As the dust settles on a devastatingly poor world cup campaign, I can’t help but feel that the tournament is better off without us. It’s never fun watching England but this time round it was torture.
In previous tournaments my abiding feeling when we got knocked out has always been one of regret, this time it was relief. We were quick to condemn Sven for being unable to take us past the quarter finals of a major tournament with the quality of players at his disposal but perhaps being in the top 8 nations is as good as we’ve ever deserved. A sprinkling of luck (or mental strength as others would term it) and we might even have squeezed into a semi final. Perhaps Sven did as well as he could, it's just that our expectations were unrealistic.
There was never any danger of that happening this year but led by false optimism after a surprisingly easy qualifying campaign and a relatively easy group stage on paper, off we went hugely expectant. I read many articles prior to the world cup with pundits expecting us to reach the last 4 but then fall at the final hurdle. If only.
Picking apart where it all went wrong is futile now. There are few positives to take at all. Big players simply didn’t perform and never once looked like producing a performance that justified their tag of ‘world class’. This is nothing new. Lampard, so assured and influential in Chelsea’s midfield, has never produced in a major tournament and has surely been given enough chances. I’m at a loss to explain why the big players couldn’t reproduce their form. They play regularly in the Champions League against other genuine world class players, often coming out with much credit, but are they big game players? Certainly for all Rooney’s domestic hype, he hasn’t produced in the bigger games, nor has Lampard who was anonymous when Chelsea were beaten by Inter Milan earlier this season.
The players must take responsibility for their failings but as Greece proved at Euro 2004, success is a team effort and England could do worse than learning how to play as a team. The way in which they conceded goals against Germany was beyond alarming. A legitimate goal was disallowed, an injustice done but England still had 45 minutes to get back into the match and had proved albeit briefly that they could give the German defence problems. What possessed the players to abandon their stations and maraud down the pitch to even things up leaving gaping holes at the back will perhaps never be explained. I just hope we learn from the experience. Portugal’s tactics were not pretty last night but they showed how to defend as a team. Algeria, too, showed courage and determination as a team to keep England out in the group stages. England players clearly believe in their own hype.
There were clearly problems behind the scenes (with some unsubstantiated rumours about Gerrard getting his wife’s sister pregnant causing divisions in the camp) but ultimately Capello failed miserably in his attempt to communicate clear instructions to the team. He may have lost the dressing room and his tactics and substitutions were so bizarre, we may have seen the last of him.
It is time to rebuild and give younger players a chance, as the Germans have done. Root and branch changes are promised after every disappointing campaign but this time there’s really no place to hide. The golden generation is over, if it ever in fact existed.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Bring on the Germans
It was inevitable, of course. As soon as the draw was made, England were always destined to face Germany at the World Cup. At the outset, I thought it was more likely that Germany would struggle in their group and qualify 2nd but whilst it was not plain sailing for them, we know now that England struggled more.
The result on Wednesday was more important than anything. England needed a win simply to qualify. The collective relief that greeted the final whistle in Port Elizabeth masked the importance of Landon Donovan's late winner against Algeria. the whole dynamic of the world cup shifted in a matter of seconds and if England are to progress to the latter stages of this competition they are going to have to do it the hard way. Lying in wait, even if we depose the Germans, are Argentina, Spain and Brazil.
To put it in context, in the other half of the draw one of Uruguay, South Korea, USA and Ghana are guaranteed to reach the semi finals. The team who wins the tournament is bound to face some tough challenges but if England navigate their way to the final on July 11th, it will be heralded as the most impressive performance in world cup history.
I'm an optimist but i really can't see it. Not on the evidence of the the first round. We must hope that the positive momentum the team and squad will take from squeezing through the group will inspire them to produce a performance which is good enough to quell the youthful German team who are far from being the best German side of our lifetime. Yet they do have promise. Promise that made them the most watchable team of the first round of games and that's not something you can often say about the Germans, known much more for their brutal efficiency.
On paper, England have better players, at better stages of their career. They must, though, all come to the party. The so-called golden generation is running on empty but they must have one big perfornamce left in them and there is no better time than now to show the watching world what they are capable of.
