Hindustan Times
Shame on you England!
Raghav Sikka
England’s recent performance against Algeria (0-0) has probably been one of the most dreadful ones we have witnessed so far. Capello and company were successful in the World Cup qualifiers but their start in South Africa has proved to be a major disappointment.
The time has come to either shine against Slovenia on Wednesday or catch the flight back to England the next day. A side that were among the top three to win the Cup now face tremendous pressure to get knocked out, not even making it to the final 16. There are no words to describe the shameful efforts produced by English footballers in this World Cup. So what is wrong with the current English side? Let us analyze Fabio and his men in depth.
If England are to excel in the World Cup, they will have to go all guns blazing with their key players playing in the same positions they are used to in club football. A high caliber player like Steven Gerrard simply cannot play out of position. In my opinion, Gerrard’s strength lies behind the main striker and Joe Cole is fancy with his creative football at left wing. Since Lampard has failed to transform his stunning performance for Chelsea into the English side, Carrick is a good candidate who can replace him.
Drastic changes need to be undertaken, not just in personnel but also in team formation and the attitude of certain players. The English are lacking the desire to win and there is absolutely no unity among players and the manager. The recent controversies between Terry and Capello and Rooney abusing the fans are fine examples of poor temperament and no unity within the team.
In addition to the above, England must top their group in order to progress further in the competition. Being runners up in their own group could turn out very costly for the English, as they would then play the winners of Germany’s group in stage 2. Although the world would love to see a German-English knock out game.
I believe England should change their formation to 4-2-3-1 for their next match against Slovenia with Johnson, Upson, Terry and A.Cole as defenders, Barry and Carrick in the middle, Lennon, Gerrard and J.Cole in attacking midfield and Crouch as the striker. The new formation would change their tactics and motivate other players to perform in the world’s most prestigious tournament.
In the last two games, England lacked goals and even clear-cut chances, partly due to a dismal performance by Wayne Rooney. So why has Capello been ignoring Peter Crouch whose goalscoring record has been phenomenal? Crouch definitely deserves more than 10 minutes off the bench.
However, are the tactics planned by Fabio weakening the side or are the players just not motivated enough to win? We must question the ability of English stars who have become too overrated and now fear loosing that reputation, causing them to fail in the World Cup. So what do you think, who is to blame?
(14 votes, average: 4.71 out of 5)
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