Fabio Capello – ‘I’ve re-found the team I know’
Did you enjoy that? Thought not.
One goal equalled victory and five points as England qualified for the second round of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa but it was a performance whose plus points seemed the better only because of the minus ones accumulated thus far.
Beating Slovenia 1-0 did not seem such a mountainous task a month ago and would probably have brought an animated response from the England manager, Fabio Capello.
Now, after a stuttering team, who five days ago seemed more like a group of slightly talented lookalikes because the real team had gone missing rather than a team who look like they could win the World Cup, the Italian seemed fit to burst once the game was over.
The fact that the USA’s win over Algeria had condemned England to second place in Group C and with it a potential list of opponents in the next three rounds that could include Germany, Argentina and then Spain was quietly forgotten by the normally forensically thinking Italian.
During the week players had talked about Capello’s passion which is not seen beyond the confines of the dressing room but it shone through at the final whistle. “This is the spirit,” he said, with an almost evangelical zeal. “Play together, fight together – and I’m really, really happy because I’ve re-found the team I know.”
He may have found the team but there still have to be doubts about a team that have found the back of the net just twice in the tournament so far. “They’ll go forward," he said. "They can play against all the teams because the mind now is free – without fear. They played with freedom and we’re happy for all the fans.”
The name on the fans’ lips was that of Jermaine Defoe. As memorable goals go it was definitely of the scruffy variety but, given the general delirium, it was probably a 30-yard thunderbolt by the time they were passing the soap in the showers. “I’m lost for words to be honest – what a moment,” Defoe said. “As a young lad it’s something you dream about.
“It was a must-win game, a cup final, so you approach the game differently. The lads were flying for the first 10 minutes, put them under pressure, set the tempo. To get the goal early on was setting our standard and then we started passing - it was brilliant.”
The worrying aspect of the victory was that, despite creating chances, the finishing was still profligate –something which Defoe admitted to being unhappy about his own performance. “I had one in the second half. A little bit disappointed, I should have done better with it, but we’ve won the game, we’re through now so I’m delighted.”
And Defoe said that even if England had misplaced the killer instinct that had taken them through the qualification tournament with some ease, they have never lost the belief in themselves that Capello had seemingly spent the last week hunting for on the training pitch. “It’s always been there. At this level it’s always going to be difficult. If you look at the other games, a lot of the top teams have struggled. So it’s important to keep the spirit, which we have done, and it showed tonight.”
Steven Gerrard had looked awkward in the pre-match press conference for this game but now appeared a degree more liberated. "We showed passion, fight and team spirit - we're delighted to go through," the Liverpool midfielder said. "We've done it before when our backs have been against the wall, but we need to do it all the time. We need to find consistency, especially in the knockout stages. If we perform like we did against Algeria then we won't get another chance."
The most worrying sign for England’s chances of progressing further in the competition was the substitution of Wayne Rooney in the 72nd minute. Capello revealed that it was because of an ankle injury but expected him to be ready Sunday’s match, and Gerrard reiterated his belief that the Manchester United striker, who came to this World Cup regarded as one of the players who could emerge as a world star, could still live up to that billing.
“Wayne's had criticism,” Gerrard said “but today he worked socks off and I know goals around the corner for him."
Rooney plus goals could equal success for England.
Match report: http://www.senore.com/2010-World-Cup-Slovenia-v-England-full-time-report-a13492
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