Infographic: Before and After International Breaks

The standard narrative is that international breaks are an unnecessary disruption where players get hurt and clubs suffer. But is that really the case?

The short answer is: it depends. Liverpool were worse after the international breaks in the previous two seasons, had the same record before and after in 2008-09, and were actually better in 2007-08. The overall record over the last four seasons is 12W-4D-4L before and 10W-6D-4L after – a difference of just 0.2 points per game.

In just the previous two seasons – with a smaller, less talented squad (and a smaller, less talented manager for the first half of last season) – the difference is larger; Liverpool were 0.78 points per game worse after those international breaks. With a stronger, deeper squad thanks to Dalglish, Comolli, and FSG, that should be less of an issue. We've seen Liverpool far better able to cope with injuries over the last few months.

To narrow it down further, results haven't changed much after international breaks which come early in the season over the last four campaigns. Players are fitter, happier. Liverpool usually have the numbers to cope with any unfortunate injuries. It's the breaks later in the season where results are noticeably worse.

International breaks in February and March almost always see Liverpool drop points in the next match; it's happened after five of the seven post-New Year breaks since 2007. For example, the side had no business drawing Wigan at Anfield or losing to West Brom away after the two breaks under Dalglish last season.

Each February break has seen a draw follow a win, no matter the opposition – whether it's Wigan at home or Chelsea away. And Liverpool went from wins prior to the break (over Blackburn and Sunderland) to losses after (to Wigan and West Brom) following the last two March international breaks.

In addition, Liverpool have rarely faced top competition following an international break. They've met a "top four" club after an international match twice: beating United in September 2008 and drawing Chelsea in February 2008. Everton is a frequent opponent – a loss last October, and two wins over the Blues in 2007-08 – but otherwise, Liverpool often play a mid-to-lower table side. The type of side which doesn't usually have a lot of players away with their countries.

Unsurprisingly, the largest correlation is whether the match is home or away. As if that's a new phenomenon. Liverpool's record at Anfield after international breaks over the last four seasons is 6W-3D. Liverpool's away record after international breaks is 4W-3D-4L. And three of those four away wins came in '07-08; Liverpool's last away win after an international break was the 1-0 win over Fulham in April 2009, following the March break. Since then, over the last two seasons, Liverpool's away record after internationals is four losses and one draw. Which is even worse than Liverpool's usually atrocious away record.

And which piles slightly more uncertainty upon the small matter of a trip to Stoke, one of the toughest venues in the league, this Saturday.

The full list of matches is in the comments section.

Early International Breaks Are Still Meaningful and Worthwhile

I haven't seen a full summary of how Liverpool players fared during the international break (I admittedly might not be looking hard enough, but I'm also sick of the same post atop the page for almost a week), so here's a short one. The first number is the one most important to me – how many minutes each played this week. Because that's the number which will most likely impact Sunday's team selection at Birmingham.

Gerrard - 180 minutes. Captained England in both matches, 4-0 v Belarus and 3-1 at Switzerland. Did well in both, from central midfield in a 4-4-2/4-4-1-1, and cleverly assisted on Adam Johnson's goal against the Swiss.
Johnson - 180 minutes. Also played 90 minutes in both of England's matches. Was far better against the Swiss.
Skrtel - 180 minutes. 1-0 v Macedonia and 1-0 at Russia. Two matches, two clean sheets.
Meireles - 180 minutes. Played 90 minutes in both of Portugal's underwhelming matches – 4-4 v Cyprus and 0-1 at Norway. Scored Portugal's second with a long-range left-footed strike against Cyprus.
Jovanovic - 154 minutes. Played the full match in a 3-0 win at Faroe Islands and 64 minutes in the 1-1 draw v Slovenia.
Agger - 90 minutes. Played all of Denmark's lone match against Iceland yesterday, a 1-0 win.
Poulsen - 90 minutes. Also played all of the win against Iceland, captaining the side.
Kuyt - 68 minutes. Scored the opener from the spot and set up two of Huntelaar's three goals in Friday's 5-0 win at San Marino before being substituted for the returning van Nistelrooy in the 68th, then injured his shoulder attempting a bicycle kick in training over the weekend. Will be out for approximately four weeks. Sigh.
Torres - 57 minutes. Scored twice in Spain's 4-0 win at Liechtenstein on Friday, then thankfully taken off before the hour mark. Was an unused substitute in Spain's trip to Argentina yesterday. That's right, Spain went to Argentina. I hope the money was worth it.
Reina - 45 minutes. Started the first half against Argentina, and it wasn't one to remember, conceding three goals in Spain's 1-4 loss. There was little to be done about the first two – both beating Spain's "offside trap" – but the third will make the blooper reel: slipping when attempting a clearance to allow Tevez a tap-in. Yes, that godforsaken gremlin.
Lucas - 45 minutes. Started the first half and scored the first goal in Brazil's 3-0 unofficial friendly victory over Barca's B-team yesterday. Mano Menezes as Brazil's manager is evidently very good for Lucas.

I'm furious about Kuyt's injury – naturally – although at least it's a position where Liverpool has a modicum of depth in Maxi, Babel, Pacheco, and Cole if necessary. The only match where he'll assuredly be missed is against the Mancs. I'm glad four different players scored (although Kuyt was one of them). I worry about the four who played two full games – especially Meireles, who's yet to feature for Liverpool, and wonder if that much action will preclude him from Sunday's match. I don't worry about Reina's performance against Argentina, simply because he's one of the strongest personalities in football and it comes with the territory. Like the mistake against Arsenal, it'll only push him harder. Finally, I'm thrilled Torres scored twice (and his first was a beauty), and am even happier he was substituted against Liechtenstein and didn't feature against Argentina, although a transatlantic plane ride for the sake of sitting on the bench is incredibly irritating.

All in all, we've had far worse international breaks.

¿Cuatro-Uno-Tres-Dos o Cuatro-Dos-Tres-Uno?

