A host of theories have surfaced in the national press attempting to explain England's poor showing against Algeria last night; none of them particularly rational. Team spirit has been put forward as a determining factor, the passing of the captains armband apparently contributing to a lack of leadership and unification on the pitch. The weight of expectancy from fans and journalists was also to blame for the abysmal performance, the players allegedly paralysed by the suppositions of the England faithful. Of course, it was an amalgamation of things that contributed to England's no show, but above anything else, the issue which underpinned the display most, is one that has haunted this crop of players for some time. Wrong team selection.
Capello arrived on the scene with a reputation as a man of strength, a disciplinarian not afraid of reprimanding players if they are not pulling there weight for the team. Observing an England team which has been littered with exceptional individuals for a number of years, yet has performed moderately, Fabio seemed like an excellent candidate for the job. Now I am not saying that he is not an excellent choice, not yet, but he certainly hasn't showcased his authoritarian self yet. The England squad is still littered with exceptional individuals, performing moderately.
Both Capello's predecessor, Steve McLaren, and the first ever foreign coach to manage England's national side, Sven Goran Erikkson, failed colossally at gelling the super talented English players. Both tenure's where defined by a failure to select an England team which performed as a unit. It has been much of the same at the 2010 World Cup. Capello has thus far been unable, or unwilling, to make the big calls which will determine England's level of success at this competition. The Lampard/Gerrard conundrum has been the crux of England's problems for too long. It has been emblematic of, and central to, all of England's complexes. Both are fantastic players at club level, capable of winning matches single handedly, however they have been accommodated to the detriment of the England team since establishing their enormous reputations. Who would dare drop one of the golden boys?
Capello continues to persevere with the belief that both men can operate in a 4-4-2 midfield, when it is painfully evident that they cannot. Gerrard's natural inclination to drift in field when starting wide entirely compromises the shape of the team, whilst the movement of both players on and off the ball when playing centrally together appears wholly incompatible. An alternative solution to this quandary is to play the England and Liverpool Captain just off Rooney, but this option deprives Rooney of playing in his most favoured position, in the hole, which is equally detrimental to England's cause. If Fabio is going to stick with the current formation, at some point he will have to decide who he thinks is the most effective player in the attacking midfield role. With Steven Gerrard finding form at the right time, it is surely a no brainer, however it is the Italian, not I, who was hired to make such difficult calls.
Rooney's body language in Cape Town suggested that something was genuinely wrong with the young starlet. Again, like the team generally, much speculation has surfaced to explain his spectacularly bad display, and again, I think the problem is more straight forward than most would think. Heskey's place in the team is centred on his ability to bring out the best in those around him, but is this really true of his partnership with Rooney? Heskey appears to occupy space that Rooney enjoys lurking in, whilst being unable to operate on the same skill level as his premiership counterpart. Heskey, a favourite of the Mediterranean manager for many years, looks all in all, a less than favourable partner to Rooney up front. Rooney's often juvenile attitude on the football pitch does little to hide what he is thinking; perhaps the United striker's negative aura is symptomatic of his frustration with his teams continued imbalance. Again though, just speculation.
With a crunch game now looming on Wednesday which will decide whether England progress, it is time for the revered coach to earn his crust. It is time to select a team capable of winning as opposed to a collection of England's best players. How painful and frustrating it is to see another England manager falling into pitfalls which have been jumped down before. Let's hope Capello recaptures his ruthless form which got him appointed in the first place.
