World Cup 2010: The End of the Golden Generation of English Football
The consequences and backlash of what was always going to be a disappointing summer in South Africa began a stage too early in Bloemfontein for England yesterday. There was despondency, bleakness and a state of despair surrounding every Englishman inside the Free State Stadium, not to mention every fan back home.
Losing to a better side is always a danger faced by every team at the World Cup, but being ripped apart, torn into shreds and smashed to smithereens by a youthful side that is not even out of its diapers yet is a disgrace of the highest order at the international stage, and must hurt more than a dagger through the spine.
All the moaning and whinging by the England camp and their Italian manager about the disgraceful mistake by the Uruguayan linesman, Mauricio Espinosa, that denied Frank Lampard’s sublime chip an equalizer just before the lemon break, of course has some merit to it, but that is part and parcel of the game and happens every now and then, so going on and on about it is digressing from the issue.
The Three Lions’ performance against Germany was one of the darkest on field hours of English football and leaves many questions to be answered at every level of the game in the country.
While the men in red enjoyed greater possession than their opponents, had more shots on goal and more on target, it only proves the centuries old fact that stats never give the whole picture and are overrated.
England looked terribly out of sorts against a slick machine that is the German football team, and the fact that it was under a manager who was brought in from Italy for his tactical nous, intelligence and godly reading of the game is a sheer disgrace.
English central defence, especially Terry, was lured out of position far too often by Miroslav Klose, and Gareth Barry was more of a door left ajar than a defensive shield, presenting the likes of Ozil and Podolski too much room inside England’s attacking third, and proved to be their undoing on the night.
The individual shortcomings and errors compounded the misery of a rigid 4-4-2 formation was never going to be successful against a free flowing, fluid German side.
Upson, Terry and James all were the culprits for the concession of the first goal. While things looked brighter for a short interval of time in the middle stages, the blistering counter attacks of the Germans put England to the sword, and that too brutally.
There are light years between England and the best in the game at this moment, and the sooner England realizes this fact the better.
On the basis of their performances in this tournament, is there anyone who thinks that Capello’s men could beat Brazil, Holland, Argentina or Spain? Are they any better than Oscar Tabarez’s Uruguay or even the African flag bearers Ghana?
That is perhaps what the sorry state of affairs English football is at the moment.
Four of England’s tormentors in chief last night – Jerome Boateng, Mesut Ozil, Manuel Neuer and Sami Khedira were a part of German U-21 side that mauled Stuart Pearce’s England U-21 at the European Championships last summer.
Milner and Joe Hart are now the future of England, and you are now forced to think why the likes of Theo Walcott and Adam Johnson were left out of the England squad in the first place.
Looking at what England has in the wings: Kieran Gibbs is going to be the likely inheritor of the number 3 shirt from Ashley Cole, and Jack Rodwell of Everton may now look like a prospect that would set the world alight.
However, the rest are just run of the mill footballers that can never win anything big in football let alone a football World Cup. Nadeem Onuoha, Micah Richards, Martin Crane, Fabrice Muamba, Lee Cattermole, Mark Noble, Craig Gardner and Michael Mancienne are now the players England will set its sights on, but being serious, does anyone out there see these players lifting the golden trophy?
No matter who manages England, the cupboard is bare and the abject display at Bloemfontein perhaps may prove to be the beginning of the end.
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