Exactly two weeks of the tournament in Germany had passed when desperate to see his side's performances improve, Sven Goran Eriksson decided he would ditch his Plan B against Sweden and introduce Michael Carrick into the team, at last.
Before the match, Carrick described the moment he was told he would start against Ecuador. "The manager took me aside and said: ‘this is the position that I want you to play and this is how you are going to play.' I would describe it as a midfield position, probably holding more than the other two. Backing the play up, playing with responsibility and looking after the back four. It's pretty much as I've played for Tottenham all season. We then went out and trained with the system."
"In the past I haven't got nervous but there has not been one game in my career that has come close to playing in the World Cup. Not getting on the pitch had been frustrating, when I was so close. Playing in the World Cup is everything that I have worked towards since I started playing football." (Official sites)
After England kept a clean sheet against the South American side, Daniel Taylor described Carrick, in The Guardian, as ‘a player who always gives the impression he should do just that little bit better.'
‘Carrick is not afraid of taking possession in awkward areas of the pitch and he works diligently, is two-footed and well-built, yet there is always something holding him back. He seldom imposes himself on matches. In many ways he is an old-fashioned midfield impresario when they have gone out of fashion. He decorates matches rather than dominates them. Everything is that much faster these days.'
‘The Carrick conundrum is particularly intriguing. Tottenham's supporters would argue that the 24-year-old is the closest thing they have had to Glenn Hoddle. Carrick's admirers say he does not just kick the ball, he caresses it. At his best, they claim, he passes the ball as though it were directed by computer.'
‘But will England's No18 be exposed now that the team are about to play someone with a bit of clout?'
Portugal beat Holland to set up a quarter-final meeting with England on Saturday. Both sides were reduced to nine players and Luiz Felipe Scolari's side will need to do without Costinha and Deco who are both suspended.