England lost 4-1 to a very sharp and clever German attack on Sunday afternoon in Bloemfontein. Yes, there was the “goal-not-allowed” but if you were following the buildup, the loss was unavoidable.
The England supporters had to suffer through the England's worst World Cup defeat, not because of the player’s inability or an unfortunate goal incident but rather the lack of planning their World Cup campaign by their sporting body and coach Fabio Capello.
This was the oldest England side to depart the country for a World Cup and it showed. Capello conceded last night that his players "appeared tired" after the domestic campaign. The English League is considered the most competitive and attractive by many, but it is to the disadvantage of the national team ahead of the World Cup. Add untimely injuries to likes of David Beckham and Rio Ferdinand and you have a problem.
Fabio Capello must take plenty of the blame. His unwillingness to adapt from a strict 4-4-2 was ludicrous as was his team selection. If he played with a 4-3-3 formation and played Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard in positions they favour at club level, the outcome of their campaign might have been different.
There was little flexibility to his approach and he struggled to use the latent available. Joe Cole should have been in the starting line-up, but instead Capello favoured Shaun Wright-Phillips.
England`s World Cup is over and as their supporters head home, you have to ask the question - will England be more prepared in four years or will they let their fans down again?
| Comments |
|
|
||||||
