Football Update: Rooney fails yet again to make an impression at Wembley
The pictures at Wembley were similar to that of World Cup in South Africa. Wayne Rooney departed the field as English fans booed him off the field for his inability to produce goals for his national team. Rooney produced same fury when exiting the field which brought his relationship with English fans into limelight.
On the other hand, Liverpool’s Steven Gerard, who compared to the rest team played a bit better in South Africa, was once again on the spot, as he saved his team from embarrassment on home soil and guided them to much-awaited victory. Unlike, Rooney, Gerrard received standing ovation when he was substituted during the match. As it was expected, England’s fans poured in Wembley for the sole purpose of settling their score with those in nation colours. Flagellation was the agenda of the day, as Fabio Capello’s side once again struggled to control the pace of the game. Even the new entrants in form of Adam Johnson, Phil Jagielka and Theo Walcott were not spared.
Chelsea’s duo of John Terry and Ashley Cole were also target public flogging as their every touch was echoed with boos from the stands. The discontent of fans reached its highest point during the half-time whistle when Fabio Capello’s team was sent to Wembley’s tunnel in the chorus of derision. Improved performance in the second half saw fans getting behind their team, as they created more chances and gained more confidence.
Their second-half performance was antithesis of their outing against Algeria in South Africa. As England started dominated the proceeding, 72,024 crowd started to get behind their national team. However, as England’s players have thought that fans have forgiven them, they were proven wrong as Hungary’s 62nd minute goal brought anger and rebellion back into action. Rooney, who once again exhibited determination, was out of luck as he failed to produce a single goal. His frustration was aggravated, when Capello decided to remove him just five minutes after Hungary’s strike. Commenting on Rooney after the match, Capello said, “He's the most important player. The fans want him to make the difference but it's impossible after 45 minutes one game, 45 the next and 65 minutes today.”
On the other hand, Gerrard made most of his chances as he scored two brilliant goals to put his summer misery behind him. His first strike was typical of Gerrard, as he scored from long range. Second was clinical finishing by Gerrard, as build-up unsettled the nervous Hungarians. Capello made several changes to the team before coming into this match. He brought Walcott and Johnson in place of Aaron Lennon and Shaun Wright-Phillips. Both Walcott and Johnson were excluded by Capello in his World Cup squad. Johnson and Walcott were impressive in their outing outings as they brought more creativity and pace than their predecessors.
Meanwhile, Frank Lampard once again failed to justify his claim to be in starting 11, as he continued his run of unimpressive performances in English colours. It is apparent that Lampard will receive the axe by Capello in future, as his ineffective partnership with Gerrard in midfield has been source of criticism for both manager and his team. Capello will also be happy to utilize the services of new players. “We have found new players and something new," the Italian said, having given four new caps to Kieran Gibbs, Jack Wilshere, Bobby Zamora and Michael Dawson. "That's really important."
On the other hand, David Beckham is certain to retire from international football as Capello has dismissed his chances of making comeback to the national side. Talking about Beckham, Capello said, “I say thank you very much for helping me at the World Cup but probably he is a little bit old. We have to look for young players. The new players can play left and right wings. I hope David can play a last game at Wembley, and then bye bye. I change it. David is a fantastic player but I think we need new players for the future.”
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