International friendlies frequently don't mean much, especially when the team's rusty in its first match for a few months, so don't look too hard at Spain's late 3-2 win against unheralded Saudi Arabia. At least they didn't do as badly as Serbia, Portugal, or the US (prior to today, at least). They can't all be 3-1 wins over Mexico.

What's more significant is how the team lined up, and how potential starters played when given the chance. Which is why I was interested to see Spain's 4-2-3-1 in the absence of Torres.

Spain's usual formation – at least the one they won Euro 2008 (and lost to the Americans in the Confederations Cup) with – is 4-1-3-2, with either Alonso or Senna holding, a playmaking line of three led by Xavi, and two of the world’s best strikers in Torres and Villa. Yet I'm still not sure it's their best team.

It was strange to hear today's match commentator say that Torres' injury makes Del Bosque's life easier, but it's true. When El Niño's out, Spain simply has to play two deep-lying midfielders, leaving Villa as a lone striker. Today's line-up was:

Casillas
Ramos Pique Puyol Arbeloa
Busquets Alonso
Silva Xavi Iniesta
Villa

Despite starting slowly and conceding two sloppy goals, it was a line-up that worked. Again, there are different standards for "worked" in friendlies. Villa scored, Xavi was the pivot, Iniesta appears near top form, Alonso notched from distance, and there was yet another late winner. Had Casillas not flapped at an early corner, and had Spain not gone to sleep after taking the lead and making four substitutions (or had the strike not deflected off Al Numare), we'd be talking about a thorough if somewhat uninspired victory.

It was different when Senna was the primary defensive midfielder. A beast of a tackler as well a clever passer, Senna could hold the fort on his own: a one-man shield while the front five attacked at will. He wasn't named it, but I thought he was Spain's best player at Euro 08. As much as I love Xabi Alonso – and this season's done little to diminish that love – he doesn't fill the role in the same way.

Aside from '04-05, when Benitez stuck with the 4-4-2 left over from Houllier's reign, Alonso was paired with a "tackler" at Liverpool. First Sissoko, with Gerrard moving out right, then Mascherano as Liverpool transitioned to 4-2-3-1. We can argue the merits of Rafa's conservatism another time, but that Benitez didn't trust him defensively speaks volumes. I may be underrating Alonso as a tackler, but he's clearly better when hunting in tandem with another.

And I've gone through this tactical charade without mentioning Cesc. A candidate to start when fit, whether in place of Alonso or Silva, he's another dynamic midfielder who doesn't offer much protection. It was Busquets paired with Alonso today, and individually, he was mediocre at best. Senna must have been pretty average this season to be left out for Sergio. But he adds a different, and arguably crucial dimension to the Spanish XI, and I'll fervently argue that while Busquets certainly didn't impress, he made Alonso look very good.

Spain's almost always chosen the more attacking option, a philosophical choice if not cultural. It's the way football's played – or should be. In a group with Switzerland, Honduras, and Chile, it shouldn't matter much. But if they face the likes of Brazil, Argentina, or even England later on, conservatism might be the smarter option. Even with the likes of Torres and Villa in your team.

England 3-1 Mexico

Green
G Johnson Ferdinand King Baines
Walcott Carrick Milner Gerrard
Crouch Rooney

Subs:
Carragher for Ferdinand 45’
Defoe for Crouch 45’
Hart for Green 45’
Huddlestone for Carrick 62’
Lennon for Walcott 77’
A Johnson for Milner 85’

Goals:
King 17’
Crouch 34’
Franco 45+3’
G Johnson 47’

After 45 minutes, pundits were sharpening their swords and searching for enough soil to cover England’s coffin despite the 2-1 advantage. But after 90 minutes, it’s a ho-hum, forgettable 3-1 victory, if one that’ll leave Capello with some things to complain about.

That England were two up with a third of the game gone can only be credited to Mexico’s laughably bad set play defense. England scored from their first corner – a training ground routine from Gerrard to Crouch to King – as well as the second – Crouch finishing (from an offside position) after Rooney’s header was well-saved – despite Mexico having almost complete control of the ball.

I was only somewhat joking when I tweeted that Wembley hadn’t seen any away side with so much possession since the Hungarians in 1953. Carrick and Milner couldn’t tackle their way out of a paper bag as Mexico’s 4-3-3 caused problems, limiting England to counter attacks. But like Barcelona proved in this year’s Champions League (and Liverpool somehow proves ten or so times a season), sometimes possession doesn’t mean all that much.

Amongst England’s first half goals, Green came up with two incredible saves, twice denying Vela on the break, while Salcido rattled the same post Chelsea repeatedly thumped nine days ago. On the stroke of halftime, England hospitably mimicked Mexico’s hopeless defending, allowing Franco to pull one back after Marquez headed a corner goalwards, cleared off the line by Baines directly to the striker’s feet.

I’m certain Capello peeled paint off the wall with his halftime talk. Thankfully, Glen Johnson’s blistering strike less than 90 seconds into the half rendered the next 45 minutes mostly moot. Combining well with Walcott to charge down the flank, Johnson cut inside and curled a brilliant lefty shot into the far corner.

What little momentum that might have carried over from Franco’s goal was dead, while England also did a better job pressing the opposition, helped by moving Gerrard inside and Milner out wide. Mexico continued to see more of the ball, but did a lot less with it. Although the final 20 minutes were mainly spent in England's end, with the substitute Barrera often torching Baines, Hart had little to do besides catch shots straight down his throat and take goal kicks.

All in all, a mixed bag from England, but that I feel secure in writing that about a 3-1 win shows the team’s progression under Capello as well as the expectations going into the World Cup. What needs to be fixed is identifiable; a central midfield of Lampard and Barry (or Lampard and Parker, or Lampard and Huddlestone, or even Lampard and Gerrard) won’t have as much trouble closing down a fluid side and Ashley Cole will reclaim his starting spot, among others.

