Three and in – not just another football blog

The press enjoy the debate.  Sky’s Sunday Supplement’s hoard of pundits drool over their croissants the moment the subject comes up.  But does anyone else really care who wears the armband of the national team?

There are few neutrals who didn’t take pleasure in John Terry’s fall from grace a year ago.  The Wayne Bridge stories and subsequent removal of the armband were, let’s face it, funny.

However, the furore around returning the armband to Terry is nothing less than dull.  Let’s look at the bare facts: Rio Ferdinand and Steven Gerrard are both unavailable.  Terry is the natural choice to take the armband, and considering the injury records of his rivals, it probably makes sense to keep it there.

And does it really matter who wears the thing anyway?  In international football, captaincy has long since been a ceremonial role.  But even at club level it is becoming less significant.

Arsene Wenger has long suggested that the armband is a mere symbol – what matters is that the team shows collective leadership and responsibility.  Whilst his own side has generally failed to step up to that idealistic plate, it remains a salient thought.  And it’s not just a foreign school of thought: Alex Ferguson had no qualms about removing the armband from Ferdinand and placing it on Nemanja Vidic.  In the modern game, the iconic skipper has become an increasingly rare motif.

If you are going to create a fuss around a piece of cloth, you might be best to follow the example of Wales manager Gary Speed.  Whatever happens with Terry, he’s unlikely to remain a key component in the side beyond next summer’s European Championships.  In choosing Aaron Ramsey as his captain, Speed has brought stability and direction to his Wales side.

It’ll be interesting to see how their team-mates rally around the respective skippers this Saturday.

…which, for a man who has spent much of his life having his 6 ft 7 ” frame gawped at, both on account of his fame and his physical oddity, must feel somewhat bizarre.

Yesterday, when Darren Bent pulled out of the England squad, a nation’s media mourned.  Some claim the presenter on duty at Sky Sports News at the time shed a solitary tear.  Radio stations could be heard stating confidently that this meant a guaranteed start for first-time call-up Kevin Davies.  Even Carlton Cole waded in to the debate, via his twitter feed.

The whole thing is absurd.  Carlton Cole, on current form, is about as good at football as he is eloquent*.  Kevin Davies is a journeyman clogger who represents no improvement whatsoever on the maligned Emile Heskey.  Darren Bent, meanwhile, is about as reliable at international level as Concorde.

And all the while, Crouch has been available: a man with an England goalscoring ratio better than a goal every other game.  His form for Spurs is good, and he’s a dependable foil for Wayne Rooney.  Carlton Cole can rest assured he’ll be able to tweet all through tonight’s game: in the absence of Defoe, there oughtn’t be any debate about who should start alongside Rooney.

If, that is, Capello persist with a 4-4-2.  Switching to 4-3-3 would allow Rooney to plough the central furrow alone, supported by two from Adam Johnson, Ashley Young and James Milner.

As it is, we’re likely to see Rooney and Crouch, with a midfield four of Johnson, Milner, Barry and Gerrard.  Joe Hart will play in goal, whilst Rio Ferdinand will be the senior member of a back four including Joleon Lescott, Ashley Cole, and Glen Johnson.  Ferdinand will be glad not only to be playing but to have been spared the ignominy of losing the England armband as well as the United one.

Capello is more likely to start responding to interviews with nuanced colloquialisms than shift from his preferred formation.  That means he needs a target man, and for now Crouch remains the man to step up to the job.

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*if, as part of me suspects, Cole’s account turns out to be a fake, then I apologise for questioning his eloquence.  He is probably a master of rhetoric to rival Wilde, Fry, and Kamara.

It was supposed to be a fresh start.  A shiny new era, lit up by the as-yet-untainted youth of Adam Johnson, Theo Walcott, and Jack Wilshere.  Fabio Capello promised an England squad shorn of deadweight and fuelled by the enthusiasm of a new generation, and the early signs were good.  In the absence of David James, Rio Ferdinand and Emile Heskey, the likes of Joe Hart, Phil Jagielka and Jermaine Defoe all made a positive impression.  Progress and evolution were in the offing.

So what, in God’s name, is Kevin Davies doing in the current England squad?

