I’m a fan of a traditional 4-4-2 formation but in England’s first half performance against a disciplined Japan team they looked rigid and disjointed, unable to find answers to the problems posed by the rigorous Japanese defenders. There were very few positives to take from this anxious first half performance.
The major worry was that England talisman Wayne Rooney looked very out of sorts, giving the ball away frequently. He combined well on a couple of occasions with his latest strike partner Darren Bent but gave a largely underwhelming performance.
Bent himself looked lively but missed two chances which you would have expected a top-level striker to despatch. Unless Capello is going to take five strikers to South Africa it seems very unlikely Bent will have done enough to dispel any doubts about his international pedigree.
- Tom Huddleston makes a point
Tom Huddlestone gave a competent display as England’s holding midfielder, acting as the fulcrum ferrying passes between defence and midfield. He looked very comfortable , and didn’t do a lot wrong but again probably didn’t impose himself enough on a half demanding a stamp of authority in the middle of the pitch.
Theo Walcott must have other plans in June because he has done everything within his power to play his way out of Capello’s World Cup squad. The pacy Arsenal pixie let his feet do the talking, and they stuttered and stammered like a declaration of love in a Richard Curtis film.
Walcott is undoubtedly possessed of scintillating pace, but to what end? I don’t remember him beating a player and, one volleyed pull-back aside, his delivery was poor. Walcott remains an unsolved puzzle.
I thought Glen Johnson had a good game, more rigorous than ever in his defending. He marked his copy book with its regulation blot for Japan’s goal, giving Tulio too much space from a clever corner. He found himself marking two men, and was duly caught in two minds. Alan Hansen’s oft-repeated maxim that indecision is final proved correct as Japan’s Brazilian born centre-half pinged one through Ashley Cole at the near post.
Johnson was among those replaced at half time with the lacklustre Walcott following. Huddlestone, James and Bent also made way.
Fabio Capello’s second half substitutions (expect to see a pub band near you by that name in the near future) invigorated England.
England moved to a slightly different formation, though still essentially a variant of the classic 4-4-2. Joe Cole replaced Darren Bent and played just off Rooney allowing the bull-necked Manchester United forward to push onto the last man.
Rooney looked more comfortable in the more advanced position in which he plied his trade for his club side this season and, with his invigoration, England’s performance clicked into place.
- Lampard pipped Cole to the buffet bar
Joe Cole was a tonic after England’s stuttering first half. He looked busy and dangerous, dropping into space and making things happen. He may just have given Capello a back up plan and thus booked his ticket to South Africa.
Walcott was replaced by Shaun Wright Phillips, who moved onto the left allowing Aaron Lennon into his preferred left side berth. Wright Phillips was a model of industry, using his electric pace to make a nuisance of himself.
He was a tireless, willing runner and created half chances simply by putting himself about and harrying the Japanese players. He played like a man with last-chance inspired fire in his belly and might have done enough to squeeze ahead of Walcott in the queue.
He looked unwilling to drive onto his left foot, too often cutting inside and delaying too long in possession; I would have liked to see Adam Johnson given another shot. His exclusion either means Capello has seen enough of a winger that is a bit different to his other options and he’s already made the cut or that Capello has decided him too green and he’s missed out this time. England are crying out for some balance on the left side, so I sincerely hope the former.
Joe Hart replaced David James for the second half and made two or three fine saves, although the award of a goal-kick denied him credit for the best of these. At the moment his form, confidence and shot stopping make him look like the best of England’s goalkeeping options.
Hart’s distribution, perhaps as a result of relative inexperience, is poor; he too often lumps it forward when a shorter ball seemed the preferred option. This was a shame as England had shown a newfound and refreshing willingness to play their way out from the back.
Possession is king in international football and without Crouch up front, England looked willing to play the shorter ball but Hart’s default heave upfield derailed this tactic a little.
Steven Gerrard joined up with Frank Lampard in the middle of midfield after replacing Tom Huddleston at the break. For a while after his introduction, he showed a cheering discipline in a slightly withdrawn role before later filtering forward to join up with the attacks.
- Fabio Capello: not much to shout about
Gerrard and Rooney have that innate understanding, a relish for playing off one-another so if Barry recovers it may be that Gerrard is pressed into the auxiliary 2nd forward role that Joe Cole bustled about in today.
For now though it was nice to see the Gerrard/Lampard conundrum temporarily resolved as they formed a fluid, flexible and effective midfield pairing. Gerrard looked keen to prove he can play in his favourite central posting after a couple of disinterested jousts from the the left wing, but perturbingly he was flexing his troublesome ankle and hobbling by the end.
There is little to be said about Jamie Carragher’s performance after he replaced Glen Johnson. He was steady and did nothing wrong, but his reluctance to push on left Lennon isolated and reduced his effectiveness. Lennon should be a key man but without a forward thinking right full back he was denied space.
Emile Heskey came on for Lennon midway through the second half - the diminutive Spurs man’s tiny whirring legs presumably tuckered out- and England reverted to their standard big man/little man two up front. Joe Cole moved to the right, but didn’t have a lot of joy out there.
The best cross from the right came from Steven Gerrard who is an unlikely but eminently suitable candidate for a right wing start should Barry return to full health in time for the tournament.
Heskey did everything you’d expect of him. He put himself about and chased causes more lost than Sawyer and Hurley, but, true to form, missed an absolutely gilt-edged headed chance from but a few yards out. He was unsighted by a leaping Rooney, but spurning such glistening, glimmering opportunities just will not cut the English mustard at the World Cup.
This was an unpromising final warm-up game for England and Capello must shoulder some blame. I would have liked to see a settled final 23 before now. Too many players looked anxious and too keen to cement their place in the squad. By this stage we should be playing with a settled team in a groove deeper than that carved into the crease by Jonathan Trott during his irritating batting ritual.
Unfortunately the Capello selection carousel continued to turn, and England’s performance remained as fragmented as ever in recent times. Capello seems to know what the bulk of his squad will be so these warm up games- the last chance for England to find rhythm before the final, remember- have been used as auditions for a few fringe players and last minute rehearsals of different systems and formation.
Much work still to be done on the training ground then, but England still had enough quality and fight to win despite a poor performance. That is a good thing.
