Same old England

Chris Burton reflects on yet another lacklustre England performance

Last updated: 6th September 2008

Joe Cole Andorra England World Cup Qualifier

Cole: England's saviour in Spain

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On being handed the assignment of reflecting on England's first competitive fixture under the guidance of Fabio Capello I was determined to avoid becoming yet another doom-monger, quick to lambast overpaid superstars who appear to have more important things on their mind than representing their country. But how do you defend performances which fail to raise an ounce of optimism?

Andorra away should have represented the ideal opening for Capello - lambs to a Three Lions slaughter. The European minnows were always going to be plucky opponents, keen to get men behind the ball, defending for their lives against supposedly illustrious opponents.

But hard work should only get you so far and, in the end, quality should prevail. I emphasise 'should' because England toiled in embarrassing fashion for large periods in a stadium built to celebrate the greatest achievers in sporting excellence.

The Olympic Stadium in Barcelona played host to Linford Christie and Sally Gunnell's gold medal-winning exploits back in 1992, but, not even half full, became a theatre of nightmares for its latest visitors from these shores.

Capello, and inevitably his players, will churn out tired clichés about points being more important that performances, but those that follow their country to the four corners of the globe are beginning to grow tired of lame excuses.

The failure to qualify for Euro 2008 should have served as a timely wake-up call to those who feel progression to major finals is a god-given right, and that England need only turn up in qualification to book their place in a showpiece event every other year.

Unfortunately, those lessons do not appear to have been heeded, with five friendly fixtures since Capello's reign began failing to prove that much, if anything, had changed from the eras of Sven Goran Eriksson and Steve McClaren.

A muggy evening in Catalunya was supposed to restore faith and see the Italian chief begin to implement the kind of changes which had been widely lauded upon his arrival.

However, against Andorra, Capello fell in to the trap which has accounted for countless of his kind over the years - he appeared to have become complacent.

Yes, England were always going to win and the spate of injuries which had hindered the squad prior to the campaign opener were never likely to come back and haunt the coach. But, regardless of the opposition, Capello's decision-making was questionable.

At least he had the foresight to hand Wayne Rooney a partner up front, but the physical presence of Emile Heskey may have been better suited to the uncompromising Andorran defending than the slight frame of Jermain Defoe.

While Defoe will argue that he has done enough of late to warrant his inclusion, the omission of Joe Cole on the left is slightly more bemusing.

Stewart Downing may be a more natural selection on that flank - given that he is left-footed - but he has struggled to replicate his club form on the international stage.

Cole, meanwhile, has been one of England's more consistent performers, always happy to run himself into the ground for the good of the cause, while also providing the guile and goal scoring threat needed from midfielders at this level.

The fact that the introduction of the aforementioned duo at half-time swung the game in England's favour should come as no surprise.

Heskey draws defenders to positions they do not want to go, opening gaps for others.

Exactly the kind of wide open spaces which Cole duly took full advantage of as he managed to achieve more in ten minutes than the combined efforts of his team-mates had managed during a frustrating opening 45.

The Chelsea man has grown considerably as a player since being taken under the mercurial wing of Jose Mourinho during the Portuguese coach's time at Stamford Bridge.

He looks threatening and has become so much more than the circus act, full of fancy flicks and tricks, which brought him to the public's attention as a prodigious teenager at West Ham.

With that in mind, one man who could do a lot worse than take heed of Cole's maturity into a world-class talent is the man who occupied the opposite flank in Barcelona - Theo Walcott.

The Arsenal man appears to be on the road to fulfilling his undoubted potential and shone in fleeting glimpses against Andorra.

The raw talent which persuaded Eriksson to include him in his 2006 World Cup squad is beginning to materialise, much to the relief of man who was in danger of becoming infamous for that ill-advised jaunt to Germany.

In a first-half which will be remembered for all the wrong reasons Walcott proved that blistering pace is a far better alternative to a plodding David Beckham - or Bentley, for that matter, as the Tottenham man is hardly a whippet.

Walcott teased his defender every time he was handed possession, running rings around him at times, only to then frustrate with his final ball failings.

That, though, can be worked on - remember there were those who once questioned the end product provided by Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo during his early days at Old Trafford, and he has turned out alright.

Any further reflections on Saturday's contest should probably focus on those that were not there and were spared the inevitable chorus of boos which took around 20 minutes to surface from an unsympathetic fan base.

The likes of Micah Richards, Steven Gerrard, Rio Ferdinand, Owen Hargreaves and Michael Owen - why was he not included again - were undoubtedly missed and all are likely to feature heavily in the future.

Meanwhile, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Ashley Young and Michael Johnson, among others, will hope to push themselves into contention should they continue to impress at club level.

