The World Cup is behind us and it’s time to find out what – if anything – has changed. Fabio Capello kept his job as manager but his two squads so far have had that ‘new squad’ smell as much by accident as by design, with dropped and injured players joining retirees Emile Heskey, Wes Brown and Paul Robinson on the absence list.
At 31, Matthew Upson is the oldest member of a squad that is missing Frank Lampard as well as John Terry, whose commitment to the cause will remain unquestioned despite the timing of his treatment for injury and in wilful ignorance of his obvious inability to contribute to the team as well as he thinks he does.
After South Africa it should be clear to the Football Association that the long-term competitiveness of the England team depends not on players with decade-long experience of failure and mediocrity, but on the establishment of a new technical era in English football and the blooding of youth players who are comfortable with a ball at their feet in tight spaces and able to push our game beyond the misguided notion of passion.
However, my personal preference for aborting Project Golden Generation and focusing squarely on World Cup 2018 – whether it’s hosted here or not – represents an unrealistic leap of faith. Euro 2012 should, as ever, be targeted as a competition in which England could reach the semi-finals, and while the ideal future would feature England’s Mesut Özil, England’s Andrea Pirlo and England’s Andres Iniesta, it remains important that Capello makes the most of what England has to offer at present.
We’re still waiting for a strong indication that change is afoot. Heskey’s retirement necessitates a shift in playing style, at least slightly, but with Lampard, Terry, Steven Gerrard and Rio Ferdinand resolutely unretired it’s possible that Capello’s first choice team is as staid as his World Cup selection.
Thankfully, the squad for England’s first two qualifiers contains reasons to be cheerful. The goalkeeping corps is led by Joe Hart, deservedly and comfortably England’s first choice, and contains Ben Foster and Scott Loach following the withdrawal of Scott Carson. Carson is not international quality, but what’s most encouraging is the absence of experience. Putting his faith in Hart at this juncture is the best decision Capello has made since taking over.
At the back, Gary Cahill, Michael Dawson and Phil Jagielka have another well-earned chance to push Upson aside. Ashley Cole can now legitimately claim to be one of the world’s very best in his position, and Kieran Gibbs’ inclusion is a welcome one.
Adam Johnson seemed to settle quite well in his appearance against Hungary in a recent friendly, and offers attributes sorely missed by England in the summer, where Shaun Wright-Phillips was relied upon for width and made his usual miniscule impact. Theo Walcott’s roaring start to the season makes England’s wide play suddenly very threatening, and with Spurs winger (what, he didn’t move?!) Ashley Young in reserve, the future looks sound. Up front, I’m still not convinced.
England’s first qualifying opponents are Bulgaria, and despite the relatively young team likely to represent England at Wembley the three points are very much up for grabs. Two players with plenty of knowledge of the English game, Stiliyan and Martin Petrov, have both spoken this week of their desire to cause an upset and seem quietly confident in their ability to do so. But the absence of the retired Dimitar Berbatov, who on his day would cause any pair of centre backs problems, is bound to reduce their ability to take what I’m optimistic will be limited chances.
Matchday number two is likely to be a more challenging affair. Switzerland threatened to throw a spanner in the works in Group H in South Africa, defeating eventual winners Spain with a ballsy defensive performance in their first match. They’re every bit as capable of stifling England as they were Spain, and there are players available with noteworthy ability at the other end. Gökhan Inler, Tranquillo Barnetta and Gelson Fernandes are quality contributors in midfield and goalscorer Alex Frei is in the squad, what with this not being a major international summer tournament.
One possible debutant against Austria and England is Scott Sutter, the Young Boys defender from Enfield in London. Sutter, who joined Grasshopper at the age of 16, has completed a U-turn on previous comments about playing for Switzerland and was called up by Ottmar Hitzfeld as one of Young Boys’ five national squad representatives.
With that, it’s prediction time. I’m going to plump for what I consider to be a conservative four points with a win tomorrow night and a draw in Basel on Tuesday. What are your predictions?
Tags: Bulgaria, Switzerland