England prepare for return to scenes of torment
Friday, 05 Sep 2008 07:30
England fans were left unimpressed by away performances against Andorra and Croatia last time
On paper, Saturday's match against Andorra to start the World Cup 2010 qualifying campaign looks innocuous enough.
But it could be the first real indicator of the difference between Steve McClaren's much-maligned England and Fabio Capello's unconvincing new version, writes
inthenews.co.uk's Matt Duxbury.
Last time England headed to Barcelona's crumbling Olympic Stadium to play Andorra, McClaren was unsparingly booed by the travelling support as his side struggled to break down arguably the smallest of Europe's minnows.
Steven Gerrard spearheaded an improved second-half performance from England - scoring the first two goals on the way to a 3-0 victory - but in doing so it failed to completely silence the jeers.
"You can write what you want," the manager said in defiance afterwards - but the lasting impression was of a side struggling to mask a worrying lack of ideas.
All fears were later confirmed by England's failure to qualify for Euro 2008, as McLaren, now a forlorn figure on the touchline, attempted to fend off the worst of fates with an umbrella.
As for the Capello era, a series of inconclusive friendly fixtures have failed to banish the memory of that rain-soaked defeat to Croatia last November, with the Italian incumbent particularly derided for deploying Gerrard on the left flank during the recent 2-2 draw with Czech Republic.
Capello will not face that problem in his first competitive game on Saturday, as the Liverpool captain has been forced to withdraw from the squad to undergo a groin operation. Owen Hargreaves and Michael Carrick are also unfit, meaning Frank Lampard is likely to provide the fulcrum for England's attacks during the two matches.
However, struggling with a dead leg in training this week the Chelsea man could also fall short of fitness for Barcelona - in which case the responsibility for midfield creativity may fall on the unlikely shoulders of one James Richard Bullard.
The Fulham playmaker, a former painter and decorator who began his career with non-league Gravesend and Northfleet, is included in the squad for the first time at the age of 29. After he beat a career-threatening knee injury to make an impressive return to Premier League football and help his side escape relegation in January, fans will be hoping that Bullard's recovery precursors a similar feat of regeneration in the national side.
Now the 15th-best team in the world according to Fifa, England remain in search of a winning mentality and Capello will be more concerned about the fragile confidence of his players than the latest rankings. Another reason for Bullard's inclusion was his apparent ability to boost morale, but reports of a nervous atmosphere at this week's training sessions suggest it will take more than the likeable Londoner to lift spirits in the England camp.
Although the Olympic Stadium is likely to bring back bad memories on Saturday, there are arguably even more ghosts lurking in Zagreb - where England travel for their second qualifying match next week.
October's 2-1 defeat to Russia in Moscow was damaging, but it is the two games against Croatia from the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign which perhaps best encapsulate the recent failures of England and McClaren.
While many can remember Mladen Petric's heartbreaking late winner at Wembley last November, few will forget the excruciating miskick which saw Paul Robinson fail to connect with a Gary Neville backpass and helplessly watch the ball roll over the line for Croatia's first goal in Zagreb last time out.
Once an automatic selection, Robinson's form appeared to desert him on that night and is yet to truly return, although he is included in the squad for the two matches after moving from Tottenham Hotspur to Blackburn Rovers this summer.
David James is now the incumbent number one and will be hoping to keep out a Croatia side whose fearless and deceptively technical approach has embarrassed England on their last two meetings.
If McClaren was caught unawares by the ability of Croatia's young side in Zagreb and their tenacity at Wembley, Capello can hardly claim similar excuses.
With Vedran Corluka recently leaving Manchester City to join Luka Modric at Spurs, Eduardo da Silva playing at Arsenal and Niko Kranjcar impressing with Portsmouth, the presence of Croatian players in the Premier League reflects the nation's growing stature in European football.
More importantly for Capello, Slaven Bilic's side will be eager to make amends for their quarter-final exit at Euro 2008, where they were defeated on penalties by Turkey after scoring and then conceding a goal just seconds before the final whistle in Vienna.
Although missing Kranjcar and Eduardo through injury, Bilic will be acutely aware of the psychological advantage his players currently hold over England - and an opening qualifier against Kazakhstan is unlikely to diminish that sense of superiority.
While the more tactically-minded would suggest that Capello's success depends on finding that hallowed midfield 'balance' which so often eluded McLaren, the absence of several key players through injury means that the Lampard-Gerrard question and other familiar conundrums will not be answered during the forthcoming matches.
Instead, the two games will be judged on how well the manager convinces his charges to play with the same freedom they enjoy at their clubs, and begins to heal the scars of his predecessor's doomed qualifying campaign.
Matt Duxbury