I’m not questioning his value as a player.  He has matured in to a dependable Premier League forward, a nuisance to any defence, and an aerial threat.  But in March, Davies will turn 34.  By the time Euro 2012, he’ll be 35 – the same age that Fabio Capello recently called “too old” in reference to David Beckham.  At a time when we’re supposed to be building for the future, is this kind of pragmatic short-termism what we need?  And if it is, what does ‘needing’ Davies say about the state of English football?

Perhaps more disturbing than Davies’ call-up is the fact that he wasn’t Capello’s first-choice.  Just a couple of months after his international retirement, Emile Heskey found himself on the receiving end of the customary pleading call from Franco Baldini, asking him to reverse his decision.  Like Paul Scholes before him, Heskey declined, possibly feeling his improved form for Villa is due in part to taking the weight of international football off his broad shoulders.  But the fact that Heskey was called back in to action, after just one significant injury to Defoe, is mighty worrying.

Davies’ presence is made all the more surprising by the availability of a younger, similar alternative in Newcastle’s Andy Carroll.  Come 2014, he’s surely far more likely to make the squad than the Bolton striker.

Capello’s squad selections are becoming increasingly irrational and unpredictable.  What has Joe Cole done in the last month to warrant a call up?  What has Gary Cahill done wrong to deserve being dropped?  And why are we spending time ‘developing’ a 33-year old striker who in all likelihood won’t be around to play tournament football in 18 months time?

During England’s thrashing by Germany at this summer’s World Cup, Germany were the better side in every department.  In one particular area, however, England offered no competition at all: that of playmaker.  The Germans had Mesut Ozil, one of the tournament’s stars, whilst the England midfield of Gerrard, Barry, Lampard & Co looked comparatively one-dimensional. They’re good players – great players, even – but they’re not playmakers.  Barry is a continuity player, Gerrard an impact player, and Lampard an intriguing cross-breed of the two.  But England’s midfield has no conductor, and occasionally, no flair.

In the aftermath of the tournament, great hopes were placed upon the low but sturdy shoulders of Jack Wilshere.  Despite the hype, I’m not sure anyone expected him to make as big an impact in the Arsenal side as he has.  He’s emerged as a first-choice player, playing a part in every game so far, and excelling in both the Premier League and Europe.  He’s been both consistent and creative, with some moments of sublime skill to boot, including this backheel to set up Andrey Arshavin’s goal in midweek:

Despite his seeming reluctance to use Wilshere during the last international break, it’s no surprise that Stuart Pearce has named him in his England U-21 squad for a crucial play-off against Romania.  However, if I were Fabio Capello, I would take Wilshere out of the U-21 squad.  Partly to avoid the risk of burnout, but mainly because he’s needed in the senior side.

The next England squad will be without the likes of Frank Lampard, James Milner, and Theo Walcott.  Midfielders with attacking impetus and drive are in short supply, and Wilshere is one of the nation’s most in-form players.  He might only be 18 years old, but he is more than ready to take his place on the international stage.

Capello may well be intending to pick him for the game against Montenegro, which comes a few days after the U-21 game.  But why make Wilshere play in both games?  The FA ought to have learnt the lesson of forcing Theo Walcott to compete at both levels – he followed up that ordeal with an injury-filled 09/10 season.

Capello needs Wilshere more than Pearce does, and ought to protect his brightest emerging talent.  When you’re playing regularly in the Champions League, the ‘experience’ of working under a middling manager with the U-21s is nothing more than an unnecessary distraction.

Ever since the World Cup, there has been a media-led witch-hunt against Fabio Capello.  The press have performed an extraordinary volte-face to reimagine the once omnipotent Italian as a disaster.  He’s non-communicative, he’s disorganised, he’s tactically unimaginative.  Oh, and of course, he’s foreign.

Never mind the fact that Capello’s calamitous predecessor was Steve McClaren, a man who at the time of his appointment was still English and yet to undergo his transformation into “Schteve”.  Cappello’s foreignness is, it turns out, a key factor in his failure at the World Cup.  How typical of the inherently xenophobic English press to blame the one foreigner on the sidelines rather than the eleven Englishmen on the pitch.  If any proof were needed of their bias, look at how Jermain Defoe escaped censure for his handball against Young Boys.  The same lenience wasn’t offered to Thierry Henry – or even the diving Eduardo, in a similarly meaningless game this time last year, and one can’t help but feel that’s to do with their nationality.

