keane and fellow midfielder Paul Scholes missed their 1999 European Cup final triumph over Bayern Munich after being booked in the semi-final against Juventus.

On Wednesday, Beckham will probably get the nod, along with a wagging figure warning him to keep out of trouble.