Where is it all going wrong for England?

Photo: sport5.co.il

Sports Team writer Scott Johnson and Online Sport Editor Matt Bugler dissect the failings of England after a double defeat.

Scott:

When Roy Hodgson looked at November on his calendar, he would have had a few things on his check list. These will have included sorting out England’s best playing system, giving fans reasons to be positive about next year’s World Cup, and proving that plucky England can still stand up to the heavyweights of the international football scene.

However, after an uninspiring 1-0 defeat to Germany at Wembley last night, following a soporific 2-0 loss in the match against Chile on Friday evening, Hodgson will be looking at this checklist with nothing at all ticked off.

Let’s look at the first point on Hodgson’s checklist. England’s current playing style is extremely confused – they play four attacking players (one striker, two wide attacking midfielders and one player behind the striker), yet the defensive style of the team completely negates the effectiveness of all of the attack.

The defenders are constantly being forced to play deeper than their effective position because of the system employed, leaving the front men completely isolated and ineffective against any defence worth its salt. It’s as if Hodgson wants to be attacking, but can’t bring himself to live with the consequences if it goes wrong. However, this approach is just leading the team to stagnation, not to glory.

If you sat through either, or both of the matches, you’ll know that point two on Hodgson’s checklist most certainly hasn’t been ticked off. We were poor against a side that most fans would be expecting to beat should they be in our World Cup group, and we rarely troubled the opposition in a match that any English team should be desperate to win.

So, all in all, we’re not optimistic at all, which is a shame after the final group performances during the qualifying phase which showed more attacking intent. The reversal of mentality when in front of a home crowd will not give any fan confidence about tough matches played in a neutral setting.

Item number three, equally, is most definitely not checked off. Although it was only a 1-0 defeat to Germany, it was in no way their strongest team and we were at Wembley. England rarely threatened and didn’t manage a single shot on target, Andros Townsend coming closest with a long range effort that rattled the post with Weidenfeller beaten.

England also contrived to beat themselves. Take a look at Mertesacker’s winning goal – there were seven England players around the six yard box to defend that final cross, yet Mertesacker beat them all to it, a criminal mistake at international level.

Admittedly, the header was very impressive one and Joe Hart had no chance once it was on its way. Hart almost wrote the headlines again with another mad rush for the ball outside the box resulting in a huge collision with Smalling; thankfully the ball not dropping to any attacking players.

England fans looking at Brazil 2014 are not going to be feeling terribly buoyant, especially knowing that England will be drawn alongside one of the top sides in the World as they are not one of the eight seeds. However optimistic you are as an England fan, two defeats at home can only mean the World Cup draw on December 6th is not going to make for happy viewing for the England camp.

Matt: 

Watching England on Tuesday night was almost pointless. Germany’s second string strolled around in the middle of the park, gently caressing the ball back and forth while Roman Weidenfeller earned money for standing still on some grass.

Roy Hodgson didn’t do himself any favours when told England had no shots on target: “What about Townsend’s shot that hit the post? Is that not on target? I rest my case.” No Roy, if it hits the post then it’s not going in. You’re better than that.

Townsend did do one thing though, which other players seem to be unable to do: run with the ball. When he gets the ball he aims to charge forward and gain ground, reinforcing the notion that football is a form of exercise. Many other players seem content to labour around, lob balls over the top and generally create nothing. Seriously, if you can’t find one shot on target in 90 minutes, what’s the point of showing up?

Quite how Daniel Sturridge managed to stay on the pitch for 90 minutes is beyond me, after a more than anonymous performance where he showed zero understanding with Wayne Rooney. The whole formation was a bit of a mess, was it 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1? I’m not convinced that Sturridge can lead the line on his own, but in theory the attacking quadrant should be much more fluid and looking to run in behind defenders.

Photo: Leon Benjamin (Flikr)

Some players simply aren’t good enough to be playing international football; the Hendersons, Smallings and Cleverleys of this world should be nowhere near the plane to Brazil. If you’re not playing regularly for your club, you shouldn’t be starting for England.

Adam Lallana had a quiet night compared to his impressive debut against Chile, but he was made to hug the touchline and rarely stray away from the left flank. At Southampton he plays everywhere, giving defenders nightmares with his omnipresence, but for England he’s not going to routinely beat full-backs for pace like Townsend.

Some people criticised the inclusion of Lallana and Jay Rodriguez, which doesn’t make sense considering the Saints are third in the league, with a plethora of English talent. They play continental-style football involving high pressing and interchanging positions, with fitness being the main thing to increase since Mauricio Pochettino’s appointment. Are England’s players really fit enough if they can’t run with the ball or press?

