I can't believe I missed the last three days of the World Cup. I had to go to Cornwall. I've got a lot of football homework to do tomorrow it seems, thank god I've finished school until September. For quite a good perspective on the England situation, there is an interesting article by the legend that it Martin Jol in the Sunday Times.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,29497-2230620,00.html
Wayne Rooney returned at last against Trinidad & Tobago and brought a smile to everybody’s face, including his own. That is the most important point about him. Rooney is like a boy. He always plays as if he is back in the streets of Liverpool, killing time with his friends, and somebody has just thrown them a ball. Rooney is never tense on the pitch, he is always confident, and that is why he usually produces. He enjoys himself — always.
A team is hardly going to become world champion while feeling miserable, is it? Unless footballers are enjoying themselves, they cannot perform at their best. England have to capture a bit more of Rooney’s spirit if they are to win this World Cup, which is still possible despite their disappointing start.
*
In both games Sven-Gِran Eriksson’s men have looked constrained and nervous. In some ways it is understandable because there is so much pressure on this team, but England have enough top-class footballers not to have to wait for Rooney to lift their mood and their play, which is what they seemed to be doing against Trinidad & Tobago in Nuremberg last Thursday.
When Rooney appeared, followed by Aaron Lennon, another youngster who plays with ambition and joy, everything seemed different. England enjoyed themselves in those last 20 minutes. We all want to see more of that.
You cannot enjoy yourself if you are frustrated and your supporters are frustrated, and although England had a lot of possession throughout their match against Trinidad & Tobago, not until Lennon and Rooney arrived did David Beckham and Steven Gerrard start getting the ball where they like it — higher up the pitch. Beckham crossed for Peter Crouch’s goal; Gerrard, showing that rich talent we know he possesses, scored England’s other.
This suggests it is time for a change of formation; for England to play with three men in the spine in midfield and Lennon and Rooney attacking from either side of a main striker. Bring out the black armbands, call the hearse: I’m sorry, but at this level a rigid 4-4-2 is dead.
You can play 4-4-2 in a more flexible style and succeed. This is what England have done in the past with Rooney in the hole behind Michael Owen. But what about also bringing in Lennon — or even Stewart Downing — to provide an out-and-out winger? More than half of the goals at this World Cup will be scored from crosses, and England need the outlet and point of penetration that somebody like Lennon provides.
The teams that are doing best at this tournament have penetration high up the pitch, players with pace who can get on the ball and beat opponents. Such “game-breakers” are essential nowadays because the fitness levels and organisation of the top teams mean you can be pressed into conceding possession unless you can do something a little unpredictable. Look at the effect Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie have had for Holland, Lionel Messi for Argentina and Luis Garcia for Spain.
England, France and Sweden have suffered from being too stiff.
Three midfield players in the central area might give England a better occupation of the pitch and reduce the distance between their attacking line and the rest of the team, which has been a problem. The return of Rooney brings England a missing dimension. Owen likes to run onto balls, while Crouch likes to play with his back to goal, receive the ball and set himself up.
Rooney is special. In the tradition of true No 10s, he “faces on”. What I mean is that when he receives the ball, the first thing he does is turn and face the goal. This simple but rare ability provides a link between midfield and attack. Without that link, in a 4-4-2 you have to use the flanks, but Beckham and Joe Cole are midfielders, not wingers. They play no higher up the pitch than Gerrard and Frank Lampard, so to get the ball forward against Paraguay and Trinidad & Tobago, the only option left to England was to play direct to Crouch.
I have heard the theory that by having a big man up front, you invite players to hit the ball long all the time. I do not agree. Do Brazil play every ball direct to Adriano, or Germany to Miroslav Klose, who is terrific in the air? Even the Czechs, who have a 6ft 7½in striker, Jan Koller, play to his head only sometimes. If you look at the positives so far, England have shown that they have one of the strongest defensive units at these finals. Against Trinidad & Tobago, John Terry in particular did not put a foot wrong. If England can start to use their qualities, it could be marvellous, because not even a mouse can get through that defence at the moment.
Another plus is that compared with the game against Paraguay, England played the Trinidad & Tobago game much more in their opponents’ half. In every game I’ve seen so far — no matter the result — the favourites have played in their opponents’ half, except South Korea v Togo and England v Paraguay.
In Holland a new football saying is going around: “Get the cat out of the tree.” If a team is cautious, you say it is just looking at the cat and expecting it to come down. To win football matches, you have to go up that tree and get the cat down yourself. I hope England go up the tree against Sweden, take the game to them and play more like the last 20 minutes against Trinidad & Tobago.
