Today was a watermark moment in world soccer. And, with great difficulty but complete honesty, I believe that today marks the final evidence that England is no longer a soccer giant.
Depending on which side of the fence you sit on, this may seem like common sense or complete hypocrisy. But if we ever needed any proof that English football, on the national level, is in a massive decline, today was it. England was completely outplayed by a brilliant German side that deserved all three points.
For England to lose so emphatically hurts. But now that they’re out of this World Cup, it makes you wonder what the next generation of the England national football team will look like. England, without a doubt, at a crossroads in terms of its soccer history. The next few years will shape the future of soccer in England and beyond.
There is some hope. England has talented youngsters such as Joe Hart, Stephen Warnock, Leighton Baines, Joleon Lescott, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Tom Huddlestone, Adam Johnson, Theo Walcott, Ashley Young, Jermaine Beckford, Jack Rodwell, Jose Baxter and others. But what they’re lacking is experience and it’s going to take quite some time to turn this team around and get them into being world beaters again.
After England’s departure from the Premier League, I believe now is a turning point in the history of English football. The evidence is clear. English footballers, as a whole, have a difficult time finding their way into the Premier League teams that play in their own country. The youth and development system is mediocre and there are few opportunities to give English footballers a chance to perform at the highest level.
The time for change is now. It’s time for the Premier League to realize that they’re seriously undermining the national team and the national game while they profit from the greatest players around the world that play week-in week-out in English football stadiums — despite very few of them being actual English.
I don’t want to sound like I’m making excuses but today was a turning point in the history of English soccer. If anyone needed any evidence that the FA, Premier League and FIFA needed to make radical changes, today was it. England was cheated out of a goal. Mexico was cheated when a clearly offside goal was awarded to Argentina.
England needs to improve and make radical changes to change the game in its own country. Looking at the German team, you can see one to two generations of excellent players on their team today. And they have depth. England has very few technically good players, and a bunch of mediocre players that seem to only know how to play club football but can’t play with fellow professionals on a national team level.
Germany is to be congratulated, but the bottom line is that England’s legacy as one of the world’s soccer powers finally came to an end today. If ever we needed proof, today was the day.
for now.
English national football is a disgrace to humanity. U.N. sanctions need to be put on England. This football pariah needs to be taught a lesson. Ban them from Brazil.
they might ban themselves by not qualifying lol
Dude stop blaming Johnny Foreigner, the German league has lots of them too.
England simply need to change their Stoke-like approach to football and bring players who can caress the ball through the ranks.
Johnny Foreigner is not the direct problem, but it is a problem as they are hungrier, less likely to get caught up in the lifestyle, cheaper for clubs to buy, and more technically proficient. Make English players more attractive (thru grassroots focus) than Johnny Foreigner and then Johnny Foreigner won’t take places away from “proper English players”
This is not the lowest point in our history, England failing to get to the world cup in 94 or the Euro’s in 08 was 2 of my all time lows.
England will always be a power though, the game is too big in this country for it not to be, We will adapt and overcome, we have some very good young players coming through, The youth acadamy at the top clubs in England are fantastic. England’s youth teams are doing very well on the international stage and i think it will only be a matter of time before we see very good young English players breaking into the team.
Take note, the young players that will come through soon are fantastic on the ball, i watch a lot of England youth football and trust me, things are on the up not going down.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/may/30/england-under-17-team-win-european-championship
Remeber where you heard the name Josh McEachran. This guy will be the new messi (you heard it from Poker Rakeback)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYNcQcjslOI
The kid seems to have a great touch and a fantastic eye for making the right pass. If he continues to develop you guys definitely have a live one on your hands.
Yeah I think so, but I also think it is good to see a young England team playing a style of football we see at Barca and Arsenal, no long ball stuff, players confident on the ball, passing and moving and working their way through the opposition.
I think we will see this player and some good young talent come through by the world cup in Brazil.
Under 21 in the final of the Euro’s, the U17′s win the Euro’s, it is not all doom and gloom for England.
Josh McEachran is quite good. actually Chelsea have a whole host of these kids in their u18, but if I had to pick one youngster to save England, it’d be
Nathaniel Chalobah. He has the skills and smarts to potentially change the game for an entire generation
Chalobah is another of Chelsea’s academy’s wonderkids. He’s been very impressive, and still very young.
