Steven Gerrard: England is plummeting
English captain Steven Gerrard admits that it will take a long time for his team to recover from their big disappointment in the FIFA 2010 World Cup They may have qualified for it, but they are devasted over the fact that they made an exit in the round of 16. “We are not up with the best. We went out in the last 16, everyone can do the maths,” said Gerrard.
According to Gerrard, they are in the position that’s similar to their loss in Euro 2008, where they were defeated by Croatia 3-2. Gerrard acknowledges the massive support for England in the England-Hungary match. “We have 60,000 coming tomorrow, which is going to be the biggest crowd of the night,” said Gerrard. But nonetheless, the English team captain believes that England has a long way to go in picking up the pieces from World Cup South Africa.
What Happened in South Africa
England started the match with USA well. Just four minutes into the game, Gerrard already made a goal with the help of Frank Lampard and Emile Heskey. USA dominated after that goal. The equaliser came for the Americans five minutes into the half time. Clint Dempsey’s shot could have been handled properly by English goalkeeper Robert Green but it slipped through his hands.
England’s second match in South Africa ended with another draw. England dominated the game but the Algerian defence was strong. The goalless draw was a disappointment for England but a joyous occasion for the Algerians, who were 22 places below England in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking.
England regained their confidence in their game against Slovenia, which they won 1-0. It was Jermaine Defoe’s goal that saved the day. At the 23rd minute, Defoe attacked with a volley. Samir Handanovic tried to save it but the ball simply hit his palms and went towards the roof of the net. Slovenia struggled to break the English defence although there was a good attempt by Novakovic and Dedic, only to be blocked by Terry and Glen Johnson.
However, that victory was short-lived when they were sent home by the Germans in a match they lost 1-4. The Germans lead the game early on with 2 goals from Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski. England fought back with a goal at the 37th minute by Matt Upson. Lampard took another shot later but it hit the underside of the crossbar and the referee did not count it as a goal. Nonetheless, England couldn’t catch up with the pace of the young German team. It was a painful pill for the English boys to swallow because their team was composed of renowned football players but as German Klose said, they did not play as a team.
Picking up the ashes
Coach Fabio Capello had to take the blame for quite some time. Right after their disgraceful exit, there was a possibility of replacing Capello. But English football superstar David Beckham said that Capello did all that he could and that the players should take the blame. His perspective is similar to that of Klose’s: “"The players are honest about that but it's not about individuals, it's not about how individuals play – it's about how we played as a team. It's a cliche but you win as a team and you lose as a team.”
It is indeed a surprise that England suffered a major disapointment. After all, the team’s players are the best in their respective clubs. Wayne Rooney is Manchester United’s best striker. John Terry and Frank Lampard belong to Chelsea, the winner of a league and a cup double six weeks before the Germany-England match. Steven Gerrard is one of Liverpool’s crucial players. Yet, all of that is negated when the powerful individual football players cannot play as a team.
There are no more small teams in the World Cup. Spain, for example, exited way earlier than England in World Cup 2006 Berlin. But things have taken a different turn this year. “There blatantly is a difference between us and Spain for example, because they have won the World Cup. They have proved they are a lot better than us.”
Media expectations are high for the English team and according to Gerrard, that’s the way it should be. He acknowledges the fact that good players make up the English team but they just have to find a way of working better together.
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