It is essential to win the group. Germany will be too strong for Ecuador in their final game, which means England need to top Group B to avoid them in the second round. I have spoken to a lot of Germans, and none of them wants to meet England next — but, believe me, England do not want to play an improving host nation in the next round.
Some people have made Owen a scapegoat for the performances so far, but if he can just score a goal, he will be 30% better. He will also benefit from Rooney’s return and he would love the supply Lennon could provide. His critics have to be honest: what kind of opportunities has Owen had so far? He missed one chance on the rebound in Nuremberg, but otherwise he got only short passes and none of the good long passes or inviting crosses he likes to run on to. You will not see the real Owen until he gets real service.
Lampard was criticised, too. He did not have his best game in front of goal, but he kept getting in the positions. How many attempts in the box did he have against Trinidad & Tobago? Four? Five? That suggests that even when he is not at the top of his game he still performs his function within the team.
When you look at England’s midfield, it is important to understand that Lampard is a supporting midfield player, not a creator; that in this team Gerrard has many defensive duties; and that Beckham and Joe Cole are not wingers. That’s why you have to find ways of bringing more imagination and ideas to the team. That’s where Rooney and Lennon come in.
If you played them both in support of Owen or Crouch, Rooney would start on the left, but not be an out-and-out winger. Rather, he would be a player who could drift into the hole and create. Ronaldinho is often used in this way by Barcelona and Brazil, who are the team of jogo bonito. Let’s see England do a bit of that. In this heat, if you aren’t enjoying it, you can end up playing against yourself. The Dutch players said it was incredibly humid when they beat the Ivory Coast on Friday evening but they put it out of their minds. Why? Because they were enjoying it. A little change of personnel, an improvement in their occupation of the pitch should let England, and their fans, have a lot more fun than in their two grim struggles so far. In a midfield three, Beckham can get more involved in the playmaking, Gerrard and Lampard taking turns to attack the box. Sven is thinking of resting midfielders against Sweden and maybe Michael Carrick can come in. I’m sure Sven trusts him to do a good job. He wouldn’t have picked him otherwise. Then there is Rooney’s genius and Lennon’s youthful verve. This team can still be a serious contender. In theory England remain formidable, but we’re looking for a more creative pattern to emerge. Serbia & Montenegro conceded just one goal in qualifying but were hammered by Argentina 6-0. This tournament is not about what you’ve done or your reputation. It is about now.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,29497-2230620,00.html
Wayne Rooney returned at last against Trinidad & Tobago and brought a smile to everybody’s face, including his own. That is the most important point about him. Rooney is like a boy. He always plays as if he is back in the streets of Liverpool, killing time with his friends, and somebody has just thrown them a ball. Rooney is never tense on the pitch, he is always confident, and that is why he usually produces. He enjoys himself — always.
A team is hardly going to become world champion while feeling miserable, is it? Unless footballers are enjoying themselves, they cannot perform at their best. England have to capture a bit more of Rooney’s spirit if they are to win this World Cup, which is still possible despite their disappointing start.
*
In both games Sven-Gِran Eriksson’s men have looked constrained and nervous. In some ways it is understandable because there is so much pressure on this team, but England have enough top-class footballers not to have to wait for Rooney to lift their mood and their play, which is what they seemed to be doing against Trinidad & Tobago in Nuremberg last Thursday.
When Rooney appeared, followed by Aaron Lennon, another youngster who plays with ambition and joy, everything seemed different. England enjoyed themselves in those last 20 minutes. We all want to see more of that.
You cannot enjoy yourself if you are frustrated and your supporters are frustrated, and although England had a lot of possession throughout their match against Trinidad & Tobago, not until Lennon and Rooney arrived did David Beckham and Steven Gerrard start getting the ball where they like it — higher up the pitch. Beckham crossed for Peter Crouch’s goal; Gerrard, showing that rich talent we know he possesses, scored England’s other.
This suggests it is time for a change of formation; for England to play with three men in the spine in midfield and Lennon and Rooney attacking from either side of a main striker. Bring out the black armbands, call the hearse: I’m sorry, but at this level a rigid 4-4-2 is dead.
You can play 4-4-2 in a more flexible style and succeed. This is what England have done in the past with Rooney in the hole behind Michael Owen. But what about also bringing in Lennon — or even Stewart Downing — to provide an out-and-out winger? More than half of the goals at this World Cup will be scored from crosses, and England need the outlet and point of penetration that somebody like Lennon provides.