Obviously, England were impressive on set plays. Walcott also used his pace to great effect (if the end product left something to be desired at times), while Johnson – good in both attack and defense – was my man of the match. Rooney, Crouch, and Gerrard also showed some signs of understanding, although Gerrard was far better when central in the second half.

No injuries, despite the much-maligned Wembley turf, a win, and Capello knows a good deal more about the 30 players in his squad. That’s all you can ask from a friendly.

England 5-1 Croatia

363 days ago, at the beginning of their World Cup qualifying campaign, I wrote that England’s 4-1 victory over Croatia in Zagreb was just as lucky as good, and we shouldn’t expect it every time out.

I was so cocky in my cynicism, I actually wrote, “But if I were a betting man, I’d put money on Croatia to win at Wembley in a year’s time. Ah, pessimism. I love following England.” Yikes.

Needless to say, I couldn’t have been more mistaken. One year later, England’s won eight of eight in qualifying, securing a trip to South Africa with two games to spare. So much for English mediocrity. And that’s the difference Fabio Capello makes. To slightly defend myself, I did write this when Capello was hired.

England beat Croatia like a drum from the opening whistle. The visitors never had a chance to establish themselves. A penalty claim within three minutes (yeah, ball to hand might have been harsh, but it’s Stevie), a penalty won by the outstanding Lennon within seven, and two goals to the good before 20 were off the clock. Croatia simply could not breathe for those 20 minutes.

I like Slaven Bilic (and Croatia definitely missed Modric), but Capello ran circles around him. Trying to exploit the right with both Pranjic and Pokrivac, Lennon and Johnson took them to the woodshed. Lennon’s pace was a constant threat, Johnson ably supported, Barry nullified most everything in the center (Kranjcar is no Modric, as Spurs will soon find out), and Gerrard was always a threat cutting infield (hence the two headed goals).

The second half saw three more from England, but an embarrassing consolation. Lampard and Gerrard both scored, with Gerrard starting the moves for both (while Johnson provided the typical run plus a clever cross for Lampard). Then Croatia pulled one back as Johnson let the cross in and the three other defenders stood and watched as Green strove to keep a clean sheet, only failing after two excellent saves (Eduardo with the goal, naturally). Rooney summed the night up after a Robinson-esque blunder from Croatia’s keeper, who kicked his clearance straight to the Manc standing 10 yards out. Never a smart idea.

England’s been fortunate with injuries as Joe Cole’s been the only long-term casualty, but I firmly believe this is all down to the manager. McClaren’s last game, the 2-3 loss to Croatia at Wembley in November 07, lacked Rooney and Terry and saw players like Richards, Carson, Campbell, and Wright-Phillips start, but it’s not as if the squad under Capello’s been radically different.

The difference is the inmates aren’t running the asylum. The difference is every player seems to know his role, and somehow, they’re all playing to their potential. And they’re playing hard from start to finish – not many sides still chase long balls at 4-1 with 15 minutes to play. I cannot emphasize how impressive that was; that is the definition of a well-coached team – when players are utterly frightened of giving the manager a reason to single them out.

Man management and tactics make all the difference. In hiring Capello, as opposed to the likes of Second Choice Steve and Svennis, the FA finally acknowledged it. Now, they’re reaping the benefits.

Still, it’s England. History's taught me to be pessimistic, and the next 8 months of “44 years, now England can win another World Cup” will probably make me more so.

US 2-3 Brazil

Howard
Spector DeMerit Onyewu Bocanegra
Dempsey Clark Feilhaber Donovan
Altidore Davies

Goals:
Dempsey 10’
Donovan 27’
Luis Fabiano 46’ 74’
Lucio 85’

So close and so far. My allegiances were far less conflicted in this match, and no surprise, the result was a bit different. But for a moment there…

The first half was stuff of dreams, even less believable than Victory. The second half was far less surprising, but all the more disappointing given where the US stood at the break. And those Liverpool fans who saw United come back against Spurs a couple of months ago will have felt some déjà vu.

Unsurprisingly, Brazil pressed the Americans early on, but the US was first on the board again, from their first attack. And again it was Spector to Dempsey, and a cross from the right back cleverly redirected with a right-footed volley past Julio Cesar.

Brazil stormed down from the field from the restart, with Howard making the first of countless fantastic saves on Robinho's effort. Two US chances from corners quickly followed after Davies' break, but it didn’t take long to revert to ‘all hands on deck,’ as it was for long stretches against Spain. Notably, Howard had to make two more stops, on Felipe Melo and Maicon, in the 25th and 26th minutes.

And then it was two, with an absolutely textbook counter-attack goal. Donovan broke following a corner and found Davies on the left. Somehow the striker got the ball back to Donovan (seriously looked like he had no angle), Landycakes checked back onto his left at the top of the box, steadied himself, goal. Holy shit.

And the US could have had a third in the 30th, but Donovan’s cross just too far in front of Davies and Altidore, who both looked like they’d beaten the offside trap. From there on out, it was all Brazil, with ESPN helpfully pointing out that the first half possession was 60-40 in Brazil’s favor. Howard made at least three more saves before the break, while Maicon’s deflected cross whistled across the face of goal on the stroke of halftime.

Unfortunately for the US, they suffered the worst possible start to the second half. 41 seconds in, and it’s 2-1. A cross in from Maicon, a wonderful quick turn by Fabiano, fooling DeMerit, and the lead’s halved. If they don’t let it that goal, there’s a chance. A full 45 minutes left with only a one-goal advantage is frightening.

The goal marked the beginning on an onslaught more furious than the one faced on Wednesday. If the possession was 60-40 in the first half, it had to be something like 70-30 in the second. If it wasn’t for Tim Howard, the second goal would have come a lot earlier, and the US would have lost by a few more. First, he stopped a bullet Lucio header at the back post in the 58th before controversy two minutes later when Kaka’s back post header looked over the line before Howard palmed it away.