Anyhow, in to this climate of discrimination and discontent, the FA’s Adrian Bevington has dropped a particularly pungent bombshell:

“We are working on the basis that Fabio will be with us until 2012.  The view beyond that, based on the discussions I’ve been involved in, is that we should have an English manager after that. I think the English team should be managed by an English manager.”

Bevington, now managing director of Club England, was formerly the Head of Communications at the FA.  He understands better than anyone the significance of such a statement.  This is almost a verbal contract, binding he and the FA in to a commitment to appointment an Englishman in 2012  – whether or not they’re the best man for the job.

It is particularly foolish considering the paucity of candidates.  There are thee competent English managers currently operating in the Premier League: Roy Hodgson, Sam Allardyce, and Harry Redknapp.  Hodgson has just accepted a job at Liverpool, which arguably represents a greater and more enthralling challenge.  By 2012, he’ll be 65 – retirement age – and arguably unwilling to return to the strain of international management. And all this assumes that his reputation and mental health survives two years at a Liverpool Football Club in decline.

Allardyce was interviewed for the job when it went to McClaren, and was famously laughed out of the FA on the back of his Powerpoint and pyrotechnics presentation.  Whether or not he’d swallow his pride enough to reapply is one question.  A bigger concern is whether or not his rough-and-tumble tactics are suited to the increasingly elegant game of International football.

Of the available candidates, Redknapp looks the most promising, but I suspect the FA simply won’t want to appoint a man with more skeletons in the closet than a fancy dress shop in the week before Halloween.

Bevington was unwise enough to use the term “English” rather than “British”, ruling out other potential candidates like Mark Hughes and Martin O’Neill, who’d otherwise be the favourite.  So who are we left with?  The charming, chubby but clueless Steve Bruce?  Stewart Pearce, whose work experience placement with Fabio seems to have done little to increase his standing?  There was a lot of fanfare about the forthcoming appointment of another English coach to work as part of the England set-up, but no-one has yet arrived.  The cupboard is bare.

Ironically, based on the last few seasons there is one guy who has held an English passport who looks like he might be decent.  He won the Dutch league with Twente and is now in charge at Wolfsburg: it’s our old friend Schteve McClaren.

Still, we can rule him out too.  He’s Dutch now.

During Sky’s build-up to Sunday’s Community Shield, the camera focused in on the attendant Fabio Capello.  “He’s lost something”, noted Richard Keys, feigning concern in his voice.  Jamie Redknapp then made spectacular use of his hitherto unknown psychic capabilities to declare that “his aura is gone”.

Redknapp, probably unintentionally, is right.  The bubblewrap is off and the media are out to get the Italian.  The Times’ Paddy Barclay, who I usually have some time for, declared in this week’s Game Podcast that Capello was, “the worst England manager [he] had ever seen”.  Fabio Capello, who succeeded Steve McClaren.  Remarkable.

This week has seen a flurry of criticism hurled at the national coach.  The blame for the international retirements of Paul Robinson and Wes Brown has somehow been landed at his door.  Barclay was in bizarre form again, arguing that Fabio Capello should have checked that Robinson was happy to be called up before naming his squad.

Is this what International football has come to?

“Hi Paul, Fabio Capello here.  I’m thinking of offering you the chance to represent your country, doing the thing you love most.  I just wanted to warn you.”

Sky’s Sunday Supplement is devoid of intelligent analysis at the best of times – it usually consists of a bit of tub-thumping from one of the Custis brothers, and Henry Winter trying to argue that £30m is cheap for James Milner.  This Sunday it reached new depths.  The four cretins sat around the table decided that if Capello, as he recently confessed, knew that the English players fitness levels were not up to scratch, he should have announced it before the World Cup.

Can you imagine their reaction if, in his press conference before the USA game, Capello had stated, in his faltering English:

“The players no can run.  We have no chance.”