McEachran is incredible. Chelsea’s answer to Messi.
not messi. more similar to iniesta in his style of play. mceachran is good but still far from the finished product.
chalobah is class for his age as well but still way to young to be considered a major prospect.
some of the youth at arsenal are amazing, afobe is a great finisher. manU has some decent ones coming through as well.
then their are the semi there players like wilshere, sturridge, moses(amazing to watch) and a couple of the players at tottenham.
the problem with england is not that they dont have some decent players but alot of the old guard were trained under different conditions and only now are england catching up to the rest of the world. if you look at u21 down england has improved its game. sure the u21 level is a bit too much kick and hope but they have class amongst them.
part of the reason is these kids are training at world class facilities with world class players. the current england squad didnt have this because the EPL till possibly 2000 onwards was regarded in about the same light as how we treat the erevedisie, decent but not great.
another major problem with england is the way youth is run. the fact that clubs can only use players in a 90min radius or so means some of the best talent is stuck playing at crap clubs with bad foundations. Then to move clubs you need to pay compensation to these clubs, just because they were lucky enough to have a decent 15 year old come through, rarely is it the club that makes them good. Then from 15-21 they are forced to play nothing games in useless youth and reserve leagues with minimal fixtures and against trash opposition. This forces the top clubs to loan out decent players and make the reserve league a blooding ground for 18-19 year olds before they can be loaned out or sold. Look at spain where barcelona b plays at just below la liga level against top clubs. imagine if arsenal, manU and chelsea had championship teams they could have their reserve players play for week in week out. suddenly less shit loans to inadequate clubs, more fundamentals in the style of football the parent club has and the ability to be drafted up to the first team.
Wonderful summary. I’d add that this gets compounded by the English teams only loaning out these prospects to other English teams which doesn’t force them into learning how to play in situations other than what they will find in England.
Scott – that may generally be true, but Man Utd have a very strong record of loaning young British players to Belgian clubs.
The EPL have absolutely nothing to do with England National Team, let’s keep the EPL like it is, the best league in the Word, foreign players dreams to play in the EPL.
The fact that the head coach is not even from England is totally beyond me, there is the reason, lack of emotion, Alex Ferguson should be the head coach of the National Team.
Ferguson would have to quit Manchester United and that is never going to happen, he loves the club too much. It’d be interesting to see somebody like Ferguson coaching England though.
“The fact that the head coach is not even from England is totally beyond me, there is the reason, lack of emotion, Alex Ferguson should be the head coach of the National Team.”
Are you trying to say a Scottish person would have more of an emotional attachment to the England football team or do you think that Fergie is English?
Isn’t Ferguson Scottish?
i think a subtext of the article is that the EPL is full of foreigners. As you admit, the EPL is good only because of the money. Contrast La Liga.
Lack of emotion? Have you seen how Capello acts on the sidelines???? And I hate to be the tenth person to point out the obvious, but Alex Ferguson is NOT English. And I believe he’s stated often enough before that he would NEVER consider coaching England.
As an aside, I think this focus on “passion”, or “grit” or “character” or whatever is part of the problem in English football (at all levels) going back decades. Successful football is about more than wearing your heart on your sleeve and getting stuck in and all that old cliche. You need to be technically competent and well organized, which is where England have failed.
you guys hate giving your opponents any credit….as usual blame it on the foreigner
lol he doesn’t have to give the Germans credit. I mean seriously do you even have to say the Germans are an incredible side?
Germany have always been footballing titans they have everything going for them. They haven’t gone more than 20 years without winning a World Cup and they have qualified for the quarter finals every single world cup since 1938.
See the thing is a lot of people were divided on England and Germany and who is going to win and that is understandable as the games are often very close but the issue isn’t here the loss(the day that you regret a loss to Germany is the day that you lost your mind, they can beat anybody when they play well).
The issue is England could have done better to make it more difficult and more competitive against Germany. Have no illusions about the respect for an absolutely sensational German side though. They are an incredible side and they have every chance of beating Argentina, Spain and then Brazil(which I think is the most likely path for them to the World Cup).
Trust me only a fool doesn’t respect German football but again England could have done a lot more to make it more difficult for the Germans.
your absolutely right
You know I can understand why you said what you did now.
I just visited the other articles and people are being extremely disrespectful to the Germans. I’m pretty pissed off about it.