I suspect the game will be won in midfield. Both teams are suspect at the back and but in midfield, England need to assume control. Schweinsteiger is admirable and redoubtable in the anchor role, spraying the ball around with consummate ease and Ozil is undoutbedly talented but neither are Gerrard or Lampard.
Defoe justified his selection on Wednesday but I still believe bringing Gerrard into the hole to dictate play behind Rooney as the central striker is the best way to counter the Germans. This formation provides more insurance in central midfield where Barry and Lampard (unimpressive so far)can keep the ball and allow Gerrard to maximise his role in the team. he should be commended for diligent performances from the problem left so far but it is clearly not his best, nor his favourite position. Joe Cole has the guile to come in on that side and whilst he did little as a sub on Wednesday, he was asked to play in the hole behind Defoe leaving Gerrard marooned on the left. I think Capello keeps missing a trick. Perhaps the players can break free of the shackles and try it out themselves if Plan A isn't working on Sunday.
It will be a fascinating encounter and if England perform, they have the measure of the Germans and the exicting Argies probably await.
The result on Wednesday was more important than anything. England needed a win simply to qualify. The collective relief that greeted the final whistle in Port Elizabeth masked the importance of Landon Donovan's late winner against Algeria. the whole dynamic of the world cup shifted in a matter of seconds and if England are to progress to the latter stages of this competition they are going to have to do it the hard way. Lying in wait, even if we depose the Germans, are Argentina, Spain and Brazil.
To put it in context, in the other half of the draw one of Uruguay, South Korea, USA and Ghana are guaranteed to reach the semi finals. The team who wins the tournament is bound to face some tough challenges but if England navigate their way to the final on July 11th, it will be heralded as the most impressive performance in world cup history.
I'm an optimist but i really can't see it. Not on the evidence of the the first round. We must hope that the positive momentum the team and squad will take from squeezing through the group will inspire them to produce a performance which is good enough to quell the youthful German team who are far from being the best German side of our lifetime. Yet they do have promise. Promise that made them the most watchable team of the first round of games and that's not something you can often say about the Germans, known much more for their brutal efficiency.
On paper, England have better players, at better stages of their career. They must, though, all come to the party. The so-called golden generation is running on empty but they must have one big perfornamce left in them and there is no better time than now to show the watching world what they are capable of.
I suspect the game will be won in midfield. Both teams are suspect at the back and but in midfield, England need to assume control. Schweinsteiger is admirable and redoubtable in the anchor role, spraying the ball around with consummate ease and Ozil is undoutbedly talented but neither are Gerrard or Lampard.
Defoe justified his selection on Wednesday but I still believe bringing Gerrard into the hole to dictate play behind Rooney as the central striker is the best way to counter the Germans. This formation provides more insurance in central midfield where Barry and Lampard (unimpressive so far)can keep the ball and allow Gerrard to maximise his role in the team. he should be commended for diligent performances from the problem left so far but it is clearly not his best, nor his favourite position. Joe Cole has the guile to come in on that side and whilst he did little as a sub on Wednesday, he was asked to play in the hole behind Defoe leaving Gerrard marooned on the left. I think Capello keeps missing a trick. Perhaps the players can break free of the shackles and try it out themselves if Plan A isn't working on Sunday.
It will be a fascinating encounter and if England perform, they have the measure of the Germans and the exicting Argies probably await.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
It’s not the result, it’s the performance that baffles
It was an abject performance and there’s no other way of putting it. No imagination, no spirit and on this evidence no chance.
There are probably no easy games at this level but England should be despatching the likes of Algeria with cool and clinical ease. In reality, on the balance of play, the north Africans may feel unlucky they didn’t come away with all three points.
Wednesday afternoon will decide whether or not England qualify for the next stage. When the draw was made, the possibility that England wouldn’t make it would have appeared farcical. This was billed as, and should have been, one of the easiest groups to navigate, even for perennial slow starters like us.
If England fail to beat Slovenia, they will of course only have themselves to blame but whichever way it goes, England know their destiny is in their own hands, unlike France.
