Lampard is England's main man
Opta say Frank Lampard is emerging as England's most important player.
Frank Lampard's emergence as arguably England's most important player continued with the Chelsea midfielder notching his seventh goal in his last 13 appearances for his national side.So far in England's World Cup qualifying campaign, Lampard has top scored for England with goals against Austria, Wales and Northern Ireland. Only Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney - who has yet to score in a World Cup qualifier - have attempted more shots than the ex-West Ham player.
| Player | Goals | Total Shots Attempted |
| Lampard | 3 | 11 |
| Owen | 2 | 13 |
| Beckham | 1 | 11 |
| Defoe | 1 | 5 |
| Gerrard | 1 | 3 |
| J Cole | 1 | 2 |
| Rooney | 0 | 12 |
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Lampard has seen more of the ball than any of his team-mates during England's five competitive since Euro 2004, making over 50 per cent more passes than any of his midfield colleagues.
| Player | Passes | Pass % |
| Lampard | 303 | 82% |
| A Cole | 284 | 88% |
| G Neville | 243 | 84% |
| Gerrard | 196 | 80% |
| Beckham | 178 | 77% |
| Ferdinand | 161 | 89% |
| Terry | 142 | 93% |
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England's number eight has also not neglected his defensive duties, going in for 20 tackles so far, once more leading The Three Lions as they look to book their spot in Germany 2006.
| Player | Tackles | Tackle Success % |
| Lampard | 20 | 60% |
| Gerrard | 17 | 76% |
| Cole | 15 | 93% |
| Butt | 12 | 75% |
| Rooney | 10 | 70% |
| Terry | 8 | 75% |
| Neville | 8 | 62% |
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Such dominant displays by Lampard have become key to England's success as the 26-year old has successfully translated his club form into the international arena. With club-mate Joe Cole set for an extended run in the England team, Sven-Goran Eriksson's men are benefiting from Chelsea's success and West Ham United's youth policy, which has produced two of England's core elements.