The thing that pisses me off the most is people act like England beating Germany should have been the obvious conclusion like England should just sweep Germany out of the way.
I can’t believe how ridiculous some people are being about this situation. Guys I want you to chew on this for a moment.
1: If Germany play well they can beat anybody in this tournament. No not England, I mean ANYBODY. If Germany play well they can beat Argentina, Brazil and Spain. Stop treating it like beating Germany should have been a fucking foregone conclusion that is stupid, Germany can beat anybody on their day.
2: Germany are one of the favourites to win the World Cup. I think they will do it. If Germany win the world cup does that mean every other side they beat is crap or does it mean the Germans are great?
3: What you guys are doing is indirectly insulting Germany. You keep making it look like England beating Germany should have been something easy to do. Germany are not some second rate team, no team on the planet would beat Germany that easily and if Germany play well they are very difficult to beat. Stop acting like England losing to Germany is a big deal, they are a fantastic side there is no shame in losing to them.
Honestly I hate sore losers. If you are upset about losing to Germany you are insane. When they play well they can beat any side in the world and they are the most balanced team in the world cup. Stop insulting them by insinuating they are some second rate side that can be swept aside.
Even if England played as well as they possibly could Germany would still give them problems. Please show some class and show Germany the world class side and world cup contenders a little respect.
Germany has now advanced further than England in ELEVEN (11) consecutive World Cups. These two nations are not comprable in footballing terms.
This isn’t a shot at England. It’s a reality check for those of you who think England has been a super power- they have not been for years. Heck, France which I still consider an outsider nation in world football in many ways has won FIVE major trophies since England last reached a major final. That’s ridiculuos when you think about it. The likes of Greece, Denmark, etc have all won big trophies much more recently than England.
A wise man once said: “The man who is secure in his beliefs or convictions doesn’t see the need to “prove” this by word or deed. His beliefs and convictions are security enough”.
If I didn’t know better, I would get the impression from the comment above that you feel the need to express what is pretty clear to most of us. We are well aware of England’s shortcomings, having witnessed pitiful, half-hearted displays, but making generalisations does you a disservice and is disrespectful in its own right. I see no one insulting Germany here, just tacit acceptance that they always seem to come good at the right time.
Kartik,
That wasn’t a shot at England? All you do is take shots at England.
You’re a lot more similar to all those idiots that wouldn’t legitimize US soccer for all those years than you think.
This Germany is a decent not incredible side currently. It might develop into an excellent side in due course perhaps but I can see only one winner when they face Argentina in the next game. The South Americans have more options and match winners available to them. Short of a sending off, I can only see one winner. The European side will suffer the same fate as England did today.
I have to mostly agree on this. Germany has some incredible talent, but they have proven they can be a little inconsistent. Now, if Germany plays their best they can probably match Argentina.. but I think Argentina will have the edge.
Nobody ever thought England were (or are) a super-power.
I think some of you are getting media and fan excitement mixed up with our ability to understand reality. Most real pundits and actual fans will tell you we have been decent but not incredible for as long as they can remember. Capable of great performances but equally able to draw with Algeria. That’s what being an English fan is all about.
Having said that, we’re not a “minnow” either (as stated below).
England have been a team capable of the quarter-finals for a very long time now. If there’s a pyramid of football in the world, they generally fluctuate between the second tier and third tier. We’re definitely down in the third tier right now.
This doesn’t mark the decline of English football. It marks a low-point in English football.
The US on the other hand is moving on up – they need to continue the development so as to not lose momentum. If they can find a way to keep producing quality players like they had at this tournament they may surpass England soon enough.
I don’t think today really proves anything England thrashed Germany 5-1 in a few years back but it didn’t mean the Germans were superior it was just their day.
Germany are a good team but they haven’t played that well if England stepped upto the plate they should have won. Making these excuses doesn’t help the situation. They have it all but they didn’t utilise it, the blame lies on them.
I think England will look back and regret this one more than most. While there are some great teams in the World Cup right now, everybody is playing below par. Argentina, Germany, Spain and Brazil are all struggling every other game. This was a great opportunity to take advantage of a world cup where the best teams simply aren’t playing very good.
Having said all that I can’t say I’m not excited for Germany vs Argentina. Damn even Ghana vs Uruguay will be interesting. I think if Germany can overcome Argentina they have a real shot at winning the whole tournament. I really wouldn’t put it past Germany to go all the way again.