Donovan and Dempsey shots from distance saved by Cesar in the 65th and 66th were the US’s lone chances during the blitz, while Howard kept the US in front when he took the ball off Fabiano’s foot with the striker through in the 71st.

But the dam finally broke in the 74th. It looked like the crossbar would keep Brazil out again after Kaka’s cross found Elano at the far post, but Fabiano was there for the rebound and his brace. 2-2 after 30 minutes of constant pressure did not bode well, and after DeMerit came up huge against Fabiano in the box, Lucio slammed home the resulting corner. Well, fuck. It was nice while it lasted. There was a glimmer of hopewhen Gooch headed over in the 88th, but it wasn’t to be.

Skeptics will wonder where the hell this team came from. Diehards will claim this is what the Yanks have always been capable of, and they even should have won. The truth, as usual, is probably somewhere in the middle.

As said after the Spain match, it’s a hell of a lot different when you play without pressure. And although there were certainly nerves making the final, against Brazil no less, they still weren’t expected to be there and weren’t expected to win. At the same time, they haven't played as well as a unit in these last two matches since the ’02 World Cup. And the backline was the best I've ever seen from the US.

It’s almost better for the US’ World Cup hopes that they lost today. A win would have raised expectations too high and painted a big target on their backs. This provides incentive and proves they can hang with the big boys.

A win certainly would have caused a media stir, but this’ll still be headline news on ESPN and in local sports pages, and even soccer-haters like Jim Rome will be discussing it tomorrow. And the rest of the world will take notice. It may not be the long-hoped for tipping point for American soccer, but it’s another step in the game’s evolution on these shores.

Spain 0-2 USA

Casillas
Sergio Ramos Pique Puyol Capdevila
Alonso
Fabregas Xavi Riera
Torres Villa

Howard
Spector DeMerit Onyewu Bocanegra
Dempsey Bradley Clark Donovan
Davies Altidore

Goals:
Altidore 27’
Dempsey 74’

And you thought I was kidding when I said I wouldn’t be surprised by a US victory. Well, I was. But it was bound to happen. That’s this sport. That’s why it’s the best. And now a team that lost its first two games by a 6-1 margin is going to be in the final, having beaten the #1 team in the world, one that hadn’t been beaten in 35 games. My result of jinxing teams stands, and it helps to explain why I don’t predict Liverpool games.

I thought of titling this review “Fuck you, play me,” but that’d diminish the effort of the entire US team. Yet it was still eminently amusing to see Jozy Altidore, who barely got a look-in at Villareal and never featured for second division Xerex, announce himself on the world stage with a goal against the country where his club(s) won’t play him.

The US had two good chances in the first ten minutes – through Davies and Dempsey – before Spain’s first – Villa not far off the top corner with a wicked volley. Less than a minute later, Howard sprang a fantastic save on Torres, which was made moot by a incorrect offside flag.

This marked Spain establishing themselves with their usual game - passing and possession. Unfortunately, it was also one of those games where that passing and possession leads to naught. And, against the run of play, the US opened the scoring through Altidore in the 27th. Receiving the ball at the top of the box, he held off Capdevila incredibly well, turned, and fired past Iker, who could only deflect it on its way into the net. And that Capdevila’s his teammate at Villareal makes it even more delicious.

It was a Spanish onslaught for the rest of the half and most of the second, but the US held them off. I’m used to teams shutting up shop and somehow keeping a clean sheet thanks to following Liverpool, but I still don’t know how Spain didn’t score. Demerit, Spector, Howard, Onyewu, and Bocanegra (in approximately that order) were all simply immense.

I could rattle off more than 10 Spanish “chances” that could have gone in on another day, whether a defender made a last-ditch block, Howard came up with an excellent save, or a Spanish attacker just couldn’t get on the end of a cross. But the US goal was impenetrable despite Spain’s dominance in possession. And in the 74th, Dempsey again made the difference after moving up top when Feilhaber came on for a striker. Ramos couldn’t clear Donovan’s deflected center, steering the ball to Dempsey’s toe. 2-0. You have to be kidding me.

The game was won with hustle, heart, and the break of the ball. I don’t want to sound dismissive of the US by writing ‘break of the ball,’ but there were so many moments where if the rebound had bounced differently or a deflected shot that ended with a corner had gone in another direction. But again, that’s soccer.

And that takes nothing away from the US team. I have to draw the inevitable Arsenal comparisons; Spain is prone to the same problems. Even when the team is off, they still see a ton of possession, but can’t make that breakthrough and are often over-intricate in the final third. Yes, Liverpool being guilty of that probably lost them the league last season, but Arsenal’s better known for it.

More importantly, the US simply out-worked Spain, and each player put in a hell of a shift. It also helps to play without fear. The pressure was on in two tough early games against the likes of Italy and Brazil. They were holding their own against the Italians until going down to 10 men, and Brazil is, well, Brazil. But against Egypt and in 4th place in the group, no one expected them to advance. And everyone’s spent the last two-plus days predicting a Spain/Brazil final. Well, as American readers know, the media and advertisers gambled on a Kobe/Lebron final, and we saw how that turned out.

Still, this was the best I’ve ever seen the US defense. Dempsey popped up with another crucial goal despite the criticism he’s received from idiots like me. Donovan (really, when I write “Landycakes,” it’s with love) was absolutely everywhere, and was more important as a defender than as an attacker in the second half. It's a pity Bradley will miss the final thanks to another dubious red card (looked a ton worse at full speed), but Feilhaber's been impressive in his last two appearances, although that might be down to being used as a substitute.

I am disappointed in Spain’s performance, and, yes, partially with the result. I can’t help it. I like seeing Spain win. I’m used to seeing the US lose to better teams. But I am very proud of the US’s performance – honestly – and thrilled for Altidore, who I like as a player, respect for going abroad at 18, and desperately want to see succeed in Europe.