So what really hurts the most is the performance which was almost indescribably poor. Algeria’s game plan was good and well executed, so let’s not diminish their role in subduing England. However, players of the quality we have should have been able to raise their game to force a win when it counted but the sad truth is England never looked like winning. If England had peppered the Algerian goal with chance after chance and failed to hit the target, there would have been disappointment but also a realisation that it wasn’t our day. To know that there was not even a 10-15 minute spell in the game where we dominated the play is incredible. My concerns expressed in previous posts about the lack of a plan B was astonishingly realised. What did Capello say at half time? I expected a reaction and ultimately a breakthrough, like Brazil against the North Koreans, but the lack of spirit, energy or inspiration was deeply concerning. The world cup should be the pinnacle of these players’ careers. They didn’t play like they realised this.
The coach has blamed that the players play with fear due to inflated expectations from our media and our fans. I accept we are a massively over-expectant nation but is it too much to ask for our players to get through the group stage?
The players are ultimately to blame for a miserable performance. Once the coach sends them out to play, it is up to them to deliver and they patently did not. That said, Capello needs to open up and let them express themselves before this horror show becomes a complete nightmare.
For me, the solution is actually rather simple. Make Rooney the central striker and Gerrard the central focus of the team sitting in the hole. For goodness sake, let Joe Cole fill the problem left position and tell Barry to hold which will allow Lampard to dictate play in the middle of the park. It’s a simple tactical change that thus far Capello has been unwilling to contemplate. He never once tried it in the warm ups even though Gerrard and Rooney in particular have excelled in this formation for their clubs.
I don’t think you need any coaching badges to know that this subtle change in formation is worth a go. If the players then fail to win, at least we know we tried something different. England are perennial slow starters and a convincing win on Wednesday may just kick start a formidable run at this world cup. We can all live in hope.
There are probably no easy games at this level but England should be despatching the likes of Algeria with cool and clinical ease. In reality, on the balance of play, the north Africans may feel unlucky they didn’t come away with all three points.
Wednesday afternoon will decide whether or not England qualify for the next stage. When the draw was made, the possibility that England wouldn’t make it would have appeared farcical. This was billed as, and should have been, one of the easiest groups to navigate, even for perennial slow starters like us.
If England fail to beat Slovenia, they will of course only have themselves to blame but whichever way it goes, England know their destiny is in their own hands, unlike France.
So what really hurts the most is the performance which was almost indescribably poor. Algeria’s game plan was good and well executed, so let’s not diminish their role in subduing England. However, players of the quality we have should have been able to raise their game to force a win when it counted but the sad truth is England never looked like winning. If England had peppered the Algerian goal with chance after chance and failed to hit the target, there would have been disappointment but also a realisation that it wasn’t our day. To know that there was not even a 10-15 minute spell in the game where we dominated the play is incredible. My concerns expressed in previous posts about the lack of a plan B was astonishingly realised. What did Capello say at half time? I expected a reaction and ultimately a breakthrough, like Brazil against the North Koreans, but the lack of spirit, energy or inspiration was deeply concerning. The world cup should be the pinnacle of these players’ careers. They didn’t play like they realised this.
The coach has blamed that the players play with fear due to inflated expectations from our media and our fans. I accept we are a massively over-expectant nation but is it too much to ask for our players to get through the group stage?
The players are ultimately to blame for a miserable performance. Once the coach sends them out to play, it is up to them to deliver and they patently did not. That said, Capello needs to open up and let them express themselves before this horror show becomes a complete nightmare.
For me, the solution is actually rather simple. Make Rooney the central striker and Gerrard the central focus of the team sitting in the hole. For goodness sake, let Joe Cole fill the problem left position and tell Barry to hold which will allow Lampard to dictate play in the middle of the park. It’s a simple tactical change that thus far Capello has been unwilling to contemplate. He never once tried it in the warm ups even though Gerrard and Rooney in particular have excelled in this formation for their clubs.
I don’t think you need any coaching badges to know that this subtle change in formation is worth a go. If the players then fail to win, at least we know we tried something different. England are perennial slow starters and a convincing win on Wednesday may just kick start a formidable run at this world cup. We can all live in hope.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Someone wake me up when it starts!