England have to change their mentality now. Increase fitness, play with freedom and try to create chances. Defensive mentality gets you a trip home in the first knockout stage if you’re lucky. Take some risks, try to entertain the fans, play quicker with the ball and do some running. Otherwise nothing has changed since Hodgson’s appointment, and no-one wants a bore-fest like the dross we served up against Italy in Euro 2012.

The dark horses of the 2014 World Cup

Last Tuesday signaled the close of the European qualifying group stage, and provides us with an opportunity to reflect upon the movers and shakers of World Cup qualifying.

England’s campaign saw them eventually match expectations to qualify as leaders of their group; nonetheless there have been numerous examples across the competition of high-flying underdogs. Whilst the likes of Brazil, Germany, Spain and Argentina represent obvious favourites at next year’s tournament, the qualifying rounds have presented us with a few potential dark horses.

Vincent Kompany, captain of the Belgian national side. Photo credits: Erik Drost (via Flickr)

Belgium – Winners of European Group A (Won 8, Drew 2, Lost 0)

Top Scorer: Keyin De Bruyne – 4 goals. Key Players: Defence – Vincent Kompany; Midfield – Kevin De Bruyne; Attack – Romelu Lukaku

It is perhaps unfair to label Belgium as a dark horse for Brazil. They currently sit in fifth in the FIFA world rankings, which sees them seeded for the finals ahead of the likes of France, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal and of course, England.

Their rise to stardom has been astronomic – in 2006 the country found itself ranked lower than ever before in 71^st. Back then, the squad featured only a sole Premier League player – Emile Mpenza, and even he was very much on the fringes of the Manchester City team.

12 Premier League players now grace the squad, including two of the division’s most potent strikers: Christian Benteke and Lukaku. An undefeated qualifying campaign in which they conceded a mere four goals, keeping six clean sheets seems to indicate that they won’t be defensive pushovers either.

The weight of expectation for Belgium’s golden generation is certainly increasing, and the World Cup in Brazil provides the first opportunity for them to showcase their obvious talent.

Colombia – 2^nd place in ‘CONMEBOL’ (Won 9, Drew 3, Lost 4)

Top Scorer: Radamel Falcao – 9 goals. Key Players: Defence – Mario Yepes; Midfield – Fredy Guarin; Attack – Radamel Falcao

The trajectory of the Colombian national team is arguably similar to that of Belgium. 2014 represents their first qualification since 1998, whilst their current world ranking of fourth is representative of a team playing at its peak.

Looking at the squad on paper, many would see Colombia’s strike force as the driving force behind the team. Falcao’s summer switch to newly promoted French side AS Monaco raised a few eyebrows across Europe; nonetheless there are few more complete strikers in world football, whilst the lesser known Teófilo Gutiérrez, who plays for Argentinian giants River Plate, has proved almost equally efficient for his national side.

Creativity often flows from Monaco winger James Rodriguez, whose link up play with Falcao could prove vital. However, much like Belgium, it’s perhaps Colombia’s defensive record that proved most impressive, as their tally of 13 goals conceded was the most effective in South American qualifying.

The climate for a Brazilian World Cup may give Colombia an edge over their European rivals, as will their seeding. All of this presents Colombian fans with the very real possibility that their team could escape the group stage of the finals for only the second time in their history, the last being in 1990.

Chile – 3^rd place in ‘CONMEBOL’ (Won 9, Drew 1, Lost 6)

Top Scorers: Arturo Vidal and Eduardo Vargas – 5 goals. Key Players: Defence – Gary Medel; Midfield – Arturo Vidal; Attack – Alexis Sanchez

The battle for qualification in South America was tinged with a sense of opportunity – due to Brazil’s automatic qualification, there was in essence an extra spot up for grabs amongst the nations.

Few grasped that opportunity in such a manner as Chile, who played some beautifully adventurous attacking football throughout their campaign. Their style came at a cost however as Chile conceded 25 goals in qualifying, significantly more than any of the other South American automatic qualifiers.

They attack with fluidity almost comparable to the total football of old, and it’s a system that manages to extract the quality from their talented forward line. Barcelona’s Alexis Sanchez has arguably been a victim of his own promise, as his talent has at times failed to shine through – most notably at club level.

