Euro Cup Qualifiers – Rating England’s performance against Bulgaria
England's 4-0 victory over Bulgaria brought a smile back to everyone wearing an English shirt. The English team played with verve and style and were clinical with the chances that they got. It is for this reason that England will be optimistic when they face Switzerland in their next match of the Euro Cup qualifiers. Fabio Capello will be hoping for a similarly easy outing but all indications point otherwise. England’s fully deserved a victory against Bulgaria and some of the new guns certainly stepped up to show what they were capable of. This is how each member of the English team performed...
Joe Hart
The Manchester City goal keeper was a rock at the back of defence. He looked unflappable and stopped everything that came into the box with authority. After the shenanigans in South Africa, it was heartening to see a no nonsense keeper communicating and commanding his area like a professional. Hart may be young but if this performance was anything to go by, it looked like he was playing in England's national team for many years.
Glen Johnson
It was the same old routine from the Liverpool right back. Johnson is extremely dangerous when he goes ahead with an aim to destroy. However, the same cannot be said about his defensive duties. Johnson was again adventurous and confident going forward but even against meagre opponents, Johnson was nervy at times and almost gave up an own goal which would have been disastrous. Yet no major mistakes transpired but Capello must be hoping for a backup, sooner than later.
Michael Dawson
Dawson played very well in place of John Terry and looked like he was growing into the role before a cruel injury robbed him of the chance to make his case. It is uncertain for how long he will Dawson be out of the game but it is mostly certain that by the time he gets back, someone else might have taken his place in the squad.
Phil Jagielka
Phil will be extremely happy to end the game with a clean sheet. The Everton man looked comfortable and was strong in the tackle and did a good job after fighting out danger that the Bulgarians could create.
Ashley Cole
The left back was a menace for the Bulgarians as he constantly moved and penetrated forward. In fact, his aggressive play made sure that he had very little defensive work to do at his own end - a great performance by Cole to say the least.
Theo Walcott
He might not have scored for England as he has been doing with Arsenal, yet the right winger was a constant danger for the Bulgarians especially in the first half. Walcott showed Capello exactly what was missing at the right side of English attack and constantly made inroads into the opposition half.
James Milner
Milner shoehorned into the left side of midfield, yet the Manchester City man put a decent shift, allowing Cole to power forward while peppering his team-mates with short and smart passes. His tracking back was exemplary as well.
Gareth Barry
Barry did his work with minimal fuss and was there to help out of defence when required. He was a little slow throughout the game but was not really tested - a decent performance at the maximum.
Steven Gerrard
The 4-4-2 meant that the England captain was subdued but did his job admirably well by creating a balance between attack and defence. After being unable to produce rampaging runs, the truth remains that Gerrard was never really required to as he filled up spaces in the midfield.
Wayne Rooney
Involved in some capacity in all four goals, Rooney showed England fans that he was back. Even though he was unable to snap his non-scoring streak yet his passes were a delight and Defoe must have been ecstatic with the service provided. Still a little off the pace, Rooney is showing signs of coming back to life.
Jermain Defoe
He produced not just goals but quality moves as well. Defoe was a constant threat and unlike other times in an England shirt, he was also active outside the box. After all, there must be a reason why he’s the “fox in the box” after all.
SUBSTITUTES
Adam Johnson
He came on for Theo Walcott and went straight to work. He scored a goal to strengthen his claim for a place in the first eleven but signs are evident that Adam Johnson will have to be a little more patient.
Gary Cahill
He came on for Dawson and looked decent enough. Cahill had no real problems and was focused throughout the remainder of the game.
Ashley Young
He did not have a lot of time to make any impact during the game.
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