Hi again
As gameweek 1 comes to a close with the surprise result of the tournament, it doesn’t mask the fact that this has been a really slow start.
Those of us who are playing world cup games and were gung ho in our score predictions have been massively disappointed up to now. I don’t think I can recall a cagier start to any tournament. Sure, I understand teams don’t want to lose at the first hurdle and of course it can take time to hit your stride but the lack of ambition from all the teams, favourites or not, has been a surprise. This is the world cup after all, the greatest show on earth.
And pardon me for expecting too much but with England failing to qualify for Euro 2008, I’ve been waiting four long years for South Africa 2010. All I’m asking for is a goal or 6 and players who look as if they mean it.
So thank god for the North Korean No 9. Even though I was frustrated to see even Brazil fail to score in the first half I couldn’t help but admire the passion and ability of the chap. I think he might get snapped up after the world cup.
With a heavy heart I have to admit that Germany are the team of the tournament so far. Functional and efficient they may have once been but there’s talent in their multi-cultural squad sprinkled with some great experience and three strikers who know where the goal is, despite indifferent domestic campaigns – especially Podolski and the evergreen Klose.
In all honesty, Germany were up against a very poor Australian team but they despatched them with cool precision. There are tougher tests to come but I still hope England can avoid them for a while.
Surprise package so far, for me, are South Korea. On their own patch they did well. Exceeded themselves of course but they had home advantage. I gave them little hope this time round but they swept past Greece and have some really good players and maybe one to watch.
Their nearest neighbours won’t last long but they have shown spirit and you have to applaud them for holding Brazil for so long and persisting long enough to score a well deserved consolation.
Major disappointments so far are both 2006 finalists France and Italy. France probably nudge it for now as the worst for being so bad on opening night that it took all my powers of persuasion to convince Mrs G that the world cup was worth a go. They really didn’t help my cause. Italy were so bad in the first half that I personally offered to change the channel.
Player of the tournament so far? Messi has lived up to his billing – one of the few high profile players to do so. Robinho was good too. He looked a completely different player to the disinterested and spoilt one that left Man City in January. Most impressive, though is tiny Ozil, the German/Turkish playmaker who looks absolute class. The rest of the so-called big name players have been dreadful.
So here’s my team of Gameweek 1:
Enyeama (Nigeria)
Maicon (Bra) Heinze (Arg) Lichsteiner (Swi) Lahm (Ger)
Park (S Kor) De Rossi (It) Ozil (Ger)
Messi (Arg) Tae-Se Jong (N Kor) Robinho (Bra)
Only 2 days to England vs Algeria. Come on boys...
As gameweek 1 comes to a close with the surprise result of the tournament, it doesn’t mask the fact that this has been a really slow start.
Those of us who are playing world cup games and were gung ho in our score predictions have been massively disappointed up to now. I don’t think I can recall a cagier start to any tournament. Sure, I understand teams don’t want to lose at the first hurdle and of course it can take time to hit your stride but the lack of ambition from all the teams, favourites or not, has been a surprise. This is the world cup after all, the greatest show on earth.
And pardon me for expecting too much but with England failing to qualify for Euro 2008, I’ve been waiting four long years for South Africa 2010. All I’m asking for is a goal or 6 and players who look as if they mean it.
So thank god for the North Korean No 9. Even though I was frustrated to see even Brazil fail to score in the first half I couldn’t help but admire the passion and ability of the chap. I think he might get snapped up after the world cup.
With a heavy heart I have to admit that Germany are the team of the tournament so far. Functional and efficient they may have once been but there’s talent in their multi-cultural squad sprinkled with some great experience and three strikers who know where the goal is, despite indifferent domestic campaigns – especially Podolski and the evergreen Klose.
In all honesty, Germany were up against a very poor Australian team but they despatched them with cool precision. There are tougher tests to come but I still hope England can avoid them for a while.
Surprise package so far, for me, are South Korea. On their own patch they did well. Exceeded themselves of course but they had home advantage. I gave them little hope this time round but they swept past Greece and have some really good players and maybe one to watch.
