INTERVIEW

Wednesday, February 23, 10:53am London Time
Keegan: Wise will pass the test
By Nigel Clarke


Nobody at Chelsea was surprised that Kevin Keegan had decided to give Dennis Wise a crucial midfield role for England and gamble on him remaining cool against football's masters of provocation.

The 33-year-old firebrand makes his first international start for four years, playing alongside David Beckham and Paul Scholes in a 3-5-2 formation that looks attractive and exciting - as long as England are able to keep possession.

Never mind that a misconduct charge for allegedly fighting in the Stamford Bridge tunnel is hanging over Wise's head, or that he has been sent off twice this season.

What Keegan is seeking are players in the engine room with the ability to make accurate passes and not give the ball away, as they did in the defeat by Scotland at Wembley last year.

This could be the last international chance for Wise to display his undoubted football ability, which has too often been obscured by a disciplinary rap sheet that would alarm The Bill.

His value to Chelsea has been immense. The club are sure he is one of the most effective central midfield players in the country. It is why he is captain, and why he can get away with bossing French World Cup-winners such as Marcel Desailly and Didier Deschamps.

As manager Gianluca Vialli said: 'When he tells them something, they listen. That's because they respect him as a player.'

So it seems Keegan has realised - albeit a little late - that Wise makes Chelsea tick. The England boss said: 'The major improvement we need is in our passing. As for Dennis, I just think I can trust him.

'He is an aggressive player. He is a winner and he does care. He has the drive and determination that takes him in to win balls and possession. He has courage - and he will probably be the first to admit that sometimes he oversteps the mark.

I can defend him to the hilt, but no-one can defend him better than he can himself on a football pitch at Wembley.'

Wise has had a magnificent season for Chelsea, marred only by his brushes with authority. Indeed, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson once said he could start an argument in an empty room.

To say nothing of a crowded tunnel. It is believed his confrontation with Wimbledon's Kenny Cunningham 10 days ago sparked the brawl that led to an FA investigation and charges against both clubs and players.

Certainly, Wise must watch his step. The Argentines are skilled at provoking confrontations and Wise is bound to find himself in close proximity to Ariel Ortega, a player who has kicked sand in more faces than Beckham has worn designer frocks.

Keegan said: 'I cannot defend Wise's disciplinary record, but now he's got an opportunity to go and make a fresh start. I am not saying I am ignoring what he has done, or that these things do not matter. I just believe he deserves the chance to stake a claim.

'I have picked Wise on pure ability. If things don't work out I will have to be answerable for my decisions. I have picked the team to get the right balance.

'When Wise came on for us against Belgium he started to do things you want midfield players to do, which is not just to give the ball, move and make runs in behind defenders. He's good enough and cute enough to sort it out for himself.

'We had 25 minutes in training this morning and he was exceptional at doing what he needed to do. I have no worries there. He can pass the ball with either foot, keep it and give it. He has tremendous energy.'

Ortega, Wise's likely adversary, knows all about controversy. His 'crime' sheet is long and former England captain David Platt will testify to the Parma player's troublesome nature after the brief spell they spent falling out as coach and player at Sampdoria a year ago.

He also rowed with Valencia coach Claudio Ranieri prior to his move to Italy while his butt to the face of Holland goalkeeper Edwin Van Der Sar in Marseille - and the red card that followed - is recognised as the main reason his country failed to progress further than the last eight of the 1998 World Cup after beating England.

His season in Serie A has been undistinguished since he ignored overtures from Sunderland last summer to leave Sampdoria for ¢G12million.

He was derided as 'useless' by the Italian press after Parma's home defeat to Rangers in the Champions League and wants to quit his ¢G42,000-a-week contract and return to South America. Ortega, however, remains a hero in Argentina, the natural and gifted inheritor of Maradona's No.10 shirt.

In Argentina, he says, sporting gifts are cherished and excesses excused. He was therefore startled to discover that Beckham continues to make big news on the front page as well as the back.

He said: 'I've heard the latest Beckham stories, although I don't know the details. In my view, he's still being punished for being sent off against us in France.

'It's important for people to realise in this country that he's a great player. You must cherish them rather than drive them away.'

Ortega, who will win his 65th cap, added: 'In world football these days there are no teams that are really superior and either team could win. I'm still proud to be playing at Wembley before it's knocked down. The English people may not think that means a lot to us but it does.'