England’s World Cup Post Mortem
England‘s World Cup crusade ended in humiliation yesterday as Joachim Low‘s Germany tore the Three Lions apart 4-1. Fabio Capello‘s side board the next plane for Heathrow and no, there won’t be the usual hullabaloo surrounding its arrival home. In a four-match England campaign that included only three goals and a win against Slovenia, not an ounce of the passion, pace and power seen week in week out in the Premiership was exhibited in South Africa.
England‘s World Cup post mortem begins here.
Fabio Capello must go. Nothing has changed under the Italian. In fact, England has gone backwards. At the 2006 World Cup in Germany, England stumbled out of the Quarter-finals on penalties to Portugal. Four years on and they still have the same old problems: Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard can’t click in midfield; Emile Heskey is not an international striker; left-midfield is unresolved; there’s a dearth of goalkeeping talent. The list goes on. At £6 million a year, it’s not alright for Fabio Capello to just keep the ship afloat. If the FA had wanted that they would have gone for Avram Grant.
Rooney is not world class. While Alan Hansen, Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker sit in the Match of the Day studio harping on about Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Rio Ferdinand being world class, in the global football community, it’s the general consensus that Wayne Rooney is England‘s sole world class talent. After failing to find the back of the net in South Africa, added to his infamous sending off against Portugal in Gelsenkirchen four years ago, is Wayne Rooney all that? Certainly Rooney‘s performances in an England shirt on the highest stage prove otherwise.
Nobody emerged with any credit. Forget winning the World Cup. By the end of England‘s last match in Bloemfontein, English football’s credibility had taken a killer blow. The worst performing nation in the group stages to advance to the knockout round, England were brutally exposed when facing their first decent opponents, Germany. John Terry‘s injuries are catching up with him and he is far too slow at this level. Gareth Barry, skinned for Germany’s final goal, is not the player we all thought he was when injured. Wayne Rooney is not world class and barely took a shot on goal the whole tournament. Even the great Fabio Capello is not immune to England‘s humiliation. During the Italian’s post match press conference, he shamefully dodged the blame for England‘s poor tournament showing, instead pointing the finger at a horrendous referee decision. (Note to Capello: didn’t the USA have a perfectly good goal disallowed against Slovenia?)
"We're 2-0 down Fabio. Why are you bringing on Heskey?"
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The old saying that success has many fathers and failure is an orphan is very much in evidence after England’s elimination from the World Cup. The team looked a little tired, jaded and out of form against Germany. It was Germany’s day. World Cup soccer is not like Test cricket where a team can lose two matches and still win the series. England may beat Germany if they play again. Now it is time to learn positive lessons and to move on.
That’s a very composed and insightful comment Nalin S. I couldn’t have put it better myself. Unfortunately I can’t shake off the residual anger from Sunday’s match. Capello has to go. The whole team need to go. Let’s bring 90% new faces into the next squad.
Thank you Phil R. I read an account of the team’s return to England in one of the English newspapers. They lost a golden opportunity to come back as normal people and say “Sorry” to their fans. Does it further reinforce a negative image? I don’t know.I can understand your anger.Anyway, even if they were able to beat Germany, I can’t see how they could have gone on to win the World Cup for England.
Another dismal performance. We looked jaded/almost ‘victims’, on taking the field. Morale must have been ‘shot’ by inappropriate preparation and poor team selection. Capello appears wooden/ inarticulate and severe. No warmth or empathy. Surely he must, out of common decency, go. Our first touches were poor. We must learn value of possession. Alf Ramsay knew our limitations and had us playing down the park in neat triangles…it worked!
Please advise in what way you wish me to moderate my observations. Capello mostly stood there with arms folded across his chest his mouth firmly shut. Anyone could tell you that as far as bodily language goes …that’s not encouraging/helpful. By inarticulate I meant, he cannot speak English. Here in Australia I heard someone interpreting a reporter’s question into Italian so he could reply.