There would have been pandemonium.

I’ve seen journalists arguing that Capello should have followed France’s example and dropped all 23 members of the World Cup squad.  I’m not sure how helpful that would be as preparation for the Euro qualifiers.  At the same time, Harry Redknapp, whose family seem to be attempting to carry out a transparent and public sabotage of Capello’s reign in a desperate attempt to land Daddy a job, has criticised the Italian for bringing in new blood.  He can’t do anything right.

What’s most infuriating is that everything Capello is criticised for now was deemed worthy of praise during our impressive qualification.  Being “authoritative” has become “treating the players like children”.  “Keeping the players on their toes” has become “failing to prepare the team properly”.  “Making brave decisions” has become “erratic”.

The press seem annoyed because Capello has made them look like idiots.  They believed in him, and they believed in England.  So impressive was our qualification campaign that there isn’t a paper that didn’t toy with the idea of an England World Cup win.  When we failed, they were left hurt, and looking foolish.  Capello is an obvious target.

But it wasn’t Capello out on that pitch in Bloomfontein.  It wasn’t Capello who misjudged a bouncing goal-kick, failed to track runs, or was outsprinted at the crucial moment.  The Italian is a great manager – his record speaks for itself.  If the press hound him out now it will leave England in more disarray than ever.

Yesterday brought the news that Emile Heskey has retired from International football, prompting scenes of jubilation from England fans which are due to last right up until they have to come to terms with watching Gabriel ‘Gabby’ Agbonlahor pull on the once-revered Three Lions.

Heskey is likely to be joined in the strange purgatory of International retirement, willingly or otherwise, by the likes of David James, Jamie Carragher, and David Beckham. Other members of the pyrite generation – the likes of Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard – will be well in to the their thirties by the time the World Cup rolls around. With Brazil 2014 in mind, England must surely turn to youth.

So who are the tyros at Fabio Capello’s disposal? We take a look at a potential new-look England side, and assess the likelihood of them being called up for the first friendly of this season.

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Joe Hart
For the most part I’ve tried to avoid picking players who were part of the World Cup squad – the likes of Michael Dawson are near certainties to be selected against Hungary – but Joe Hart’s role as third-choice goalkeeper meant he was there more for the ride than with any realistic chance of playing.

Of the three goalkeepers in the squad, Hart was in the best form, but his inexperience counted against him. With James now 40 and Rob Green tied up with pizza advert negotiations, Hart is goalkeeper-elect. Capello will be crossing his fingers that he can play enough first team football at City to continue his momentum.

Chances of call-up for Hungary: out of three

Micah Richards
At one stage it looked as if the right-back spot would be his for the next decade, but has since been locked away with all the FA-branded umbrellas in a cupboard marked ‘The McClaren era’.

Likely to get another go at some stage due to lack of alternatives, but Glen Johnson is well ahead in the queue for a starting spot.

Chances of call-up for Hungary:

Jack Rodwell

Jack Rodwell
I’ve included Everton’s Rodwell as a centre-back here, though he is more likely to make the breakthrough in holding midfield, where his powerful running and cannonball shot can be game-breakers. Gareth Barry was hyped to the hills whilst injured at the start of the World Cup, but a woeful display against Germany underlined his unsuitability to a pure holding role. Hungary may come a little soon for Rodwell, but Euro 2012 won’t.

Chances of call-up for Hungary:

Gary Cahill
With Ferdinand and Terry injury-prone and King and Carragher likely to be consigned to the international scrapheap, there’s room for a new centre-back or two. Cahill heads a queue also including Ryan Shawcross and Blackburn’s Phil Jones. A move to a big club could provide him with the credibility he needs to oust the likes of Matthew Upson and become a squad regular..

Chances of call-up for Hungary:

Kieran Gibbs
The heir apparent to Ashley Cole will, like the heir apparent to the English throne, probably need to wait an inordinate amount of time before getting his go. Cole shows no signs of slowing, and with Gael Clichy ahead of him in the queue at Arsenal, Gibbs’ progress may not be as swift as his talent deserves.

