Oops, maybe I shouldn’t have said England would roll over Algeria. I did at least think, up until the game went into injury time, England would pinch a goal and get three points to help numb what was a dire performance. But in the end, they didn’t. Some random ports in no particular order…
1. Rooney is out of sorts. He has played a lot of matches this season, and has not been the same player since his injury against Bayern Munich, it’s clear. His outburst at the end suggests his temperament is becoming an issue as well - the lack of quality around him may be one reason.
2. Gerrard is incapable of fitting in with the current team plan. Playing on the left, he drifted in continually into the middle and tried to take over the game, leaving a void on that side of the pitch - at one point, it was being filled by Aaron Lennon, of all people. Ashley Cole’s flank was undefended and it put pressure on Barry to cover it.
3. What does Joe Cole have to do to get on the pitch? Shaun Wright-Phillips, whose selection for the squad over Walcott was (to me) nothing short of baffling, was poor and it’s questionable whether England really needed a like-for-like substitution at that point, when some composure and passing was what was really required.
4. Heskey was awful, simply awful. This graphic from The Times sums up his contribution to the game.
5. Credit must be given to Algeria, however. They lacked the individual ability of the England team, but made up for it and more with a superb organised display. Their running was tireless, their pressing clearly rattled England, and they identified England’s weak points quickly - a disorganised midfield and uncovered flanks. They never dropped their heads.
So what do England do? The solution advocated by many people has been drop Heskey, put Carrick in to anchor the midfield, push Gerrard forward, go to 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-1-1 with Rooney as a lone striker. Given the Manchester United man’s poor form (he has not scored since his injury), a more radical solution would be to drop Rooney entirely and play Defoe, but pumping long balls up to the diminuitive Defoe as a lone striker would be suicidal.
Perhaps this highlights England’s true weakness - with Rooney subdued, they lack any sort of player with the guile or ability to unlock a game and provide creativity. Both Lampard and Gerrard, England’s two midfield spearheads over-rely on their box-to-box running and direct play, with neither being able to hold the ball up or control the game from midfield. No matter what Capello’s tactics are, this is an unescapable fact, and a reason to sober up to how poor England’s chances actually are in this World Cup.
