Tighter confines allow Jenas to soar in confidence

(GETTY IMAGES)

What's the point of Jermaine Jenas? Cruel, but it was the question which was inevitably asked as, time after time, the midfielder was included in the England squads chosen by Sven Goran Eriksson only never to threaten to disrupt the starting line-up or have any effect from the substitutes' bench.

He was neither one thing nor the other – and nor was he an all-rounder either. Jenas, once the rising star of English football when a teenager at Nottingham Forest where he earned a multimillion pound price tag, appeared to get by, just do enough and never really push himself.

For half an hour last night it seemed nothing had changed, which was threatening to be a crying shame – and a damning indictment – given that his inclusion, after being dumped under the Steve McClaren regime, was the most conspicuous made by his successor, Fabio Capello.

What was also telling was that Capello had handed Jenas the No 8 jersey which, for the Italian, has always been one that was precious to him. At Milan, where he made his name as a coach, it was first worn by Frank Rijkaard and then Marcel Desailly. The Frenchman recalled that before he went out on to the pitch Capello would tap him on the shoulder and tell him to remember the number on his back.

If he did the same with Jenas before he walked on to the Wembley turf it had an intimidatory effect. His position, pushing on from the right side of the centre of midfield, often led to him being bypassed. His confidence, which has soared at Tottenham Hotspur in recent weeks to such an extent that he is the Premier League's form midfielder, appeared dimmed, although it should be remembered that, prior to this match, he had had just 15 minutes of international football since March 2006. And that from a player who made his international debut five years ago, at the same time as Wayne Rooney.

But, for a while, Jenas was neither initiator nor recipient and certainly not the box-to-box player that Juande Ramos, his coach at Spurs, has turned him into after years of Martin Jol suspecting that he could not fulfil the role.

In effect Ramos has given Jenas a more limited role and Capello did the same. It was not until the 22nd minute that he ran with the ball but he was quickly halted. That seemed to jolt him further until, just after the half-hour, he was picked out by David Bentley in one of the forward positions he had been encouraged to take. His cross was wasteful but it marked a turning point that was followed by a powerful run through the centre, after he had won possession, although he deferred to Rooney. Moments later and it was his moment. Joe Cole skilfully created the opportunity and Jenas, on the edge of the six-yard area, turned the ball into the net to strike his first goal for his country in his 18th appearance.

It wasn't startling or dramatic but it was effective and eight minutes into the second-half only a fingertip save prevented him from adding another goal with a snap-shot. It was starting to turn into a performance that may have made the watching Frank Lampard sit up a little more attentively.

But the shot proved to be his final contribution as he was soon substituted, to acclaim. There were glimpses of encouragement, although it was not a dominating display. But Jenas is still just 24 – he turns 25 later this month – and should be coming into his prime. Maybe Capello, also, now feels he can get the best out of a talent who has promised more than he has delivered, although he did the latter last night. It is time for him to keep proving his point.