Filed on the final whistle.
ABJECT ENGLAND BOW OUT
Asked recently for his analysis of England’s repeated failures, former American international Alexi Lalas had a simple answer. It wasn’t the pressure, it wasn’t the ball, it wasn’t the altitude, it wasn’t the manager, and it wasn’t the tactics. “Perhaps,” mused Lalas, “they’re just not as good as we thought.”
There will be those in England who will cling to ‘The Goal That Never Was’ as an excuse for this latest humiliation, but the truth is that Germany were far, far superior in almost every department. Those much vaunted, much heralded, well-rewarded superstars of the Premier League fell short yet again. Germany dominated England from the start, survived a wobble in the lead-up to half-time and then destroyed their old rivals on the counter-attack. They moved faster, better and with more intelligence, they took their chances and they kept their composure.
Golden Generation? Not a chance. England’s problems are simple to summarise. Aside from short spells either side of half-time, they offered little up front, they were weak in the centre, only rarely could they move the ball to the flanks, their passing was poor, their movement was predictable and they were absolutely abject at the back. On the bright side, David James was immense in goal. He needed to be.
This was the Germany that anyone who had watched them in this World Cup had feared. Astonishingly, prior to the game, a BBC pundit had described them as ‘an average side’. With a straight face, the match commentator claimed that only one, maybe two, of their team would make Fabio Capello’s starting line-up. Arrogance, once again, is the Achilles heel of the English.
Germany have their weaknesses, particularly in jittery goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, but up front they have a wealth and talent and it was the link-up play between Miroslav Klose, Lukasz Podolski, Thomas Muller and Mesut Ozil that tore England to shreds. Two goals to the good after just 32 minutes, they could have scored more. John Terry wandered hopelessly out of position, Matthew Upson struggled to cope with Klose and there wasn’t nearly enough cover from the midfield to cope with the German trickery.
SHOULD ENGLAND HAVE HAD AN EQUALISER?
Yes, of course they should. FIFA will have the battle of their lives defending their non-policy of technological innovation now. A Matthew Upson header from a Steven Gerrard cross had brought England back into the game when, within moments of the restart, Frank Lampard lashed a long-range shot in on goal. It clattered off the underside of the crossbar and bounced down half a metre behind the goal-line. Neuer, beaten completely, leapt to his feet, plucked the ball out of the air and launched it down the pitch. The England players were still celebrating. Germany almost scored. If they had, there might very well have been a riot. England were robbed, that much is certain, but it’s not the reason that they lost this game.
WHERE NOW FOR ENGLAND?
Well, Heathrow for starters. After that, there needs to be a lengthy inquest into their failings. Mediocre against USA, risible against Algeria, reasonable against Slovenia, they were taken to pieces by the first good team they faced. Their tactics were primitive, their defending was shocking, their heads dropped too easily, their basic skills were found wanting and above all, they looked like a stupid football team. There is more to this game than a good long punt down the middle. Am I being harsh? Perhaps. But if I‘m harsh about England’s tactics and intelligence, then it stands to reason that Lalas’ hypothesis is correct. Perhaps, I’m wrong and he’s right. Perhaps they really aren’t as good as we thought.
MAGIC MOMENT – Mesut Ozil doesn’t do simple football, he does sexy football. His backheel in the build-up to a first half Klose shot was inspired.
NETBUSTER – What a shot from Frank Lampard, what an exceptional shot, right after the bar and over the line. Shame it didn’t count.
FLOODLIGHT SMASHER – Wayne Rooney’s tournament in a nutshell. Beats two men, shapes to shoot and launches the ball into the upper tier. Sad.
LOONEY – Why did a large minority of England fans boo the German national anthem? Like Jermain Defoe, it’s neither big nor clever and it makes the country look pathetic.
REFWATCH – What can I say? Linesman Mauricio Espinoza could never have dreamed that he’d be a household name in England this month. He is now.
MAN OF THE MATCH – Thomas Muller. A real star of the future with a versatile array of skills and lungs like buckets.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY – “It doesn’t take much. A chip in the ball, a sensor on the post, a video replay. FIFA have more than enough money to make this problem go away. Time to take action, Mr Blatter.
