Scott Parker impressed many last week after an exciting performance against the world champions Spain. Parker, the English international, did so well that he was given the Man of the Match award for his performance in the midfield. It's the English midfield that seems to contain the most controversy. Do you play Parker in the current set-up, and if so, how?

Parker may very much be of the starting quality for England. In the previously mentioned game against Spain, he managed to keep control of the ball and his style of play without too much Spanish intrusion, while his team could barely muster anything really worthy of a win. However, England does have one few thing going for them at the moment: youth. And the Gerrard generation is preventing the younger generation from coming of age in the national team. Players like Theo Walcott, Tom Cleverley, Aaron Lennon and even Ashley Young all deserve to get minutes now, for later.

Fabio Capello has adopted the suddenly popular 4-3-3, which leaves only three spots for midfielders. The Frank Lampard and Gerrard lack of symmetry is well documented, but the three-man midfield of Jones, Parker and Lampard worked well enough, considering. Parker can play a good holding midfield role and is a work horse if you put him in certain spots. That's how England played him in early in the European campaign and it was incredibly successful. Thankfully his tools allow him to work as such a force in the centre of the midfield. His distribution skills are okay, but only so. A minute eater, Parker is known for his stamina up and down the pitch.

His problems still remain that first limited him from amassing more caps (he only has 10 caps for the senior team, one appearance less than what he had with the under-21 team). His level of play can come and go, which can be a major issue for a national team. By putting a player like Parker in the very centre of the midfield, you run the risk of him taking on too much of a playmaking responsibility. He does a good job of distributing out of the back, but at his club Tottenham he is still overshadowed by Lennon, Luka Modric and Gareth Bale for offensive distribution. His work rate is overshadowing the fact he is in his 30s, and all those extra kilometers will certainly catch up to him.

Parker should not be in Capello's plans because it's simply too little too late. He is really not a player that England could afford to play at this moment, just as the national team is getting ready for a tournament that holds a considerable amount of importance to this football association's future. I believe the perfect situation would be to put him in a four- or fiveband formation behind the advancing midfielders. That way you get that quick passing and defensive coverage he has been known for and use it to the team's full benefit. But even then the youth should still be considered over a player who may have already peaked.