It’s not all doom and gloom for the English side. They need to figure out a system,similar to Argentina needing to figure out a system for Messi. It can be done. Lampard and Gerrard can’t play together. Should have brought Adam Johnson with them to give the team width. That’s their biggest problem. That falls on Capello, who was terrible this tournament. It can only go up from here right?
Do I have to hear about blaming everyone but themselves and not giving their opponent any credit for the next four years now (until it just happens again, that is)?
You’re a good footballing nation. You’re not great, you’re not shit. You’re just good. Good teams make the knockout rounds and eventually go home. Get used to it and stop acting so snooty when teams like the US and others target a knockout round appearance. It’s not a bad thing, and maybe some realism will do you all some good.
England are minnows now. Simples.
the definitive explanation for where england have gone wrong comes from the best football website out there, bar none:
http://www.zonalmarking.net/2010/06/27/germany-4-1-england-tactics/
The bad thing for England is that there is no back up to some players who were great at club level.
I never thought we would win the World Cup, but did think with the right organisation it was possible, but arrogance took over. Also to anyone who still believes the premier league is the “best league in the world” check the attendences/finances/players at the moment – its not up to scratch – other teams are beating the EPL in all them departments. The main problem is that England (and the people in England) will not appreciate another style of play. The media are too fast to jump on the back of England and the players cannot handle the pressue, rather than saying we got a good point against USA (who were hardest team in our group) the team was slated, surprisingly Heskey was most of all who I thought played better than Rooney (but to have a go at Rooney was unheard of at this world cup!).
I hope its not all about THAT disallowed goal tomorrow – in truth we were destroyed in that match and the result shows the problems in the team over the past decade. I don’t want Capello sacked though, he deserves the time and a shot at the Euros. The main problem this time was that England thought they were IT, focusing on the other teams weaknesses as opposed to looking at how to defend against their strengths, when Germany came to town Oezil ripped Barry to shreds.
I think thats part of the problem. Another aspect of the problem is that a lot of people are refusing to give Germany credit.
Look the fact of the matter is if Germany play well they have every chance of beating anybody in this tournament and Germany are one of the favourites to win the World Cup.
We need to give them credit for how well they played. They are not some second rate side they are a world class side that can literally beat anybody on their day and are viable contenders to win the tournament.
How can anybody be upset about losing to a good German side? If Argentina lose to Germany next week it doesn’t mean the Argentinians are a terrible side it just means they lost to a very good German side.
On their day the Germans can beat ANYBODY, have no illusions about that. Even if England played to the best of their ability Germany would give them problems. Damn no matter what team plays against Germany, Germany will give them problems.
First thing to do is give Germany the credit they are due. Accept they are a world class side and consider they are even likely to win the whole tournament. After that keep things in perspective.
totally agree! It is due credit that they had the right plan and played brilliantly, they worked their strengths and caught England out, no true England fan should feel shame in going out to them, should be proud that their country was represented in the World Cup!
Baines, Lescott, Beckford etc are not youngsters. By the next world cup these players will be over 30 or approaching it. In fact by the next world cup we won’t have any good players in the mould of Gerrard, Rooney and Lampard. Maybe we will have less skilled players who show more pride for the shirt though!
Lets take a leaf out of the German’s playbook and build around a core group of young players who can pass the ball and keep possession. How about this England team for the 2014 world cup:
Hart
Johnson
Gibbs
Smalling
Mancienne
Rodwell
Wilshire
Johnson
Milner
Walcott
Hines
I don’t want to see Lampard, Gerrard, Rooney, Terry or any of the Golden generation anywhere near an England shirt again.
I agree that today’s defeat and the entire World Cup performance of England marks the decline of English football.
I also wonder what effect this might have on the EPL. Will top players continue to go to the EPl? Will La Liga overtake the EPL as the best league in Europe? I think there might be other ramifications to the poor showing of England in this World Cup.
Top players are not in it for the love of the league, they will go where the money is and make no mistake, the Prem is where the money is.
Personally I’m glad to see the likes of the the ‘big four’ looking to create these players with their youth systems rather than spending huge amounts to bring these players in from other clubs. It can only benefit the England team in the future and is already doing so at youth level.
