I don’t know much about rifle terminology. Can a bore be off? Is that something that could happen to a rifle? I think Wayne Rooney’s bore was off tonight, because he essentially played the game of an assassin who brilliantly scales the ivy outside the bell-tower, swirls his black cape over his shoulders, sets up the perfect shot and then, when the king’s carriage rolls out, squeezes the trigger only to have the bullet fly off at a skewed angle and clang off the bell so that lights come up in all the guardhouse windows. That is, he played very, very well, made some beautiful runs and slipped into killer positions, but every time he sent the ball toward goal it was like the angle in his mind couldn’t stand to be outdone by the angle in reality. Had he been properly calibrated, it could have been 4-1: just worth noting.
But no one was watching for Wayne Rooney. We were watching to see Capello, and what Capello would mean to an England team that, in rifle terms, basically needed to have someone take them to the rifle store, help them pick out a rifle, pay for the rifle, and then hire a man named Clintock to instruct them in its use. I thought the signs were pretty good, even during the long stretch of the first half when Jenas and Gerrard were doing nothing in central midfield and the only movement of the ball England seemed to be able to achieve was a square pass endlessly repeated between Wes Brown and David Bentley. The defending wasn’t great, and Switzerland had a few good chances—fortunately for England, Barnetta had some of the same ideas about geometry as Rooney—but there was a patience and an air of dauntlessness in England’s build-up play that seemed, specifically and deliberately, Italian.
Then, for about fifteen minutes spanning the end of the first half and the start of the second, England managed a spell of play that was as good as anything I’ve seen from them since the World Cup: well-timed runs, instinctive movement of the ball to the most threatening spots on the pitch, and above all, a series of ruthlessly played through balls and crosses from Bentley and Joe Cole that allowed England players time and again to test Diego Benaglio. For that stretch, with Cole doing tipsy medieval jigs to beat his defender (one led to the goal in the forty-first minute), Rooney and Jenas breaking through toward goal, and Bentley playing looping crosses to find them, you could start to see what the identity of this new team might look like once it’s fully formed.
I’m not sure it was a complete vindication of Capello’s tactics. Cole, who started as a withdrawn striker, looked best when he moved to the left, from which position he drove Gareth Barry back and out of the flow of play. This happened so often that I began to wonder if the team would be more efficient with Jenas in Cole’s position, Cole in Barry’s, and Barry in Jenas’s. But the match revealed a good deal about how Capello might use each player and what sort of balance they could achieve. And considering that he’s only spent a short time working with the team, the signs looked broadly encouraging.
I was especially impressed with David Bentley, who easily filled David Beckham’s shoes on the right side of midfield. He was involved in more dangerous moves than any other England player but Rooney, passed and crossed well (and England have more trouble with the latter than anyone generally seems to notice), and showed “flashes of pace,” as writers say when they’re working on deadlines. I’m a fan of David Beckham, but the last time he showed a flash of pace he was being chased by photographers and driving a Cadillac Escalade. The crowd, at one point, chanted “there’s only one David Beckham”; so there is, but tonight England were lucky that he was watching the game in a low Earth orbit from the splendor of his personal space shuttle.
Switzerland are really not a very good team, particularly with the injuries they’ve sustained (Senderos is something like their 25th-choice captain), and can’t be counted as much of a test. And the defending was worrisome at times, with Derdiyok’s goal coming after a lapse by Rio Ferdinand and Ashley Cole barely present throughout the night. France, when England play them later this year, will give us a chance to make a more complete assessment of Capello’s impact on the team, as will his use of the currently injured Frank Lampard. But based on the performance tonight, on the retooled midfield and on the attitude displayed by the players, the indications are promising.
Read More: England, Fabio Capello, Switzerland, The Occasional Match Summary
by Brian Phillips · February 6, 2008
I was pleased to see the midfield showing sparks of creativity and of playing as a unit — Jenas and Bentley both distributed the ball smartly across the pitch at times, to change the point of attack — even though there were a few too many long balls for my liking.
The most disturbing thing was the crowd. There was one stretch of play where England retained possession, but were forced backwards by a slightly misplayed pass and some good pressing from the Swiss. Yet as soon as the ball went back, the crowd started to boo, presumably hoping for an aimless longball to be pinged at England’s not particularly tall forward.
Instead, England were patient, built from the back, and carved out a good scoring chance. That was good to see on the pitch — but the crowd reminded me why we don’t see that often enough from English sides.
Tom, I agree, the crowd was crazy — I know exactly the stretch of play you mean, and it was so bewildering that I thought I must be missing some cultural context or something. But that, combined with the long stretch of booing in the first half (in a friendly? in the manager’s first game?), combined with the “Beckham” chants when Bentley was playing so well…really unfortunate given the circumstances and the fact that, at bottom, England were winning an entertaining game. That said, their booing of Ashley Cole when he was taken off just seemed like a sensible reaction to the game.
I agree about there being a few too many long balls, too — maybe it’s just a habit that’s hard to break all at once. I realize the France match is like fifty years away, but it will be really interesting to see how they evolve between now and then.
Tom/Brian, you have to understand that the average England fan doesn’t have very good powers of observation – they can barely see their hands in front of their faces, and certainly don’t have *any* patience. If you read the write ups in todays Times (Samuel, etc) it would appear that the next 4 years are going to be one great big bore-fest and a test of everyones patience. Give me strength !!
I, like you, thought that were good things on show last night. Like holding on to the ball when going backwards (perhaps they could show the England Rugby players that trick), and not throwing in an aimless ariel bomb.
It has been said that we Englanders get the team we deserve.
What made me laugh was when we were passing the ball around in the 78th minute and the crowd were oleing. I may have mistaken this for sarcasm. I hope so because passing the ball to your own tea mates is what international football teams are supposed to do, at least the good ones anyway.
Five Life’s Mike Ingham asked Fabio if he felt that England looked more comfortable when Crouch joined Rooney, implying that two strikers are better than one. Fabio replied with something along the lines that we had enough chances with just Rooney up front and if the midfield pushed up a bit more then there would have been even more.
The reason why I like one up front is that it, when it works, it allows Joe Cole to support the striker in attack rather than him being stuck out on the left wing where he gets booked for ham fisted tackles while tracking back. J Cole is England’s best player in my opinion and I thought the system worked well for him and that is reason enough to persist with it.
Errata. That’s Five Live not Five Life.
Five Lies
Five Lice
Five Limes
Five ……
They’re awful. You got it right about J. Cole.
Or a bit further north, Fife Live.
Duffman and Trent — Completely agree about Joe Cole’s importance to the team. I’m not sure how it happened, but technically he almost appears to have been trained in a different country.
Brain, nice commentary there.
There are positive signs that England is on their way up but much work needs to be done too.
For stretches of the game (long enough for a top-notch opponent to take advantage), England were merely a mishmash of individual players who were uncomfortable playing as a team.
If not for the goals, the old England deficiencies will be magnified. The defense is one area which needs to be examine closely. If not the next friendly against France will be embarrassing.