However, I don’t expect the final to look much like this. We’ll see how that prediction holds up on Sunday.

International breaks

I’m so scared of jinxing it, but since I was wondering and bothered to look up the stats, I figured I should share.

There have been five international breaks this season, not counting the current one. Liverpool are 3-2-0 in games right after the break, and 7-3-0 you count two games after. It doesn’t seem to matter whether it’s a two-week break or just a midweek game.

Break between Pompey 2/7 (W) and City 2/22
• City 1-1, Real 1-0

Mid-week break between Bolton 11/15 (W) and Fulham 11/22
• Fulham 0-0, Marseille 1-0

Break between City 10/5 (W) and Wigan 10/18
• Wigan 3-2, Atletico 1-1

Break between Villa 8/31 (D) and United 9/13
• United 2-1, Marseille 2-1

Mid-week break between Sunderland 8/16 (W) and Boro 8/23
• Boro 2-1, Liege 1-0

Three points more often than not, but not the clean sweep ostensibly needed. Other than the win over United, Liverpool hasn’t been at their best following the breaks – not really surprising given the number of international players in the squad. But they delivered against United, where there was the most pressure and they had the most to prove, so maybe that’s a good sign. It can’t get much more nerve-racking than it will be during this run-in.

More apologies for the absence, and further frustration with internationals

I am sorry for the radio silence – as usual, an international break combined with the middle of the academic term means I’ve been less likely to seek out topics to write about, and thankfully, there hasn’t been a ton of Liverpool news to begin with.

Until yesterday, that is. I don’t have any solutions and can’t do much else but bitch, but how many times is Torres going to come back from an international break injured?

16 minutes into yesterday’s match with Belgium, Torres clutched the back of his right leg and immediately motioned to be substituted. That’s the same leg he suffered a hamstring tear in against Villa, which kept him out of the United match.

I could rant about the early season international breaks for a 1000 words. It’s happened before. I still find it hard to understand why it’s so important to have them at this point of the season (almost all of the next WC qualifiers aren’t until March), with the World Cup over a year and a half away, but that debate’s been done to death.

What I will say is this. Fernando Torres needs a fucking rest. He’s basically been playing non-stop for over a year. He appeared 46 games for Liverpool last season, more than at any time for Atletico except the 04-05 season where he featured in 49. And then there was Spain’s Euro run.

When a player suffers minor injuries like this in quick succession, his body’s telling him something. I’m fully aware how crucial Torres is to Liverpool, but if he continues to be run into the ground, he’s going to miss a lot more time than three weeks (after the last tear) or ten days (hopefully, the extent he’ll miss with this knock).

To make matters worse, Babel was also injured yesterday. Like Torres, it was a recurrence of a previous injury, suffering ankle problems (he missed the Euros thanks to tearing ankle ligaments). As of now, I haven’t seen any indication of how long he’ll be out, but as with Torres, my sneaking suspicion is he was rushed back too quickly. I distinctly remember reading about how Babel returned faster than expected after the ligament damage.

All I can say is I sincerely hope they’ll both be back for Chelsea on the 26th, but maybe Torres should be held out for longer. It’s a shame that he’ll miss out on the trip to Atletico (which, thankfully, looks like it’ll take place in Madrid), but Liverpool should be able to cope for that and Wigan on Saturday. But Chelsea has started the season better than any other side, including Liverpool. The Reds will have to be at their best, even better than against United, to take points from Stamford Bridge.

Preview of Saturday’s game up sometime tomorrow.

England 4-1 Croatia

So, I’m expecting Capello to be knighted before the week is out. The English sure love their revenge.

If it’s too good to be true, chances are it is.

I’m hoping and praying the English media won’t get carried away with themselves, but I know without even looking that they will. I actually almost feel bad for Theo Walcott; scoring a hat-trick in Croatia in an amazing feat, but the hype he’ll get and pressure he’ll be under are going to be absurd.

Look, this is football. This game hinges on moments that could go either way. England should be very, very proud of their effort tonight, but it’d be a mistake to assume that Capello’s finally gotten through to the players and worked his wonders. Because I promise you we’ll see the same England that struggled against Andorra last Saturday sometime in the future.

But yes, this certainly was an improvement (uh duh, look at the scoreline). England finally didn’t look frightened stepping out on the Maksimir pitch. Aside from a dangerous 5-10 minutes early on, the away side matched the hosts step for step. And during England’s sketchy period, Heskey could have had a penalty and Walcott opened the scoring, in the 26th after a misplaced clearance fell to him on the right.

England looked likely to hold on for a win even before Robert Kovac’s straight red card for an elbow on Joe Cole seven minutes after the break. In real time, I was surprised Kovac saw red, but in replays (and with the amount of blood spurting from Cole’s head), Lubos Michel made the right decision.

After the red card, Croatia was boned. England scored twice in less than 15 minutes, at a ground where Croatia’s never lost. First, Walcott scored a second that was an absolute peach, with excellent buildup outside the box between Heskey and Rooney before Rooney's layoff to Walcott, who was in a similar position to where he scored the first. Not much later, Rooney finally returned to the scoresheet in an England shirt after Jenas got down the left and pulled it back for the striker.

The only reason Croatia tallied one was because Terry was clearly fouled in the buildup before Croatia nicely countered down the pitch, with the substitute Mandzukic slotting past James in the 78th. But four minutes after that, Walcott stunningly sealed a hat-trick as Rooney once again put the 19-year-old in on goal.

Despite my surprise, and my belief this performance isn’t going to become standard fare, I have to say that Capello got his tactics spot on. England was adventurous from the whistle, Heskey and Rooney was the right pairing up front, Walcott (obviously) was influential on the right, Joe Cole over Stuart Downing is a no-brainer, and Lampard and Barry were actually dominant in midfield. It takes a ballsy manager to start Walcott over Beckham in a place like Zagreb, and it sure paid off.