UEFA champions league positions(more money) drive clubs for better talent across the globe.. that effects club’s youth policy.. Rolando and fabregas…
stop skysports
EPL will be EPL because of money & popularity.. only thing is england national team will suffer further if there is no quota system…
I really don’t think a quota system is needed. Somehow Argentina, Brazil and Portugal do fine despite many of their best players playing abroad. This performance notwithstanding many of France’s best play abroad.
If the English youth system were producing good players they would get playing time in the Premier League or at least would get a look at by foreign clubs.
The onus is on the youth system, not on the Premier League.
Finish that national football centre already!
Capello must really not like Peter Crouch.
One of the reason for England’s poor performance can also be pointed out to how the Coach cannot pick players that play the specialist position well. Take for example Rooney and how many times he has been frustrated with the supply to him. Nobody in the England midfield look Schweisteiger like to be able to distribute and produce killer passes. Wayne Rooney is without doubt a world class superstar and times his runs perfectly well when he plays for Man Utd. There is no reason to believe he wouldn’t be doing that in the England side. It’s because of that lack of creative midfield talent that England were outplayed comprehensively. Lampard and Gerrard whilst amazing players themselves are attacking midfielders who always go out attack inside the D-box without an iota of thinking to supply passes. Barry and Milner are holders but there should be someone who plays in the middle with that creative influence and a brain to distribute, almost diamond like formation, which works well in today’s game. Capello’s mindset is, sorry to say, 20 years ago. He plays that traditional 4-4-2, whereas Germans loaded up the midfield, where Schweister playing the free role behind the striker and Ozil and Podolski making runs to match up with Klose.
Joachim Lew picks players that play their position well and he knows how to scout out young talents that match in that position. Mesut Ozil is an immediate hit in the World Cup, so is Khedira. He is not afraid to pick players without upsetting the hierarchy of politics that go in the sports. On the other hand, how would the England fans feel if either Lampard, or Gerrard is left out of the starting 11. Capello should be strong enough to stand up and say this is his team. He had plenty of time and money to scout out young talents and mix them with experience. Instead he chose to settle down behind the hype of England fans and politics and this is what he got. All these factored in, in my opinion, to England’s dismal world cup.
you do realize that nearly every major team in the EPL plays 433 right? the problem is they go from a system they know to a system they are clueless with in a 442.
add to it that both gerrard and lampard can make amazing passes, lampard is especially good at making key passes that result in scoring chances. The thing they miss is that england play with 2 central midfielders and struggle to find passes or control in the centre. Schweini is good but his main advantage is that he always has a player free to pass to, compared to lampard and barry who are closed down fast and this still leaves ozil free to break on a counter if needed.
Coaching, Coaching, Coaching
England has enough talent to win the WC, they have the depth to at least make the finals, but their coaching has held them back for MANY YEARS
As an American, what is the deal with Sky Sports? Why does everyone keep mentioning them as the problem? Is it serious or is it a joke?
Something about English players being hyped up by the media in England (specifically Sky Sports), I believe.
Forget that Sky Sports doesn’t really appear to show bias towards any nationality – just all Premiership players because that’s what sells.
Even if they do show a little more to the English players, the local media in every country tends to do this for home-grown players.
Sky Sports is owned by Rupert Murdoch who nobody likes.
There are a few issues to take with Rupert Murdoch. For one his newspapers are full of crap and he controls a very large part of the media.
He also owns most of the football rights and the way he spreads the football across many channels means you need a pretty big subscription or you miss half the games(what he is doing is illegal by the regulators rules but he has enough money to keep them tied up in court though he did recently lose a case in which the regulator came down hard on him).
Sky Sports and Rupert Murdoch are a real problem in Britain right now and it sucks.
Gaffer, I usually agree with you but you’ve lost the plot. You are tapping into the schizophrenic, delusional, hyperbolic rants usually reserved for the UK press.
“I believe that today marks the final evidence that England is no longer a soccer giant.” Really? I hate to hurt the feelings of you and your former writer but England has NEVER BEEN a super power. They’ve always been a second tier team at best.
The fact that England did not qualify for Euro 2008, USA 94, wasn’t evidence enough. The fact that the country that practically invented the modern sport, that has had the most comprehensive and historically stable league system the past 100+ years has been in only ONE major final in their history – at home, hasn’t rung your alarm bells?
