The fact England lost to Italy should not take away from the fact that this was a very promising performance. I, for the first time ever, feel England may actually be developing into a great team.
I could hardly watch England in the major tournaments of the last fifteen years. In 2002 to 2012 the team was built around individuals who ‘had to play’. This culminated in the so-called ‘Golden Generation’ of 2006 embarrassing themselves at the World Cup in Germany. Lampard and Gerrard were incapable of playing together yet it was a midfield partnership that no manager was brave enough to split up. Somehow the lackluster and over rated Michael Owen made it onto the plane and was promptly injured. Wayne Rooney was not fit enough to play in the tournament due to an injury. On the bench was Theo Walcott, a player at the time had never played top flight football and Sven Goran Eriksson took to the tournament based on Arsene Wenger’s poor advice. Walcott did not play a minute of football at the World Cup of 2006, he was not ready. The farce was topped off by the choice of captain in David Beckham. A player who was long past his best and was picked solely on reputation and his lucrative global brand. This was a team people honestly felt should win the World Cup. They couldn’t and they didn’t.
For some reason, people have written off the current team, despite the fact they play incredibly effectively together. The partnership of Henderson and Gerrard is exceptional and practiced week in week out in the Premier League. There are however two areas of concern.
Wayne Rooney is not a left-winger and while he played ok against Italy he is better suited behind the striker. He must play there, or not at all. More worryingly is the alarming belief that Jack Wilshere is in some way a star. His cameo against Italy showed his lack of ability on the biggest stage. He was England’s worst player and brought very little to the game, except a few stray passes. His dull metal was the perfect foil to the impactful and glimmering Ross Berkley. He lit up the pitch and nearly scored the equalizer England were desperately seeking. WIlshere has been on something of a media offensive lately, desperately trying to PR his way into the starting eleven. He spent the latter part of the season injured and, as with Walcott in 2006, only made the squad due to the promises of Arsene Wenger. It should be clear by now that Arsene Wenger’s priority will always be Arsenal. It suits his team for Wilshere to play this summer and be ready for pre-season. It’s very similar to how it suited Wenger for Walcott to have World Cup experience in 2006. Henderson was incredibly solid and looked industrious and reliable last night. Wilshere should be on the periphery of the side, not the go to substitute.
Already the dissenting voices in the UK are claiming this team is a failure. I, however, feel that this could be the start of something. Due to Uruguay’s unexpected loss to Costa Rica, two wins or a win and a draw could be enough to see England through.
Brit In Bethesda 