ON ENGLAND AT EURO 2012

Welcome back Joga-ers. I'm finally back on the blog having graduating college, moved into a new apartment, and watched some of the best international play I have seen since, well, the last Euro. A couple summers ago, I found myself struggling to make the best of what was, ultimately, a dissapointing World Cup 2010. Now with two long years having passed, I am revelling in the brilliance of Euro 2012. Having arranged my (pathetic) work schedule to allow me the freedom of viewing almost every single game, I must say that I have been thoroughly delighted by this summer's grand spectacle. Rather than devote this post to covering the tournament at large, though, this write-up will instead focus on one of the more striking stories that has emerged in these past few weeks; that being England's (laborous) conquering of Group D, and subsequent demise against the Italians.

Whereas most nations who have (in their past) won a World Cup/Euro enter a new tournament amidst wild, unrealistic, press-led torrents of expectation, England limped into Euro 2012 with countless injuries, their talisman banned for the opening two games, and confidence at an all-time low. In a strange sort of way, this was the only scenario in which the Three Lions could thrive. Often maligned for their failure on global football's "biggest stages", England have for decades unfairly carried the weight of attention-hungry tabloid magazines regularly over-estimating the strengths of genuinely pedestrian English sides. I'm not ignoring the fact that England's national side have often had exceptional talents; Michael Owen as a teenager was spectacular, as was Gary Linneker, and Paul Gascoigne. What I am pointing out, though, is that for the past 50 years England have not possesed even close to the world's strongest XI. They have always had massive gaps in their ranks; South Africa 2010's team for example was plagued by abysmal goalkeeping, a lack of a true number 9, and a coach who had zero tactical nous. In the present tense, and speaking more precisely about their group stage performances, England have rallied around a new sense of purpose, a coach who understands that international football is about getting results rather than winning plaudits, and a mentality centered around embracing an 'underdog' status.

(fantastic sub-titles on this one)

That being said, yesterday afternoon provided the most damning evidence that England are years, perhaps even decades away from being a world-class side. Italy's victory (albeit via penalty kicks) further demonstrated that the only manner in which the current England can keep from being played off the pitch against world football's elite teams (ie. Germany in 2010) is by resolute defending, tenacious shot blocking, and having a goal keeper in Joe Hart who, by my estimation, is one of the top 3 keepers on earth. Yesterday, England were very much outclassed, and undone through (and among countless other, smaller reasons) a general lack of talent, a midfield incapable of posessing the ball in the face of any pressure, and in large part because Wayne Rooney was starved of touches on the ball. This last failure ought to be attributed to the incompetance of those behind him, rather than Rooney's own efforts. Granted, Rooney certainly did not put in a vintage performance; he seemed absolutely knackered by the end of 60 minutes, let alone the full 120. Furthermore, he failed massively in his defensive responsibility to slow down the irrepressible Andrea Pirlo. Given that he is England's only true match-winner on the international stage (save a rare Steven Gerrard performance), England were never going to beat Italy outright, save for a goal via a set-piece or a goal-mouth scramble.

Indeed, I believe that Hodgson must be applauded for making the best of his situation; again, England's current side COULD NOT win Euro 2012, and as Hodgson himself pointed out, they were not beaten in regulation all tournament, which really is quite an achievement. One might even argue that England getting into penalties in yesterday's match gave them the best possible chance to advance into the semi-finals. Whatever the case, England's technical limitations were brutally exposed by a more astute, albeit tooth-less Italian XI. Whereas Italy were busy connecting 20-30 passes before miscuing a final ball, or shooting hurriedly at Hart's net, England stopped even trying to hold onto the ball after the first 20 minutes of the game (when they were actually quite decent). The better has won, but I do believe that England finally have a foundation based on heroic defending and a competant manager from which they can build upon for Brazil 2014.

Roy Hodgson's next monumental task as England's manager is to form a side that can manage to remain resolute at the back while incorporating the blinding speed that many of the island's younger stars fortunately possess. While not a thinking-man's player in any way, Theo Walcott can be decent for the Three Lions, as he showcased against a terrified Swedish side. Furthermore, Oxlaid-Chamberlain may prove to be extremely dangerous as he matures if placed in a quartet with Welbeck, Rooney and Walcott. Plodding, quasi-technical players such as James Milner must be replaced if England are to make any true progress in a brief period of time.

At any rate, enjoy the semi-finals and the final of course in the coming days. The next blog will likely feature my All-Tournament XI, which at the moment is quite German-heavy. 

'Till next time