Despite Walcott’s feat, Rooney’s got a shout for man of the match, linking up play excellently, two assists, and scoring his first goal for England in almost a year. Even if he is a bloody Manc.

I can’t help but see the parallels between today and the 5-1 massacre in Munich in 2001, the first time England beat Germany in Germany. The only difference is an Arsenal player got the hat-trick instead of a Liverpudlian. But like that night, everything was perfect tonight, everything went England’s way. It’s lovely when that happens, but it doesn’t happen often.

It’s still exceptionally early in qualification, but this puts England in a stellar position. Not only with six points from six, not only because they beat their main rivals on the road, but also because of the damage this will do to Croatia’s goal difference (and the benefits to England’s).

But if I were a betting man, I’d put money on Croatia to win at Wembley in a year’s time. Ah, pessimism. I love following England.

England 2-2 Czech Republic

James
Brown Ferdinand Terry Cole
Beckham Lampard Barry Gerrard
Rooney
Defoe

Goals:
Baros 22’
Brown 45’
Jankulovski 48’
Joe Cole 90’

Yeah, it’s nice to see England eke out a draw even though they didn’t deserve it. It was an okay performance in the first half, less so in the second, but more than anything, it was a run-out against decent opposition. The biggest thing to take away is the fact that England drew level twice with late equalizers in both halves.

Even though it’s only a friendly, to be able to get goals at the death and to come back twice can be a massive confidence booster and a platform to build from. It’s been said innumerable times, but that doesn’t make it any less true: good teams get late goals to get something from a game even when its unwarranted.

England played most of the big guns, and ostensibly started in a 4-4-2, with Gerrard on the left of a midfield with Barry, Lampard and Beckham, and Rooney and Defoe up top. But Barry sat deeper than the rest, and Rooney often dropped into midfield, sometimes further than Gerrard, and also popped up out wide.

All in all, it was a mobile formation, with Gerrard, Barry, Lampard and Rooney shifting around as they saw fit. Sometimes it worked, but more often it didn’t. Gerrard isn’t a left-sided midfielder. If you can get him to stay over there, he can threaten by cutting in and shooting with his right foot, but he often floats trying to get more influence in proceedings, something he’s also prone to when on the right for Liverpool. And it mostly led to a disjointed midfield.

However, that’s the point of friendlies. It was a formation that allowed both Gerrard and Lampard on the pitch, which Capello seems to want, even though Lampard has repeatedly underperformed for England (not like he's the only one, but he's a main culprit).

Although under a new manager, the Czechs were as good as in Euro 2008. They defended well (until the late stages, like against Turkey) and looked to counter-attack whenever allowed, which they did to decent success early on. Barry picked up a yellow scything down a player on the break within 12 minutes, Baros forced James into a save in the 16th, and in the 22nd, the Czechs again got down the field quickly to open the scoring. Sirl found space on the left to receive a throughball, cut inside, and centered for Baros, who turned newly-minted captain John Terry and took a shot that deflected off Ashley Cole and past a sprawling James.

However, the home team started to see more possession, although there still wasn’t enough interplay between the midfield and strikers in the attacking third, and the couple of chances Defore worked out went straight at Cech. But in the 45th minute, Wes Brown’s excellent header from Beckham’s corner leveled matters. Once again, England needs Beckham’s set plays, although it was a very good run around the defender by Brown.

However, England was unable to build on it. They came out second-best after the break, were lucky not to lose a goal after Brown gave the ball away in his half within 90 seconds, and after Barry unnecessarily gave up a free kick on the edge of the box, went behind to Jankulovski’s flawless free kick in the 48th minute.

England made a number of changes in the second, bringing on Heskey, Joe Cole, Woodgate, Downing, Bentley and Jenas for Defoe, Gerrard, Ferdinand, Rooney, Beckham and Lampard, but the substitutions only served to make England more muddled. And no offense to Emile, but I’ve no idea why Capello used him as a lone striker, with Rooney deeper and out on the left even more in the second half before being substituted.

At least the Czechs played more conservatively and at a lower tempo in the second half, launching fewer counter-attacks (although a couple of Calamity James howlers involving Czech sub Sverkos almost gifted the visitors a third). But they still showed the same defensive resilience, which England was unable to break down.

However, in added time, Joe Cole spared England’s blushes at The Home of Football™, and made the scoreline look a lot better than the game actually was. A corner led to goalmouth scramble straight out of the lower leagues, which ended with Cole’s point blank shot going in off a Czech defender’s foot and face.

It may have been an ugly display for long stretches, but I’m not particularly upset with England’s performance. Well, any more so than usual. It’s a friendly, still early days in the Capello era, and the Czechs are perpetually above England in the FIFA ratings. This is England we're talking about. I’m not happy about the disorganized midfield, but that’s an area that’s plagued numerous England managers, and one that Capello’s still sorting out.

World Cup qualification begins in two and a half weeks in Andorra. Hopefully he’ll have more thoughts on the midfield by then.

England 2-1 Switzerland

James
Brown Ferdinand Upson A. Cole
Barry
Bentley Jenas Gerrard J. Cole
Rooney

Goals
Jenas 40’
Derdiyok 58’
Wright-Phillips 62’

Honestly, even though England struggled to gain a toehold for the majority of the first half and allowed an equalizer in the second, it wasn’t a bad performance for Capello’s first match in charge.

England came out in a new formation; the BBC has it as 4-5-1 in their post-match, but it seemed more 4-1-4-1. Barry had a defined role in front of the back four, which wasn't surprising given Capello's preference for holding midfielders. While Gerrard sat deeper than expected at times (mainly in the first half), pinging passes as he has for Liverpool, both he and Jenas were further up the pitch. Much of the attacking play came through Bentley and Cole on the wings, and I thought those two were probably England’s most dangerous. Cole was particularly inventive.