There are bigger tests to come and many more questions to be answered.

For a start, there is an unenviable trip to Zagreb on Wednesday for a clash against a Croatia side who appear to take great pleasure from crushing English dreams.

Whether, Capello will fare any better against Slaven Bilic's side than McClaren managed in 2006 remains to be seen, but, having already managed to score one less goal away against Andorra, the outlook would appear bleak.

Comments

Dene Ef (Manchester United fan) says...

Come on folks! It's early doors yet. The man has only had 5 games in charge prior to this, we let club managers have a long time to bed in and they have their players on a daily basis to work with. Yes, I know time is one thing Capello does not have so he is just going to have to get it right whilst he managing world cup group matches, a work in progress you might say. Many so called big teams struggled to win or indeed lost last night in Europe. So a win is for us was surely a good result......Support the man, support the team, if England are your team what choice do you have? So you should support your utmost. WE DID NOT LOSE--WE DID NOT DRAW--WE WON--STOP THIS WHINGING AND SUPPORT .......!

Posted 02:15 8th September 2008

Eric Ng (Liverpool fan) says...

Capello made a big mistake by retaining most of the existing players. He should overhall the England team, maybe only keeping Steven Gerrard and David James. This England team has been talking too much and not performing. All the talk of having great players and quality in the team is pure nonsense. Before each game they will say we will do this and that and after each defeat all the excuses, that is why England was not in the Euro 2008. Results have shown that this team is not good enough and should have to be replaced. There are many good players eagerly waiting to wear the England shirt. These so called super stars should be put aside and recalled only if they proved themselves again on the pitch. England will not win anything with this bunch of players with this kind of mentality.

Posted 22:33 7th September 2008

Simon Ashplant (Aston Villa fan) says...

England showed limited penetration from the wings in the first half this only changed when Joe Cole came on. his pace and skill allowed England to attack and score. if the pace and skill is what england need why hasnt Ashley Young been given a chance!? He has matured alot under Martin Oneil and croses the ball brilliantly along with his pace he can beat players. Surly he should be given his chance??

Posted 19:53 7th September 2008

Ian Sitali (Liverpool fan) says...

I am an England fan ,who wonders why ENGLAND are not world beaters,part of the reason is ENGLAND plays names Look at ROONEY when did he last score for the 3 lions? yet consistent performers like CROUCHIE who bangs goals every other game is left out. EVEN STEVIE G A MIDFIELDER is more prolific than ROONEY. YOU ALSO HAVE people like ashley young who is literally dragging villa up the table not even being considered .IF ENGLAND PLAYED stevie G & barry,ashley young ,dean ashton/crouchie/defoe and DAVID JAMES i dont see why england can't be world beaters. people live DAVID BECKHAM,ROONIE, should be dropped pick people with more hunger.ROONIE can't seem to know wether he is a striker ,fullback or midfielder making him ineffective. David is old and plays in an inferior league .FABIO is more defensive he does not bring out the best of the english team which is attack. I think GUS would have been the best candidate .

Posted 18:30 7th September 2008

Southern Wuss (West Ham United fan) says...

How many mediocre performances does Rooney have to put in before he is dropped? Two decent passes all game was what I saw last night. The kid can't even be bothered to shave when representing his country, that says a lot to me about how much it means to him to have the honour of wearing the England shirt!

Posted 17:16 7th September 2008

Faheem Sheikh (Manchester United fan) says...

OK so what if England did not win by a big scoreline, but the main thing is that they won the match kept a clean sheet and most importantly got the 3 points. BRING ON CROATIA.

Posted 15:19 7th September 2008

Damien Mc crink (Liverpool fan) says...

A Win is a Win! England are not world beaters and the fans have to realise this. Yes they have some great players but a majority of them are not world class. 3 Points is Better than Nothing

Posted 14:49 7th September 2008

Ivar Biggen says...

i think that its stupid that we constantly keep blaming the manager for englands performance. We should just accept that we really arent that good. Personally i think that its embarissing how england peform and they need a kick up the backside...

Posted 14:08 7th September 2008

Andrew Mcgrath (Manchester United fan) says...

Lets get some perspective on this. Look at the results around europe last night. Italy won with a 92nd minute winner against Cyprus, Spain won by only one goal and France were beat by Austria. England should be happy with 3 points. Qualification comes first. Would fans prefer to see England play beautiful, flowing football but only drawing or losing games. They got the job done last night, 2-0, no injuries, no suspensions. Also England have to stop this arrogance they have. They haven't got to a final in over 40 years. Is that the form of a team of world beaters, like a team like Germany, who constantly reach semis and finals. They won 6-0 last night. England aren't in the same league. Finally, Capello should drop Lampard, Rooney and Defoe, move Walcott up with Heskey to give England a real pacey outlet in Croatia.