Nonetheless, it seems that under coach Jorge Sampaoli, he is starting to exhibit the qualities that will make him a vital figure come 2014. In Arturo Vidal, Chile possess one of the best all round box-to-box midfielders in the world, and if he, along with the ever-tenacious Gary Medel, can organize the defensive side of the team, Chile just might upset the odds at the World Cup.

Edin Dzeko celebrates a goal for Manchester City. Photo credits: Ulicar Streets (via Flickr)

Bosnia and Herzegovina – Winners of European Group G (Won 8, Drew 1, Lost 1)

Top Scorer: Edin Dzeko – 10 goals. Key Players: Defence – Asmir Begovic; Midfield – Miralem Pjanic; Attack – Edin Dzeko

Whilst Bosnia may have been neck and neck with Greece for superiority in their group, they showed glimpses throughout qualifying of their vast superiority over their opponents.

They topped Group G with a goal difference of 24, 16 more than rivals Greece, whilst in strikers Edin Dzeko and Vedad Ibisevic, they boast two of the four highest goal scorers in European qualifying. Midfielder pair Miralem Pjanic and Zvjezdan Misimovic also chipped in with a combined eight goals whilst also dictating most of Bosnia’s creative play.

Whilst there has been some evidence of weakness across the back four, in Asmir Begovic Bosnia can claim they have one of the best keepers in the Premier League, and arguably Europe too. The draw was arguably favourable to Bosnia, with only Greece and Slovakia providing real challenges, nonetheless they qualified with relative comfort, exhibiting some ruthless displays in the process such as the 1-8 demolition of Liechtenstein.

The fitness and form of talisman Dzeko will undoubtedly be key to any success they find in Brazil, but the whole group is undoubtedly ready to fight for success.

Will Cafferky, Sports Team

Beyond Hollywood: No

In a new foreign film feature, Benjamin Lewis reviews Pablo Larrain’s film No, which was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 2012. Critics raved at the time, but was it worth the hype?

When you can’t get the Spanish for ‘Chile, happiness is coming’ out of your head and start singing it enthusiastically around the house – much to the confusion of your parents – it’s fair to say that the Chilean film No has had a lasting impact. Directed by Pablo Larrain, No focuses on the 1988 Chilean referendum to decide whether to extend Pinochet’s rule by eight years, from the perspective of the respective ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ campaigns.

Larraín’s film is an expertly crafted blend of fact and fiction revolving around a subject matter that is historically important, and still relevant in the context of political upheavals like the Arab Spring. The cinematography in particular makes you feel like you’ve stepped into 1980s Chile by bringing the historical events to life. This is mostly due to the use of the now obsolete analogue U-matic camera from the early 1980s, which Larraín used to merge the archival footage with his own vision. The result is an air of authenticity, as film and archival footage seamlessly blend together. So seamlessly in fact, that at times it’s hard to know what’s being acted.

Image credit: BFI

Larrain’s directing is highly stylised, with a tone that whilst not dark and oppressive as per V for Vendetta, is far from that of Rush Hour 2 where danger and violence is trivialised. It’s perhaps best described as cautious optimism. This tone is reflected in the desire of René (Gael García Bernal), an advertising executive, to focus on happiness as the central theme for the ‘No’ campaign.

My only criticism, barring the ratty haircut that García Bernal has in the movie, is that the scenes with his son and his estranged wife detract from the compelling war between both advertising campaigns and the even more interesting relationship between René and his boss Lucho, whose bickering and insulting add another layer to the conflict. His wife, Veronica, is unlikeable and his son offers very little to the plot, despite an attempt at heightening the tension at the breakup of the ‘No’ rally.

What is most remarkable about this film are the parallels that can be drawn with contemporary politics. At one point in the movie, during a meeting with leaders of the ‘Yes’ campaign, someone says: “you have a system in which anyone can be rich. Careful; not everyone. Anyone’. In other words, No tells us that an individual, with dedication and focus, can make change. This is something that has been seen here in Exeter, with the university recently becoming the first English university to go ‘conflict free’, thanks to the work of the members of‘Project Congo’ of the ‘Be the Change’ society.

Ultimately I strongly recommend No, and whilst it may be an oversimplification that an advertising campaign and catchy jingle was responsible for Pinochet losing power, Larraín believes it had an important role. As a result, we should consider the impact of marketing in politics, even twenty-five years ago.

The catchiness of ‘Chile, happiness is coming’ is undeniable, and as a master class in marketing, the film should be at the top of the Christmas list of Gocompare.com’s advertising department. Then at least, we might get some relief from the considerably crueler regime of the opera singer. Just say “no”, kids.

4/5