English Players today are individually more competent technically than they were in Euro 96, and Italia 90.
The reason England had a disappointing World Cup – POOR COACHING DISORGANIZED MANAGING & a rigid, dogmatic English culture in regards to player development.
Gaffer, you talk about all the young available English Players but then you say “what they’re lacking is experience and it’s going to take quite some time to turn this team around” I ask you – how much “experience” does that 20 year old Thomas Muller have? (same for Orzil, Khedira,Boateng, Gomez ,et al) All of them would have probably been on holiday if they were English because they would have been considered “too young” for S. Africa. Look at how many of the 2009 German under 21 final players were in the senior team today, compared to their English counterparts.
Would an England manger ever be brave enough to look at players who play outside the Premiership?
Would an England manger ever be ruthless enough to leave so called untouchables off his squad they way Dunga, Maradonna, Low has?
England simply had no midfield this entire tournament, offensive or DEFENSIVE. It’s not about the players, it’s a change in culture that’s needed.
I think we’re closer to agreeing that you mention. All I’m saying is that we now have categorical evidence that England is no longer a soccer empire. Some people debated it before. Now we all know it to be true.
Cheers,
The Gaffer
Every Euro or WorldCup is the same story: England will smash all opponents until glorious victory!
Forget Managers…as once Mourinho said: You cannot do omelette’s without the eggs! So, spot blaming Capelo!
English players are overrated, all of then! (maybe except Gerard, Terry or Lampard) And Rooney you may ask?! Please, take a look at ManU, he only plays well in EPL and what happens when he plays against giants in Champions League?! Nothing happens, thats right, nothing…(ManU is just a ordinary time without CRon, no one there who makes the difference!)
And EPL is not the problem, just take a look at Portugal, they have almost every players in the national team play abroad, their league is full of Brazilians and still as a very small country they manage to be in every single Euro and WorldCup…and do well! Oh, and look for their youth times, with Euro and World titles!
Looking for answers?! Do you know where France and Spain copy their roll model for their youth nationals times?!
Portugal in every world cup? Are you like 15 or something?
I was talking about the last 10 to 15 years…but if you like history i can tell you some things about the glorious victory of England in 66…so, don´t be a ……
And i’m sorry that my english it isn’t perfect…obviously i didn’t want to say “in every”…maybe next time i will write in spanish, french, catalan or portuguese…
Rooney is the most overated player ever and a goon.
A 10 year old striker could make the goals he gets because
everyone on his team gives him the pass a 10 year old striker
is suppose to score. However in the World Cup if you are a goon
and depend on the perfect pass you look like Rooney who
still has problems controlling simple passes to his feet and does not
create. Rooney I mean Gooney is a disgrace to the game he has to stomp
on players who are much greater…
Amen, i couldn’t said it better!
Previously i forgot to mention Holland too as a example…
I love the english supporters , the singing, the reactions, its another show of its one.
They truly deserve more from their national team.
Its time to work, not to cry.
Someone ask me if i was only 15 when i said that Portugal have been in every single Euro and WorldCup because i forgot to mention that this started in the last 10 to 15 years…But the work begun 20-25 years ago!!! For Portugal Carlos Queirós was the man responsible for it, in Spain Luis Aragonés, etc…
Switzerland also have started a similar work ( u can say that the results are not very good but take a look at the size of the country and their population!) and the results of it are starting to show…
So, it takes a lot of work, organization and patience…
RooneySucks…Rooney had an abysmal tournament for sure, as did almost all the England team. They got what they deserved..nothing, and were an embarrassment to the shirt. Rooney’s contribution to the cause was negligable but i genuinely believe he was fit neither physically nor mentally. From late March onwards there was a distinct change in him following the injury. Enough said there.
But the essence of your comment regarding Rooney perse is both foolish and ignorant. I’d be interested in knowing how you arrive at such a ridiculous conclusion, given his “footballing CV” to date. You clearly have not followed his career and achievements to date. It’s always easier to criticise than to praise isn’t it. For me your comments are therefore irrelevant until such time as you can provide substance.
First of all i want you to excuse my poor english.
As a german resident i confess i have supported our national team in the match vs. England (match not battle, its just a game after all). But … and this has to be said, the english team wasn’t that worse as the british press and millions of disappointed englandfans made it. Most players of yours made an exhausted and overplayed impression to me (especially in the second half), but this has something to do with the structures of premier league.
