Goalkeepers. Every team needs them. For England, the good old days are long gone, I’m afraid.
I got up yesterday morning and did my sums. Gordon Banks 73 caps. Ray Clemence 61 caps. Peter Shilton 125 caps. David Seaman 75 caps (Nayim from the halfway line and Ronaldinho aside). That is over 330 appearances between them and a tradition of solidity that England have built campaigns upon. Clemence – the current England goalkeeping coach – and Seaman would have been around longer if not for the institution that was Peter Shilton.
They cast a very long shadow over poor Robert Green. Scott Carson and “Calamity” James have a new companion in the hall of horrors.
The irony is the USA have two of the better goalkeepers in the Premier League – Tim Howard and his predecessor Brad Friedel.
Capello wrongly presumed (he has being doing a lot of this) Green was the best of his three goalkeepers. Joe Hart’s distribution looked dodgy, while James is supposedly lame.
The Green error, from Clint Dempsey’s gentle shot, has put England in a deeply perilous position. An untrustworthy goalkeeper is a defensive nightmare and there is already a chronic problem at centre back. Ledley King’s inclusion was always a big risk. His lack of mobility and sharpness for this level was obvious from the off. Not long after Jamie Carragher came in, the Liverpool man’s lack of pace was exposed.
Midfield needs drastic surgery to accommodate the Gerrard/Lampard conundrum. They can also drop Emile Heskey. He is used to it, I’m sure.
But the salient fact is England, and Capello, have arrived at the World Cup unaware of their best team – in any position.
The Italian’s legendary toughness will be put to the test in the coming days as surgery, however minor, is required as they head back down to sea level. Capello’s decision to delay announcing the team until two hours before kick-off means work on the training ground cannot be adequately transferred to a game. There was no one covering the short corners or pushing on to fellas on the edge of the box. That is unforgivable and they should have been punished by the Americans.
That we are still going on about Gerrard and Lampard indicates the lack of balance in his midfield. It needs Gareth Barry or Michael Carrick. Both Gerrard and Lampard have been bombing into the box all season – in support of either Torres or Drogba. Both do it well (see Gerrard’s early goal and Lampard’s later forays on Saturday night) but they are being asked to become classical build-up midfielders.
Yes, the US were set up to deny England the time to play it out from the back but Lampard was too far away from Gerrard to be involved in any build-up play.
Both Argentina and England should have controlled the midfield after their opening goals. Keep the shape and control the tempo. That’s what Italy would do. And Germany. Spain or Brazil would have pushed on.
England, reverting to type, went with the long ball.
Bob Bradley’s side made up for the massive gulf in individual quality with a clear knowledge of their jobs. The result must have disgusted England fans (contrary to Saturday’s article I am no longer one of these – I was only 13 in 1966 and easily influenced!).
In the coach’s son, Michael Bradley, Ricardo Clark, Dempsey and Landon Donovan, the USA had a more solid and efficient midfield unit than Capello’s four. This is an extraordinary thing to see. It was embarrassing for England.
I have no doubt a journey through the corridors of Capello’s mind would be fascinating this week.
The same goes for Diego Maradona (although you might never escape the mad house inside Diego’s brain).
I know one thing: I’m glad I didn’t throw any money on England or Argentina before the tournament got underway.
Maradona cleverly engaged some of the Nigerian players to distract them before the game but his irrational reaction to mundane incidents suggests the great man is sitting on a powder keg. Someone, or some event, will eventually strike the match that will lead to an explosion.
On the other hand, the body language between him, his staff and players during and after the game suggested a strong bond has been created. A siege mentality can do that. Diego is an expert at creating a “them against us” environment. Air rifles are at the ready.
Suggestions that Lionel Messi was sour with Maradona or suffering from burnout after a hard season can be dismissed immediately. The free role allows him to display his full range of mesmerising skills. Only the brilliance of Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama denied yet another Messi hat-trick. But it is coming.
Diego may finally be accommodating his heir apparent but he is still making a mess of defensive tactics with the selection of Jonás Gutierrez at right back. He is an adequate left-sided player at Newcastle United. Some senseless tinkering late on meant only one central midfielder, Javier Macherano, was on the pitch as they clung on to their slender lead.
Still, Argentina survived and got the three points. Unlike England.
Maybe Capello can ask the guy at the other end of the dugout for advice. What the hell is David Beckham doing in South Africa? It is the best place to keep his brand visible. The FA accommodate their flawed megastar at every turn. He is wearing the same suit and behaving like a manager just a few yards behind Capello. Only England could create such a scenario.
Farce beckons?
Ah, they don’t need to panic. They can only improve.