Chances of call-up for Hungary:

Theo Walcott
The unlucky 24th man for the World Cup will have felt vindicated by the unadulterated awfulness of Shawn Wright-Phillips throughout the tournament. Believe it or not, Wright-Phillips will be almost 33 by the time of the next World Cup, so Walcott is certain to get plenty of opportunities to oust Aaron Lennon on the right of midfield.

Chances of call-up for Hungary:

Tom Huddlestone
Unlucky to miss out on South Africa considering the dreadful form of his predecessor at Spurs, Michael Carrick. If he can see off the challenge of Brazilian new boy Sandro with his club side, the new slimline(ish) Huddlestone could become a regular feature in England squads.

Chances of call-up for Hungary:

Jack Wilshere

Possibly the most exciting talent of all, the speed of Wilshere’s development will be determined simply by the amount of game time he

gets. It’s not realistic to select a player who features solely in the Carling Cup for an international squad – Wilshere’s best chance of England recognition would probably be to move on loan and play regular football, as he did so successfully last season at Bolton.

Chances of call-up for Hungary:

Adam Johnson
Like Theo Walcott, his stock has risen due to his absence from the World Cup squad. Johnson is quick, versatile, and technically superior to the majority of his compatriots. A shoe-in for the Hungary squad and beyond.

Chances of call-up for Hungary:

Daniel Sturridge
Went about his business quietly but efficiently at Stamford Bridge last season, claiming a domestic double along the way. Not someone the press mention as an England contender, but there aren’t too many young strikers winning the big prizes. Not likely to feature against Hungary, but a run in the Chelsea side could be fruitful for England.

Chances of call-up for Hungary:

Gabriel Agbonlahor
He is very, very quick, and when confident looks every inch the international footballer. Unfortunately, last season saw him misplace his shooting boots, and even the most loyal of Aston Villa fans will have groaned as multiple chances passed him by. Capello likes him, however, and has selected him before. With Heskey out of the picture and Darren Bent still Darren Bent, a gap may open up for the Brummie frontman.

Chances of call-up for Hungary:

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Who do you think Capello should call up? Your ideas welcome below.

Following Germany’s 4-1 thrashing of England Bayern Munich midfielder Thomas Mueller made an observation. He said:

England have so many top stars in their squad that they will always be part and parcel of the international football scene, but there are so many ‘alpha males’. It is difficult to have so many ‘alpha males’ and have them row in the same direction.

You don’t only need only chiefs, you also need a few Indians.

Which on first glance looks like it makes a lot of sense. When you examine it, however, it doesn’t stand up at all. England’s problem was not that they had too many Alpha males, it was that they didn’t have any.

The Alpha Male is the undisputed leader of any pack, the one who the others follow without question. He is a natural leader, one who commands respect. Tell me which member of the England squad fulfills those criteria. You can’t because he doesn’t exist.

People might talk about John Terry as a leader of men and a natural captain but he’s flawed and is certainly no Alpha male. The Chelsea dressing room was divided when he stepped out of line over Wayne Bridge, similarly the England dressing room was fractured during the World Cup.

Steven Gerrard, captain by accident rather than design, was said to be furious with Terry after his press conference. Terry, believing his own hype, moved to assert his power at the head of the pack, challenging the authority of both Gerrard, as captain, and Fabio Capello, the manager. Terry was put firmly in his place by Capello, reminded of his place in the pack and it was a long way from leader.

Capello himself should have been a candidate for Alpha but while there was fear there was a lack of respect. That players felt they could openly challenge the manager on the basis of his team selections, tactics and more showed he was just another beta, albeit in a position of power.

So who were the other Alpahs that Mueller was referring to? Lampard? Not a chance. Rooney? No. Carragher? Upson? Ashley Cole? Gareth Barry? No, no, no and no.

The fact is England were a team without a real leader. A pack without direction, a collection of beta males squabbling and snapping at each other, curs and egomaniacs who put their own agendas before what was good for the collective. It’s no wonder they failed as spectacularly as they did.

Where was the Tony Adams? The Roy Keane? The Paolo Maldini? The Franco Baresi? Undisputed Alphas for whom leadership came naturally. They didn’t have to act, they weren’t desperate for the power, they just had it as players and captains. They commanded respect and the pack responded accordingly, they were a united group and success was borne from that.