The teams that are doing best at this tournament have penetration high up the pitch, players with pace who can get on the ball and beat opponents. Such “game-breakers” are essential nowadays because the fitness levels and organisation of the top teams mean you can be pressed into conceding possession unless you can do something a little unpredictable. Look at the effect Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie have had for Holland, Lionel Messi for Argentina and Luis Garcia for Spain.
England, France and Sweden have suffered from being too stiff.
Three midfield players in the central area might give England a better occupation of the pitch and reduce the distance between their attacking line and the rest of the team, which has been a problem. The return of Rooney brings England a missing dimension. Owen likes to run onto balls, while Crouch likes to play with his back to goal, receive the ball and set himself up.
Rooney is special. In the tradition of true No 10s, he “faces on”. What I mean is that when he receives the ball, the first thing he does is turn and face the goal. This simple but rare ability provides a link between midfield and attack. Without that link, in a 4-4-2 you have to use the flanks, but Beckham and Joe Cole are midfielders, not wingers. They play no higher up the pitch than Gerrard and Frank Lampard, so to get the ball forward against Paraguay and Trinidad & Tobago, the only option left to England was to play direct to Crouch.
I have heard the theory that by having a big man up front, you invite players to hit the ball long all the time. I do not agree. Do Brazil play every ball direct to Adriano, or Germany to Miroslav Klose, who is terrific in the air? Even the Czechs, who have a 6ft 7½in striker, Jan Koller, play to his head only sometimes. If you look at the positives so far, England have shown that they have one of the strongest defensive units at these finals. Against Trinidad & Tobago, John Terry in particular did not put a foot wrong. If England can start to use their qualities, it could be marvellous, because not even a mouse can get through that defence at the moment.
Another plus is that compared with the game against Paraguay, England played the Trinidad & Tobago game much more in their opponents’ half. In every game I’ve seen so far — no matter the result — the favourites have played in their opponents’ half, except South Korea v Togo and England v Paraguay.
In Holland a new football saying is going around: “Get the cat out of the tree.” If a team is cautious, you say it is just looking at the cat and expecting it to come down. To win football matches, you have to go up that tree and get the cat down yourself. I hope England go up the tree against Sweden, take the game to them and play more like the last 20 minutes against Trinidad & Tobago.
It is essential to win the group. Germany will be too strong for Ecuador in their final game, which means England need to top Group B to avoid them in the second round. I have spoken to a lot of Germans, and none of them wants to meet England next — but, believe me, England do not want to play an improving host nation in the next round.
Some people have made Owen a scapegoat for the performances so far, but if he can just score a goal, he will be 30% better. He will also benefit from Rooney’s return and he would love the supply Lennon could provide. His critics have to be honest: what kind of opportunities has Owen had so far? He missed one chance on the rebound in Nuremberg, but otherwise he got only short passes and none of the good long passes or inviting crosses he likes to run on to. You will not see the real Owen until he gets real service.
Lampard was criticised, too. He did not have his best game in front of goal, but he kept getting in the positions. How many attempts in the box did he have against Trinidad & Tobago? Four? Five? That suggests that even when he is not at the top of his game he still performs his function within the team.
When you look at England’s midfield, it is important to understand that Lampard is a supporting midfield player, not a creator; that in this team Gerrard has many defensive duties; and that Beckham and Joe Cole are not wingers. That’s why you have to find ways of bringing more imagination and ideas to the team. That’s where Rooney and Lennon come in.
If you played them both in support of Owen or Crouch, Rooney would start on the left, but not be an out-and-out winger. Rather, he would be a player who could drift into the hole and create. Ronaldinho is often used in this way by Barcelona and Brazil, who are the team of jogo bonito. Let’s see England do a bit of that. In this heat, if you aren’t enjoying it, you can end up playing against yourself. The Dutch players said it was incredibly humid when they beat the Ivory Coast on Friday evening but they put it out of their minds. Why? Because they were enjoying it. A little change of personnel, an improvement in their occupation of the pitch should let England, and their fans, have a lot more fun than in their two grim struggles so far. In a midfield three, Beckham can get more involved in the playmaking, Gerrard and Lampard taking turns to attack the box. Sven is thinking of resting midfielders against Sweden and maybe Michael Carrick can come in. I’m sure Sven trusts him to do a good job. He wouldn’t have picked him otherwise. Then there is Rooney’s genius and Lennon’s youthful verve. This team can still be a serious contender. In theory England remain formidable, but we’re looking for a more creative pattern to emerge. Serbia & Montenegro conceded just one goal in qualifying but were hammered by Argentina 6-0. This tournament is not about what you’ve done or your reputation. It is about now.