Their nearest neighbours won’t last long but they have shown spirit and you have to applaud them for holding Brazil for so long and persisting long enough to score a well deserved consolation.
Major disappointments so far are both 2006 finalists France and Italy. France probably nudge it for now as the worst for being so bad on opening night that it took all my powers of persuasion to convince Mrs G that the world cup was worth a go. They really didn’t help my cause. Italy were so bad in the first half that I personally offered to change the channel.
Player of the tournament so far? Messi has lived up to his billing – one of the few high profile players to do so. Robinho was good too. He looked a completely different player to the disinterested and spoilt one that left Man City in January. Most impressive, though is tiny Ozil, the German/Turkish playmaker who looks absolute class. The rest of the so-called big name players have been dreadful.
So here’s my team of Gameweek 1:
Enyeama (Nigeria)
Maicon (Bra) Heinze (Arg) Lichsteiner (Swi) Lahm (Ger)
Park (S Kor) De Rossi (It) Ozil (Ger)
Messi (Arg) Tae-Se Jong (N Kor) Robinho (Bra)
Only 2 days to England vs Algeria. Come on boys...
Fed up with same old England
Hi folks
Welcome to my blog on the 2010 world cup. Are you tired of reading the samey media reports on the games. Fancy an alternative view from a regular armchair supporter who talks about the game in the same way you do? Then read on, amigos.
Game 1 – England vs. USA
A few days have passed. Enough time for me to gather my emotions and my composure.
It wasn’t the start we wanted. Of that there is no doubt. Worst of all, though, is that this was the England we’ve come to know, expect and dislike in all tournaments for as long as I can remember (barring Euro 96, maybe). False hopes. Hopes dashed.
In fairness the result itself is not entirely a disaster. On paper, England should beat USA easily. Their squad is made up of players who are Premier League rejects. Only one of their players would realistically make it in the England team and ironically that’s their goalkeeper - the one position where England are seriously lacking.
I’m not going to dwell on Green’s error. It was catastrophic and actually beyond comprehension. There is simply no excuse at this level.
More worrying for me is the realisation in the opening 90 minutes that this England team isn’t actually very good. There are some individuals who are genuinely world class (the likes of Rooney and Gerrard), there are others who are not but collectively they are not as good as we think they should be.
The lack of a Plan B is also causing me genuine concern. Under Sven, England were good enough to get a certain distance but ultimately were always found out for lacking variation in play and in personnel capable of effecting anything new. A reversion to hit and hope when all else was lost. Of course England have long been criticised for their inability to keep the ball and technically we are inferior to other nations. How badly we show it though. I, along with others I’m sure, had begun to believe that Fabio Capello was different. That he was not only hard nosed but he was someone who was a studious reader of the game and could instil some belief and variety into our play to help us overcome stage fright against the better opponents.
USA are not of the calibre I am referring but there was enough evidence last night to suggest that Mr Capello is no better than his predecessors and his choice of substitutions was as inept as England’s overall performance.
I expressed before my disappointment in some of the decisions made in finalising the squad. Central to that was the faith in Shaun Wright Phillips who, at best can only be billed as an impact substitute. When he decided to replace Milner which was a correct decision after a out-of-sorts 30 minutes, the sensible option would have been to bring Joe Cole into the fray and accept his initial selection had been an error. I’m no expert but even I could see that. Instead he chose SWP, the headless chicken whose performance only serves to justify my point.
The Emile Heskey conundrum is sadly worth a mention. Are England the only nation at this world cup who insist on starting with a striker who can’t score goals. It’s frightening. It’s ludicrous that we indulge a player who lacks any self belief. Unfortunately he too proved my point with a glaring one-on-one miss. When you looked closely, he had an awful lot of the goal to aim at.
I perhaps do him a little dis-service. He didn’t have a bad game. His strength in hold up was neat and tidy and his pass to set up Gerrard’s goal was cute. He simply isn’t world class though and I’m not the only one who wishes that Rooney gets his chance to become the central striker, a position from which he has scored 34 goals this season, with Gerrard in behind – a position which he has mastered in his partnership with Torres. Is it really rocket science?
