England 2 Czech Rep 2
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TAMED LIONS ... England look dejected after conceding the opener
England 2 Czech Rep 2
THINKING of booking up early for the World Cup finals? Best keep your money in your pocket. It looks like being another long, winding and tortuous qualifying road.
Nothing here suggested England are in any better shape for 2010 than they were when they failed to qualify for Euro 2008. We may not be going backwards but nor are we going forwards.
The scrappy late equaliser by Joe Cole after 92 minutes summed up England’s performance — disjointed and ugly. There is no invention, precious little pace and the best chance of scoring remains the same — set-pieces from David Beckham or hoofed long balls.
This was Fabio Capello’s last chance to experiment before next month’s World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Croatia. He wanted evidence England were ready for the task ahead. But, despite Capello claiming his side had a good first half, it is hard to be optimistic.
Maybe so much failure makes us naturally sceptical. Joe Cole reckoned this week that England are as good as anything that competed at the Euros. Maybe he means on his PlayStation. In reality, we are nowhere near the top table of the international game.
Certainly the Croats, who knocked us out of the European Championship, will not be quaking in their boots. The midfield conundrum regarding Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard remains unsolved. Capello tried to get round it by pairing Lampard with Gareth Barry and pushing Gerrard further forward. It was hardly a roaring success.
England’s inability to get behind the defence is also a serious worry. England did not start well and it set the tone for the night. Stanislav Vlcek gave an early warning, scuffing a shot wide when free in the area, and David James did well to keep out a snap shot from Milan Baros.
Former Liverpool and Aston Villa star Baros is a curious player. He frustrates so often in games but there are times when he can produce something out of the blue — and he did just that to give the Czechs a 22nd-minute lead. Baros collected the ball in the box with his back to goal and rolled round England skipper John Terry to create the space for a right-foot shot.
It was not the cleanest strike but the ball struck the unfortunate Ashley Cole and deflected over the top of the diving David James. After Defoe had squandered two opportunities and Cech had made a bit of a meal getting down to a Gerrard drive, England equalised on the stroke of half-time.
Beckham’s delivery from a corner on the right was targeted at the near post and the unlikely figure of Wes Brown climbed to head in for his first international goal in the nine years since he made his debut.
No sooner had England returned to the pitch after the break than they were behind again on 48 minutes. Barry, who had already been booked for an agricultural tackle early on, upended Jan Polak right on the edge of the area. A free-kick award was a formality for Norwegian referee Terje Hauge.
The man who stepped up to take it, Marek Jankulovski, is one of the jewels in the Czech crown and the AC Milan defender did not disappoint with his execution. He took a curved run-up and dispatched a curling left-foot strike into the top corner with James barely moving. It was a quality finish, though James’ positioning could be questioned.
The Czechs, eliminated from the Euros thanks to that amazing comeback by Turkey, have been hurting ever since and wanted a good performance of their own to put it behind them. And as the game went on, they looked increasingly tasty.
England were almost caught out again when sub Vaclav Sverkos ran from deep to collect a lofted pass and James came haring out to the touchline with no chance of getting the ball. Sverkos went round him but was so far out and with an angle so tight that, as James chased him back and the defenders covered, the target got smaller and smaller. The result was he shot into the side-netting.
James was laughing about it but the rest of us were nearly crying. Capello was getting more and more agitated in the technical area, as England disappeared up blind alleys. And Joe Cole’s late show, following an almighty scramble after a corner, did little to ease the pain.
The fans gave their verdict when those left in a half-empty stadium booed the team off. It was all so horribly familiar.
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FABIO CAPELLO lost the plot, lost an ally and almost lost the game on another wretched night for English football. While Britain’s brave Olympians were pulling in more medals in Beijing, Capello’s millionaire footballers were pulling in the jeers.
The Italian boss will also have been rocked by news that FA chief exec Brian Barwick has been axed after a bitter power battle with Soho Square chairman Lord Triesman.
Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp slammed Capello’s tactics last night, saying: “If Steve McClaren had been in charge of that team, there would have been uproar. Wembley would have gone barmy.
“I’ve not seen a Fabio Capello team play worse than that. The second half was diabolical. “Some of the players are not recognisable from the ones who play week-in, week-out in the Prem. Steven Gerrard is not a left winger. We are killing him. “He has to be in the middle of the pitch and be part of the game. I was full of optimism before the game but it’s difficult to be optimistic after that.”
Gerrard played out of position again to accommodate Lampard.
Capello insisted Gerrard was playing alongside Wayne Rooney and that the Liverpool ace was not on the left wing. Capello claimed: “Gerrard wasn’t playing on the left. We played 4-3-2-1. We played Defoe, Gerrard and Rooney and three midfielders behind them. Mr Redknapp has to express something but Gerrard didn’t play on the left.
“Sorry. You’ll have to ask the player. He didn’t play left. The movement, he went to the left and to the middle. He never played on the left.” Capello added: “I’m happy with the draw because of the reaction from the team in the last minute was good. “Only one thing I did’t like — when the Czechs had counter-attacks. We suffered. We have to combat that problem.”
Barwick — the man responsible for hiring Capello — will quit the FA after four years in charge at the end of the year. Barwick has become more and more marginalised since Triesman was appointed in January. The pair do not see eye to eye and Barwick’s future was doomed after an explosive FA board meeting at which his position was discussed. He said: “I’m sad to be leaving but I believe it is in the best interests of all parties.”
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So Does That Mean McClaren Really Wasn't That Bad?...
England may have salvaged a 2-2 draw against the Czech Republic but Joe Cole's scrappy injury-time equaliser shouldn't overshadow the inadequacies of a performance that saw Fabio Capello's team outplayed and outmanoeuvred by opponents who are, frankly, rather mediocre. So what does that make England?
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ahhhh omg.. england is.. =.= nothing say
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i would think England should just played a 442 with Gerrad and Barry/ Carrick in the middle, Cole on the left and Becks/ Bentley on the right, Ronney should play just behind Heskey/Defoe.. there isn't anyone capable of playing left mid in the England other then Cole,
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its just a friendly.
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wrong captain what... told u must get DB to be captain right?
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at least no mrs robinson here hahahaha!
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wrong captain. Terry is crap for England but God for Chelsea.