GROUP SIX:ENGLAND'S PLAYERS returned to their clubs yesterday basking in the national team's best ever start to a qualification campaign, but buoyed more by thoughts that none of this would have been possible not long ago. The victory against Ukraine may have proved a watershed moment.
“Maybe 18 months back, this side might have gone into our shells when we conceded the equaliser and played out the final 20 minutes in fear,” said Steven Gerrard. “Instead, we showed a lot of character to come back and take the points.”
These days there is resilience where once belief appeared so brittle. England had meandered somewhat after the interval against the Ukrainians, a weariness creeping into their display which Fabio Capello and his general manager, Franco Baldini, intend to analyse.
Yet, even after Andriy Shevchenko had pulled the visitors level as indecision gripped the defence, they summoned enough strength to respond. John Terry’s winner stretched the perfect competitive start to five games, and maintained a five-point advantage over Croatia.
Such perseverance is born of the Capello effect. “Even conceding a scrappy goal, we came back with a good attitude,” said Frank Lampard. “You might not have seen that a couple of years ago. There’s more confidence around the team which is bred from results and performances.
“The group has a more confident outlook and that makes it much easier to react when you go a goal down or teams pull a goal back on you. There was a time when we weren’t performing for our country as a group. We didn’t get the results and we became less confident in an England shirt. It took the new manager coming in to change that.”
David Beckham, a playing substitute once again, added: “Being able to recover is a sign of a good side. At Manchester United we came back in so many tough games when we were one or two goals down, and we kept on going. It’s the sign of a really good side, and the sign of a team that is together. We’ve shown that.
“We have got a positive feeling that is the biggest thing that this manager has given us. A positivity to come here and play our football like we do for our clubs. He’s given the players confidence and the team a huge amount of respect.”
Capello will have learnt more about his players during their periods of sloppiness against Ukraine. He had shown his ruthless side by omitting Matthew Upson, a regular in recent teams with one of Rio Ferdinand and Terry so often absent, even from the bench.
The defence will come under the microscope next with Capello and Baldini having concentrated largely on getting more goals from the team in their first 13 games. England have scored 31 times in those matches. That tally should be swollen further in the final two qualifiers of the season, against Kazakhstan and Andorra during the summer. England managed only 32 in Steve McClaren’s entire 18-game reign.
Guardian Service