But to start, players seemed tentative and nervous, and England took time to find their stride. Not to take a cheap shot (and it does seem a lazy comparison), but for a while there, I could have been fooled into thinking I was watching Liverpool during some of the previous bad spells. England was the stronger side throughout the first half, but neither side was creating serious chances. There was some good play, but England was losing possession in the final third too often and giving the ball away too cheaply. England was stringing passes along the backline and prodding for an opening, and the crowd started to get restless.

40 minutes in, England finally broke the deadlock. Gerrard’s cross-field ball found Joe Cole on the left, who broke Lichtsteiner’s ankles, got to the byline, and centered perfectly for Jenas to tap in.

England started off the second half stronger, forcing a number of chances soon after the restart, but were unable to get the second goal. And then, out of the blue, Switzerland took advantage of some lax defending (with Rio Ferdinand the culprit) in the 57th minute when Derdiyok received a beautiful reversed throughball from Barnetta in front of Ferdinand, beating James low into the corner. It was one of few chances, if not the first real chance, for the Swiss.

But the players were saved an utter bollocking from Capello less than 3 minutes after the equalizer. Crouch’s flick-on found Gerrard striding forward, and the temporary captain’s centered cross led to an easy Wright-Phillips tap-in. I know Gerrard’s got the ability to see and make that pass to SWP, but I’m still surprised he didn’t shoot in that situation. And the pass made the difference; it was heady play to have a look up for his options and put it on a plate for Wright-Phillips.

There was always a chance that Switzerland could get another equalizer, although it would have been against the run of play, but players like Gerrard, Rooney, and Bentley (plus Cole before he went off and Crouch after he came on) were linking up more and coming up with some nice moves. At the end, England was holding on more than looking for a third, but with the nervousness of a first game in front of Capello that was little surprise.

What’s most promising was that the potential was there and England improved as the game went on, and that's why I’m pleased even though the performance wasn’t spectacular.

There was a coherent system deployed by Capello that the players seemed to understand and stick to. And it was a system that grew more effective as players became more familiar with it.

Experienced players like Cole and Gerrard took to it well, with Gerrard growing in influence as he pushed forward as the game went on (culminating in being named man of the match during the broadcast), while Bentley impressed on the right, making a good claim to the position in the future. No offense to Barry, who’s had some excellent performances for England, but he was one who looked uncomfortable in the system, and I think that Hargreaves may be better suited to a holding role.

The defense wasn’t at its best either, but Capello is experimenting in Brown and Upson, and brought on Bridge for Ashley Cole with 15 minutes left to test that option, although Cole did well getting forward throughout (which isn’t surprising given he plays with Joe Cole at Chelsea). Ferdinand switched off for the goal, but he’s been outstanding for his club so far this season. And although James flapped at a couple of balls, and I expect Carson and Foster to get time in the future, he’s the best choice at the moment.

And obviously it’s good that Capello wasn’t satisfied. While there’s a team being fashioned here, instead of a collection of individuals, it’s clearly in its infancy. But there are positives to take forward, and I saw nothing that makes me think Capello isn’t the right man for the job.

Of course, I'd still trade it all for Torres to be healthy come Sunday. Sorry to spring that out of nowhere at the end of an England review, but I couldn't avoid saying something having just heard the news. Aren't international breaks fun?

On Fabio Capello

As an England fan, I couldn’t be happier about the hiring of Fabio Capello.

And even more surprisingly, the FA seems to have gone about it in the right way.

Jose Mourinho needed to be interviewed. I’m not surprised that in the end he didn’t want the job, but he could have been an excellent gaffer for the national team. He’s tactically astute, knows how to build a dressing room and create an 'us against the world' atmosphere, and knows English football.

However, I used the phrase "could have been" for a reason. There was also the question of how Jose would react to the media and vice versa. Everything Mourinho does is “news-worthy,” every problem a “crisis.” He may have taken some of the pressure off his players by being the main story, but there was also a very good chance he’d be a distraction as well.

Capello checks off many of the same boxes as Mourinho, but is nowhere near as controversial.

First and foremost, Fabio Capello suffers no fools. Not playing up to par or giving 100%? Dropped from the squad without a blink of an eye, which is exactly what England needs. The inmates ran the asylum under both Eriksson and McClaren, and that cannot happen anymore. And he will work the players incessantly, demanding the most from them out of every training session; Del Piero supposedly greeted the news of Capello’s exit from Juventus by saying “The era of terror in training under Capello has now gone.” England needs a bit of terror in their training sessions.

He’s certainly got the CV, with league titles at AC Milan, Roma, Juventus and Madrid and a Champions League at Milan in 1994, in one of the best performances ever over Barcelona. He’s managed the biggest names in football over his career, and dealt with some of the biggest egos.

Plus Capello is as tactically astute and as smart a psychologist/motivator as Mourinho, as that resume would confirm.

The only negative is his English, but with time for on the job training (England’s next match is a friendly in February) and Capello’s intelligence, I doubt the language will truly be a problem.

At this point, I honestly don’t care if the manager’s English, European, or from Mars. All I care is how he manages players and his team. Yes, being English is helpful in dealing with the psyche of a nation, but Capello’s proven he can coach in different countries, with players of different nationalities. Who’s the best English candidate anyway? Coppell? Allardyce? Redknapp?

Throughout the world there are countries with foreign managers that have had better results than England over the past few years. Portugal’s been led by a Brazilian (Phil Scolari, perhaps you’ve heard of him?), South Korea and Russia by Dutchmen. It happens in African countries all the time: Djukovic (Serbia) led Ghana at the World Cup, Michel (France) the Ivory Coast. It may hurt to see England (the home of football!) mentioned in the same breath as those countries, but that’s what we’ve come to.