Posted 13:56 7th September 2008

Colin Butler (Portsmouth fan) says...

We have to qualify for the 2010 world cup finals, to this end results are everything, the performance is secondary. We should all credit Andorra for a gutsy defensive display against a team of better players & restricting us to only two goals rather than critising England for not scoring more. Well done England & Capello.

Posted 13:11 7th September 2008

Eddie Mcilroy (Crystal Palace fan) says...

Failure to qualify for Euro 08, was supposed to bring about a change in England's team, a change at the FA, a change of manager & player. instead there's only been a change of manager, and what a change! Backward steps all round! That was probably the worst performance since Capello took over, and with defeat looming on Wednesday, the chance to make the changes promised, will no doubt re-appear during the summer of 2010! Same old England!

Posted 12:52 7th September 2008

Ejaz Hussain (Manchester United fan) says...

Not the greatest performance in the world, and yes, against a part-time team, who looked as like they would die from desperation. However, I am a fan of silver-linings and optimism. Walcott was very promising, and Joe Cole again proved to be England's talisman. After last night, I believe Lampard should be favored over Gerrard, he can play with Rooney and, it may not seem like it right now, but Wayne is the most important player in the future of English football. As for Mr Capello, I say give him a chance. He's a very good coach: proven! Now let's lower our expectations and see what kind of feeling it gives us at the end of Croatia of Wednesday. Afterwhich, players like Hargreaves, Carrick, Owen, Richards, Ferdinand, and Neville (yes I know you all forgot about him). Players who we know will fight fierce as, to win back English glory. We've got it all, now let's stop complaining!

Posted 12:50 7th September 2008

Andy Smith (Arsenal fan) says...

We got the job done, but it was not a convincing win. Andorra made it hard for us because they sat behind the ball, any team is hard to break down when they do that. Croatia will be a different game becuase they will come out and play leaving gaps around teh pitch for us to xploit. Only proplem then is they might score lol.

Posted 11:57 7th September 2008

Theus Amauh (Fulham fan) says...

I think Capello might just crack this one, he knows what he is doing, you don't want your team playing the best football too early, you want them to peak at the right time. People often say England's football is boring, it often is, but would you want them to play like Arsenal and a team like Fulham beats them??? After all they are all adjusting to his style of play and level of discipline. You journo's need to get off the teams back and support them! WELL DONE JIMMY BULLARD!!!!!

Posted 11:17 7th September 2008

Daniel Jacklin says...

We had no penetration whatsoever until Joe Cole came on, the crossing was worse than sunday league, either miles off target or too easy for the defenders to deal with. Worryingly, neither the players nor the management seemed to see the problem and just kept plugging away down the flanks the entire first half.

Posted 11:16 7th September 2008

Steve Liddiard says...

There are probably too many reasons for England's failings but I'd prefer to see a consistent side being played game in game out. If that means the so called'superstars' who can't play for England but play for their club side days later are dropped so be it. England will improve if consistency in team selection arrives, though I'm not saying that will mean winning a trophy as there are over reasons to be conquered.

Posted 11:00 7th September 2008

Munster Moose (Annan Athletic fan) says...

Fed up with people saying there're no easy games in football, there are, just look what Germany did to San Marino in the last campaign. England v Andorra IS an easy game and you should've spanked them. Whilst you continuously under perform like that your players are always going to be criticised for not caring. Personnally I think you should scrap appearance money for representing your country, but maybe have big win incentive, after all money is what makes your "world class players" (ha ha) perform

Posted 10:33 7th September 2008

Terry M (Liverpool fan) says...

its never about football, its about money, glamour, the right 'faces and who would sell england shirts around the world, as far as the england team selection is concerned. The real talent is in the under 21s and they need to be put in the team now before their talent wastes away like it did for defoe, jenas,bentley, j cole. At the FA bad decisions are made everytime a decision is made, from the coach to the captaincy. An independent enquiry has to be done on why the FA has been such a failure from grass roots level to the trophy room.

Posted 23:56 6th September 2008

Neil Wallace (Millwall fan) says...

Each of us as football fans have our own individual ideas of team selection. Capello is being highly paid for his knowledge and available player selections. I am sure he knows his full squad selections. it is our first w/c game, read into that what you will. Yes it is about the results but more significantly it's about peaking at the right time and it is far too early for that. Come on ENGLAND.

Posted 22:46 6th September 2008

Dean Carville (Manchester United fan) says...

Winning by less goals does not always mean worse. England scored 2 goals against Croatia in November and lost. If they score 1 goal this time and win, would that be worse? Performances and goals matter little, its winning that matters.

Posted 21:27 6th September 2008

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