Most continental european countries have maximum 18 clubs in their first leagues and naturally less games during the season. They do everything to strengthen their national teams. Not so England. Next point. No leading football nation, and i still count england to them, should engage a foreign national coach. Capello is for sure an exellent “italian” trainer but he knows a shit about english mentality and how to form what counts most …. a team spirit. With the 100 percent will to win even teams like germany (who are kinda better now in technique as they used to be) who definitely have not invented the high “art” of playing football like brazil, italy, france, spain or argentina have a chance to win when everyone works for the other teammembers. England had for sure brilliant solists but no team at all. And that’s the point! European players never can competition with brazilian ballwizards only the technical way. Than we are lost before the game starts. We have to compensate this lack with will and strength. For the future (EM 2012 etc) i wish you guys that you can manage to find an experienced english national coach that can integrate all the upcoming talented players of your under 17/19/21 teams, an exraordinary well playing keeper that builds the backbone of any better team and a press that let them doing their work. It makes no sense to praise single players to the skies and than … when the results aren’t the way as predicted or wanted to dash them in pieces. Give your future teams a chance to develop. Unfair critics destroys any team in the world and british press is even known for insulting critics far away from good and evil. I have visited england two times so far and have an total different oppinion about the people there. The overhelming majority of the english citizens are characterized throuh sportsmanship and fair play. You’re right to say its time for a restart now but please keep fair with your own team. My humble opinion. Thanks for listening
good post..completely agree with your analysis of English football. We were woeful in the 4 games in South Africa. We were hyped to be world cup contenders. We tied Algeria. The women’s side could of put on a better showing.
The problems with the English team lie in many areas.
1.) No pride, guts, or heart from our “golden generation”. Lampard, Terry, Barry, even Gerrard (my favorite player). Great players for their clubs, disgraceful in an England shirt. All past their prime. No creativity, no ball control. I think the Spanish have it right. There is no stalwart defending from our centerbacks like Puyol and Pique do for Spain..no fluid ball control, movement, or creativity up the pitch from any English player like Iniesta and Xavi or Messi or Kaka..and no clinical finishing or goal scoring opportunities like David Villa or Felipe Melo or Robinho or Higauin for Argentina.
Let some young players or even hungry, passionate players get their turn to play. Crouch, Jenas, Dawson, Carrick, Adam Johnson, Richards, Agbonglahor. They would have put on a better showing then our washed up, overpaid golden boys.
2.) More English in English football. Take Arsenal, their the best French team in England. The entire team is FRENCH or foreign. Clichy, Gallas, Sagna, Diaby, Fabregas, van Persie, Bentdner, etc. Chelsea’s coach and owner? Foreign..Imbramovich pumps money into the system for who? International stars like Drogba, Malouda, Deco.. Where’s the englishmen? Liverpool? Up until a month ago our coach was Spanish in Benitez and our owners are American. Harry Redknapp should have taken Spurs to the World Cup representing England and maybe we would have had a chance.
3.) Drastic change to the FA from the management to youth development. Stop focusing on the money and tv contracts and paying your loans on Wembley. Develop a national side that is exciting and entertaining to watch then maybe Wembley will pay for itself. Develop a national youth academy, they have it in the US for god’s sakes. Remove the aristocrats and irresponsible selfish lords from the FA and bring in ex coaches, players, managers, or just downright fans from England’s countryside to run OUR football league.
It is disappointing once again to feel our England would fair well and go all the way, and believe the media hype that “this is our year”. When in reality we all knew England would under perform once again.They always do. The Dutch underperformed, they revamped their system now look how their fairing in this WC. Spain, Germany, Italy, Brazil. Its in the system. Their is passion and pride, and a general happiness to teach our youngsters and perform well in international competitions. Our players just wanna score goals in the Premier League on Saturdays and get their 160, 000 pounds a week. England: Good Players, Bad Team.We’ve had the same starting line-up since 2002 under 3 different coaches. Something has to be said about that. Time for an overhaul in England. Then maybe in a few years time the boys won’t disappoint.
Funny – it’s French Arsenal that are bringing through some of the more talented English (and Welch) youngsters nowadays. Of course it doesn’t help when proper English defenders snap their legs when they try to show a bit of skill.