So you may think I’ve focused on the negatives and glossed over the positives. OK, I’ll concede that it was a bright start and good goal. England should have built momentum from there and even after Green’s gaffe, there was plenty of time to find a winner. Truth is, England rarely looked like finding it and that’s because the system and the personnel were all wrong. Different manager, same old England, I’m sad to say.
Look out for my next post when I’ll sum up the first round of games and offer my thoughts on team of the week.
I’ll also discuss my views on who should start for England against Algeria.
Until next time...
Goops!
Welcome to my blog on the 2010 world cup. Are you tired of reading the samey media reports on the games. Fancy an alternative view from a regular armchair supporter who talks about the game in the same way you do? Then read on, amigos.
Game 1 – England vs. USA
A few days have passed. Enough time for me to gather my emotions and my composure.
It wasn’t the start we wanted. Of that there is no doubt. Worst of all, though, is that this was the England we’ve come to know, expect and dislike in all tournaments for as long as I can remember (barring Euro 96, maybe). False hopes. Hopes dashed.
In fairness the result itself is not entirely a disaster. On paper, England should beat USA easily. Their squad is made up of players who are Premier League rejects. Only one of their players would realistically make it in the England team and ironically that’s their goalkeeper - the one position where England are seriously lacking.
I’m not going to dwell on Green’s error. It was catastrophic and actually beyond comprehension. There is simply no excuse at this level.
More worrying for me is the realisation in the opening 90 minutes that this England team isn’t actually very good. There are some individuals who are genuinely world class (the likes of Rooney and Gerrard), there are others who are not but collectively they are not as good as we think they should be.
The lack of a Plan B is also causing me genuine concern. Under Sven, England were good enough to get a certain distance but ultimately were always found out for lacking variation in play and in personnel capable of effecting anything new. A reversion to hit and hope when all else was lost. Of course England have long been criticised for their inability to keep the ball and technically we are inferior to other nations. How badly we show it though. I, along with others I’m sure, had begun to believe that Fabio Capello was different. That he was not only hard nosed but he was someone who was a studious reader of the game and could instil some belief and variety into our play to help us overcome stage fright against the better opponents.
USA are not of the calibre I am referring but there was enough evidence last night to suggest that Mr Capello is no better than his predecessors and his choice of substitutions was as inept as England’s overall performance.
I expressed before my disappointment in some of the decisions made in finalising the squad. Central to that was the faith in Shaun Wright Phillips who, at best can only be billed as an impact substitute. When he decided to replace Milner which was a correct decision after a out-of-sorts 30 minutes, the sensible option would have been to bring Joe Cole into the fray and accept his initial selection had been an error. I’m no expert but even I could see that. Instead he chose SWP, the headless chicken whose performance only serves to justify my point.
The Emile Heskey conundrum is sadly worth a mention. Are England the only nation at this world cup who insist on starting with a striker who can’t score goals. It’s frightening. It’s ludicrous that we indulge a player who lacks any self belief. Unfortunately he too proved my point with a glaring one-on-one miss. When you looked closely, he had an awful lot of the goal to aim at.
I perhaps do him a little dis-service. He didn’t have a bad game. His strength in hold up was neat and tidy and his pass to set up Gerrard’s goal was cute. He simply isn’t world class though and I’m not the only one who wishes that Rooney gets his chance to become the central striker, a position from which he has scored 34 goals this season, with Gerrard in behind – a position which he has mastered in his partnership with Torres. Is it really rocket science?
So you may think I’ve focused on the negatives and glossed over the positives. OK, I’ll concede that it was a bright start and good goal. England should have built momentum from there and even after Green’s gaffe, there was plenty of time to find a winner. Truth is, England rarely looked like finding it and that’s because the system and the personnel were all wrong. Different manager, same old England, I’m sad to say.
Look out for my next post when I’ll sum up the first round of games and offer my thoughts on team of the week.
I’ll also discuss my views on who should start for England against Algeria.
Until next time...
Goops!
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