English Pragmatism Required

It’s an open secret that there is crisis in the English camp. More often than not results tell the truth. In the event that it doesn't, performance on the pitch says it all. The past couple of England performances have been anything but inspiring. From struggling to beat lowly ranked Azerb'jan and Wales to the humiliating 4-1 thumping at the hands of Denmark. England is obviously struggling. If you aren't convinced, their latest result should spell it all out. 1-0 defeat at the hands of Northern Ireland, a country ranked below our national team in the FIFA world rankings. The result was never a shock though; it was all along an accident waiting to happen.

So what is the problem with the English team, widely believed to be the strongest assembled since the historic 1966 squad? Is it a Lack of talent? It can't be. There is Wayne Rooney, a player specially praised by Football legend Pele. There are European footballer of the year nominees, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard. There is European defender of the year winner, John Terry. And not to mention the others, highly rated defenders Rio Ferdinand, Ashley Cole, Sol Campbell and the promising Shaun Wright Phillips, Joe Cole and Jermaine Defoe. Talent is evident.

Power is nothing without control. A team can have the best players in the world but still fail to achieve at the major championships. Just look at the Dutch teams of the 90s, bolstered with one of the finest young talents at that time but struggled to make an impact at the World Cup or European Championships. Or the recent star studded Real Madrid team, talented players but no balance in the team. Football is after all a team sport. Cohesiveness, team work and balance do form a key part of the team tactics. Therefore, the man in charge plays a crucial role in the team's performance. He has to pick the right players irregardless of reputation and the right playing system for his team. Reputation should count for nothing. Form should. In this aspect, England does not seem to have the right man for the job.

Sven Goran Ericsson, currently one of the highest paid managers in the world was never well known for his managerial tactics. His team selections have been eye boggling thus far.
Reputation over form seems to be the guideline. Refusing to drop his off form “star” players has drawn a lot of flak from supporters. Electing to rest the in form Jermaine Defoe for the far from match fit Michael Owen is a question mark. The decision to field Beckham in the midfield holding position in order to fit in form Shaun Wright Phillips into the first team is highly questionable. And to try the new 4-5-1 system in a World Cup Qualifier is a bold but silly move.

All credit to the skipper, David Beckham was never a natural ball winner. To place him in the midfield holding position was always going to be a huge risk. It’s been a long time since the England skipper had a good game for his country. Everyone knows it, so why is he still in the first team? Is it because of his captaincy? Surely, that must not be the reason. If it is, then Sven has got it all wrong. There are more than capable players in the squad good enough for the captaincy. Think Rio, Terry, Lampard or Gerrard.


Playing Rooney as the lone striker was always asking a lot even for a player of his calibre. Rooney is at his best playing just behind the striker and going forward from deep. He was never a natural front figure. In fact, there are not many natural front figures in the England setup, unless you bring into the fray the likes of Emile Heskey or Peter Crouch. But they were not available. Therefore, the 4-5-1 system was never the best option for the England team. They simply don't have the players for the system.

A little bit of pragmatism is needed in the English camp. They need to revert back to the tried and tested 4-4-2 system. Drop the skipper and play two upfront. This will re-create the important right balance in the team. If the manager isn’t capable of ringing in the changes, then he must be changed. For power is nothing without control and if the English FA does not call for a change quick enough, England will never reach its fullest potential. The likes of Rooney, Lampard and company will perhaps only be remembered as nearly beens.