England’s short stay in South Africa came to an embarrassing end yesterday afternoon. They did not have to endure the heartache of an exit via penalties, but they did get their inevitable controversial moment to hide behind, a moment that will no doubt be used to try and deflect the fact that England have been ten levels below substandard since topping their qualifying group back in October. Whether Lampard’s goal was given or not is irrelevant, England were completely out-thought, out-played and simply out-classed by a young inexperienced German side.

“That goal” has reignited the clamour for the use of technology. Video replays are needed in Football to clear up marginal – matter of fact decisions – such as did the ball cross the line, however only two people out of the millions watching failed to see the ball bounce behind the line in Bloemfontein. If the technology was in place yesterday no referee with more than half a functioning eye would’ve needed to refer to the video referee. It is one of the most horrendous errors I have seen made and hope that Jorge Larrionda and his stooges are sent home just as swiftly as the England squad have been.

The Mexicans also fell victim to comedy officiating in Johannesburg, Carlos Tevez was so far offside for the Argentines first goal he was in a different time zone. If that was level to the linesman I’d love to see him put up a shelf. Extra salt was poured in the wounds when the goal was replayed on the big screen. All in all it was a day for the officials to forget, which they seem to be able to do with relative ease – apparently there are plus sides for not having a soul.

There were also reports of a fault with the fourth official’s board during the England Germany encounter, on 71 minutes with England needing three goals Emile Heskeys’ number was inadvertently flashed up forcing a bemused Jermaine Defoe off the field. That just capped another forgettable display in England’s wretched history of forgettable displays.

The following list of elite midfield players in the world will exclude the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka since they sometimes play as forwards or as support strikers depending on the strategy deployed by their team. Kaka has previously played as a second striker during his spell with Milan while both Messi and Ronaldo have played in various attacking positions for their club (mostly on the wing though).

The list below does not comprise all of the world’s best midfielders but focuses on those who have made next summer’s World Cup:

Cesc Fabregas: The young Spaniard is already Arsenal’s captain after being handed the armband just over a year ago and has been a menacing threat for opponents from his central midfield position. His main contributions come in the form of assists to his teammates as well as being a key participant in the build-up of most of the club’s attacking moves. This season he has already scored six goals and amassed 10 assists in Arsenal’s first 10 league games. Fabregas has three goals as well as three assists in five European appearances for the London side.

Daniele De Rossi: The defensive midfielder is one of the Azzurri’s most important players and is one of the first names in the starting lineup under coach Marcello Lippi. With aging enforcer Gennaro Gattuso suffering from lack of form and injuries, De Rossi’s role has become even more important. While statistics may not do the Roma midfielder justice, it is known that his influence for the Giallorossi and the national team is quite immense. One interesting fact is Daniele has scored eight times for Italy and his country has won all eight of those games!

Marek Hamsik: The Slovak international is a cornerstone of his club Napoli and his national team. He is renowned for his dangerous positioning and for popping up from the outside the area to score goals. Though different from England’s Frank Lampard, he does share some similar traits and at the age of 22 he obviously has many years ahead to mature into one of the world’s most effective and dangerous central midfielders. (Please refer to previous piece titled Best Starting 11 Today dated November 16, 2009)

Steven Gerrard: The England international has been used as a second striker and in support of striker Fernando Torres yet he features on this list because he has mostly been used in various midfield positions over his career. To most Liverpool fans, Gerrard’s name should be the first on any of the team’s starting 11 in official matches. The club tends to suffer and miss that extra impetus when Gerrard is not playing. Liverpool’s losses often coincide with his absence through injury or suspension. Gerrard will play a key role for England under the leadership of Fabio Capello.

Xabi Alonso: The midfield general was quite influential in Liverpool’s drive for the title last season. His departure to Real Madrid has led some, including Captain Gerrard, to rue his exit from Anfield and to praise his contributions to the English club. He recently scored a brace in Spain’s 2-1 victory over Argentina. He is beginning to settle down for Los Galacticos will surely be decisive if the capital side are to dethrone la Liga’s champions Barcelona (Please refer to the Best Starting 11 Today article for more information on Alonso).

Frank Lampard: The English midfielder has set the bar so high that critics have begun to question whether he is on a decline because he has had a slow season so far by his own high standards. Lampard will be key for Fabio Capello and his plans to lead England to the latter stages of the World Cup in South Africa. Lampard scored a brace in the 5-1 demolition of Croatia which basically sent a clear message to the rest of the world about England’s intent to compete come next summer.

Honorable mention must go to both of Barcelona’s midfielders Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez. Iniesta has recently recovered from injury but was quite decisive last season and Chelsea fans certainly remember his goal which sent their club packing in European competition. Iniesta must not be very popular with English fans since he went on to play an instrumental role in Barca’s triumph over Manchester United in the Champions League Final as he assisted on the goal by Samuel Eto’o's.

Xavi is Iniesta’s partner with the Catalan side and the national team with both being decisive in the treble achieved by Barca as well as Spain’s triumph in Euro 2008. Xavi was actually named best player by UEFA during the successful campaign which yielded a precious trophy for the Spaniards during Euro 2008. Xavi and Iniesta clearly compliment each other on the club and international level. Spain will be dangerous next summer with such a skilled and decisive midfield.