Mueller is absolutey right when he says ‘You don’t only need only chiefs, you also need a few Indians’, but England’s problem was too many Indians, no chiefs whatsoever.

It was interesting to hear Fabio Capello say that English player were ‘tired’ during this World Cup. Yet as the BBC pointed out some of Germany’s best players played more games this season, how does it add up?

There is, of course, the winter break, which is probably most beneficial to international teams in years when there’s a big tournament but could there be more to it? This has been doing the rounds for a little while but this is Graeme Souness talking on RTE TV in Ireland about how training at altitude ‘killed’ him before Mexico 86.

It would certainly explain England’s leggy, lethargic performances, but if what Souness says is true it will be of great benefit to the players respective clubs when they start their pre-season training. It certainly makes a lot more sense than reports that the players were just bored and didn’t want to ‘play for Capello’. They were playing for their country, regardless of who was in charge.

And going back to what we’ve spoken about before, having a little distance when it comes to punditry, how much sense does Roy Keane make here? He might not be everyone’s cup of tea but he’s certainly not afraid to say what he thinks. His analysis of England’s squad going into this World Cup is spot on, in my view (via balls.ie)

As everyone looks to point the finger at Fabio Capello, who of course must take his share of the blame, it’s interesting to hear a former professional who has played and won things at the highest level speak about the players the way he does.

England, let’s face it, were awful yesterday. Leaving aside the goal that wasn’t given, which is a debate for another post, I don’t think anybody can argue that the scoreline did not accurately reflect the gaeke.

Germany made all the chances and could easily have scored more, but when is the last time you’ve seen a Fabio Capello team taken apart like that? The Italian may not be the most attack minded coach in the world -  remember he was fired from Real Madrid not because he didn’t win the league but because he didn’t win it well enough – but it’s rare to see his teams so shambolic at the back.

Terry (yellow) drawn to man and not ball (cirlced in red) - with apologies to Zonal Marking!

The BBC focussed on Matthew Upson for England’s first goal but really what could he do? Take down Klose and it’s a red card. The fact is Upson was left one on one, Terry was drawn to the German player in front of him and lost the flight of the ball completely. It’s not the first time he’s done that in recent months and the fact that he was so out of position cost England the first goal. Upson was left to chase back with one of the World Cup’s most clinical forwards and the outcome was inevitable.

For Germany’s second Terry was hopelessly out of position again, chasing the man like a Sunday league player, so when Muller chipped the ball across to Podolski he had all the time in the world to fire home. Even then Terry chased back and bizarrely stopped instead of hitting the goal line where he might well have cleared Podolski’s shot. When you look at the replays Glen Johnson, wrongly, takes his cue from Terry as if to play an offside. Terrible defending.

Then the fourth – on the BBC the commentator said “And look, here’s John Terry storming forward!” as if this was a good thing. Two seconds later England have lost possession, nine seconds later the ball is in the back of the English net.

And this is not a rookie we’re talking about here. John Terry is, nominally at least, one of England’s best and most experienced defenders. Yet he played a World Cup knockout game like some kind of training session. His positional play was awful, his decision making well below international standard and because of this Germany cut through the English defence almost at will.

Now, I’m not saying this is all Terry’s fault, a lot of English players underperformed yesterday. Gerrard was more or less anonymous, Barry failed in his primary role as the holding midfielder, and Wayne Rooney delivered another toothless, inept performance up front. The obvious change for England yesterday was Crouch for Rooney and Capello bottled that one, but had Terry not taken the bull in a china shop approach to defending they might have had a chance.

Reputations count for too much when it comes to big tournaments. It’s been clear to anyone who has watched Premier League football since Christmas that John Terry’s performances have been way below his best. Yes, Chelsea won the league but that has much more to do with the finishing of Drogba than the defending of Terry. Yet he’s a shoe-in for an England team who, if they can’t score goals, need to be defensively solid.

Whoever comes after Capello (and I think the Italian will go knowing he can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear) needs to be brave and choose his team on form. On that basis Terry wouldn’t have been on the pitch yesterday and England would not have done any worse.