What a shocking performance England put in against Algeria. I should point out that I feel strongly that the performance and quality of football that teams put in does not really matter – especially at this stage of the World Cup. It’s the points and results that matter. However, England’s lack of goals, points and wins so far is a great disappointment and that was the problem with last nights game. Not how poorly they played but the fact they could not get 3 points from a team ranked 3oth in the world – especially if they are aiming to go far in this tournament.
The England team lacked the cutting edge required to do well at international level. Put aside for the moment the names of the players and who they play for. No player stood out last night as a player that causes excitement and the possibility of something happening every time they get the ball. Players need to put their hands up and take responsibility, demonstrating to the fans that they deserve their place in the national team. Players with big names (no I don’t mean like him!) and reputations have been given the opportunity to perform on this stage of world football to prove their names and reputations are worthy. A prime example of this is Lionel Messi. What a performance he put in for Argentina in their last game. Here is a player that really excites you every time he gets the ball; you feel he will create something and make things happen. It’s no wonder he is considered by many to be the best footballer in the world. This is what some of the England players such as Rooney, Lampard and Gerrard etc. need to do – demonstrate why they are highly thought of.
Rooney had what many believe to be his worst game for England last night. He didn’t seem to put in that extra bit of effort and enthusiasm that he normally does, which is often what makes him look like a great player rather than a good player. Is this because he is so conscious of being well behaved and avoiding confrontation and bookings as feared by many prior to the start of the World Cup?
Lampard has just come of the back of the best season of his career, scoring 34 goals from 59 games in the season 2009/10. This is a goals to games ratio better than many Champions League strikers have. Any thoughts on why his game was so poor last night? You can’t blame the distribution of the ball around him even though the quality of passing was terrible from England last night. Lampard is the type of player that creates opportunities for himself, which is why he scores so many goals from midfield.
Steven Gerrard is known for his ability to distribute the ball so well while being able to play a holding role when required or a positive attacking role. His passing was below par last night, he didn’t seem to play with the vision that usually enables him to pin point passes into spaces creating opportunities to attack for the team. A prime example of this last night, and one which sums up his performance in the game, was in the 68th minute (I think) when there were 4 England players in the box and 3 Algerians. He could have passed to any of the other 3 England players who looked in wonderful positions to just slot the ball home yet managed to send it straight to the defender.
So I’ve pointed out a number of negatives from the game. What went well last night or what can we view in a positive light? Firstly, credit to the Algerian team. They worked hard together as a team. Remained focused on the task in hand (can you tell I’m a teacher?) and seemed to treat it as a normal game of football in which they were required to just do the best they could. It’s important not to lose sight of their achievement of gaining a point off England. I thought Madjid Bougherra was one of the best players on the park last night and demonstrated the heart and commitment that a player should when playing for their country. Algeria also looked as though they were the team in control for much of the game. At one stage during the first half they had over 60% of the possession! They passed the ball round confidently doing their best to create an opening. Well done to them!
Although I don’t rate Emile Heskey as a quality England player, I do admire the fact that he really looked like he was trying hard and putting in some effort. Many may disagree but I thought he was one of the few England players that looked as though he knew the team would have to work hard to get a win, rather than just expecting it to happen. He still played poorly though, finding it hard to beat defenders and rarely managed to deliver a good ball into the middle of the box when he was out wide.
Also, a big positive from last night was the fact that the vuvuzelas were not as loud as previous games – at least from what I noticed watching on the TV! The ‘buzz’ coming from the TV was much less intrusive. It was the first game I really heard fans chanting – although perhaps that was as much to do with the passion England fans have when cheering on their team.
Talking of fans, I understand Rooney is unhappy England were booed so much at the end. Perhaps he should chanel his anger into scoring goals!
Despite how unhappy the England fans were, there is still no excuse for this and hopefully FIFA will act quickly to ensure the safety of players is not compromised in the remaining matches.
Now lets put all this into perspective. England will still qualify if they win their final match, regardless of other results. Germany are in as much, or even more, bother following their woeful result – made all the more worse given how superb they looked in their opening match. One interesting aspect is Germany and England would presumably wish to avoid each other in the next round and to do so must both finish up in the same position in their respective groups. Will that be 2nd?! And of course let’s not forget France who will need more than fortune to qualify for the next round.
So what do you think? Are the media and fans expecting too much from England? Are they over critical? Are England just warming up and getting the poor performances out the way? I’d appreciate your comments and thoughts at the bottom of the blog. I have seen a number of comments on facebook from Scottish fans wishing on England’s opposition – so to them I will simply say; better to play poorly in the tournament than not play in the World Cup Finals at all!
-PlaneSimple
PlaneSimple Thoughts 