It is an indictment of the culture of football in England that no English candidate stands out. But right now, none of them do, whereas Capello is head and shoulders above nearly everyone else in his profession. If all things were equal, of course I’d prefer an English manager. But everyone saw the results last time, where being English was the main qualification, and we got stuck with Second-Choice Steve.

Fabio Capello is no Steve McClaren.

England 2-3 Croatia

No matter what I wrote yesterday, I’m absolutely gutted.

Much of that scribbled yesterday turned out to be wrong; some was right, but all that’s important is England will miss out on the European Championships. Kudos to Crouch and Beckham for that goal (the lesson, once again, I’m an idiot), and the team for trying to haul themselves back into it, but Croatia were too much, and England’s missteps, both earlier in the game and campaign, were too much to overcome.

I don’t really care to single out players. You all know who was gash, either by watching the game or via match reports. You have enough choices to choose from, at the least. England only conceded 4 goals throughout qualifying, and with a makeshift backline, they conceded three today. And while I’d love to excoriate McClaren’s tactics and managerial capabilities, it’d be beating a dead horse into oblivion. He’ll obviously be sacked, and I can’t imagine who’ll be hiring him next.

I truly feel for Scott Carson, who shouldn’t have been put in that position. I’ve been calling for Robbo’s replacement for months now, but this was absolutely the wrong time to make the switch. Carson’s first competitive cap, and it’s in the game that determines whether England will qualify, in front of an expectant Wembley. It’s little surprise he had a stumble within the first ten minutes, and despite that and some other frightening moments, he showed his quality later on with a couple of saves. I truly hope he isn’t pilloried beyond belief for today’s result. He’s still young, and he should still have a tremendous future for both England and club (although it’s clear that club won’t be Liverpool).

And while it’s not a time for laughing, I do find it funny that the NFL game between the Giants and Fins a couple of weeks back did such damage to the Wembley pitch that it impacted this match. Good work FA; I hope the quid were worth it.

That McClaren will certainly lose his job and that English Liverpool players will have the summer off are of little consolation. I care far more about Liverpool’s results than England, and will admit to being exceptionally frustrated with pretty much every facet of the national team, but as a fan, I’m beaten into submission and disappointed.

I’d also love to see Croatia do well at Euro 08; they’re a team that deserves to, who were playing their hearts out on the stage. And I also hope that their manager, Slavan Bilic, starts being considered for Premier League jobs when he’s ready, as he stated earlier in the week. He’s a hell of a manager.

I may have a longer requiem of both the game and England’s future, but now’s not the time.

England 1-2 Russia

For 69 minutes, England were playing the game they wanted. It wasn’t perfect, and the players were obviously uncomfortable with both the artificial surface and the opposition, but they were up 1-0 thanks to a superb Rooney goal and seemed to be in control. It was an exceptional goal by Rooney as well, wonderfully volleying home from a Michael Owen (!) header, but more important was how England were playing steadily, and bent but didn’t break against Russia’s attack.

And then, a penalty is given for a foul committed (by Rooney, who tried to escape blame with a hysterical swan dive) outside the box, and it’s level. 4 minutes later, substitute Pavluchenko, who tallied the penalty, scored again after Robinson’s save fell to his feet.

England had been under pressure in the second half, but while Russia was getting bodies forward and England was defending desperately, it still felt like they were going to hold on for the win. And now, not only is the team going home with a loss, qualification for Euro 08 depends on Russia dropping points against either Israel or Andorra.

England had two gilt-edged chances to go 2-0 in the second half. First, Barry’s free kick found Gerrard unmarked at the far post, only to see his volley tamely fly wide. Later, Micah Richards was unable to get on the end of Rooney’s flicked header, and Gabulov palmed the ball away.

The most frustrating part is that it’s “typical England.” The team played well; it might have even been their best performance until Russia’s goal, playing as well as they did in that hostile atmosphere and on a plastic pitch. An excellent win in Russia, and affirmation of McClaren’s regime was within their grasp. But in the end, they let in two goals they shouldn’t have, despite an excellent goals-against record, and now qualification hangs by a thread.

Missing out on Euro 08 would be an unmitigated disaster, and I’m obviously furious with this result, but there could be a silver lining.

I hate to kick a man when he’s down, and he’ll suffer an exemplary kicking this week, but McClaren’s not the answer for England. It’s almost a pity, because he’s gotten better results in recent games, making the correct decisions over Barry and Heskey and improving the team as a unit, but he’s never going to take England the necessary step further.

I find it hard to believe McClaren will be kept on if England fail to qualify, and England will have the opportunity to start anew, although I have no idea who they’ll turn to. I’d jokingly suggest Mourinho, but I still can’t decide if that’s sarcasm or not.

You only have to look at the changes made when England went 2-1 down. Admittedly, there wasn’t a lot McClaren could do with who was on the bench (Crouch, Lampard, Downing, Neville, Young, Shorey), but what he did was still baffling.

Waiting until there was 10 minutes remaining, McClaren sent on Crouch, Lampard and Downing for Cole, Wright-Phillips, and Lescott all at once.

I’ve praised and promoted Peter Crouch on many occasions. But this wasn’t the situation for him, and that he was the only striker on the bench is infuriating. He hasn’t been in the best of form for Liverpool recently, and he’s frequently struggled in international competition against physical defensives, where he gets more fouls called against him by touchy international referees (as happened today).

At the same time, Downing’s only a game-changer in McClaren’s mind (and he slotted in at left back), while there seems to be little use in throwing on Frank Lampard if Gerrard, who didn’t have the best of games, is still on the field. Although, I reiterate, the three unused substitutes were Shorey, Young, and Neville.

As to the other scapegoats, Gerrard will undoubtedly be one. Even ignoring the miss, he was below par today. In fact, his performance looked a lot like recent ones for Liverpool – every now and then he made a good tackle or a smart pass, or got himself into space for chances like the aforementioned one, but with no end product, and stretches of the game where he went missing. It’s not reassuring as a Liverpool fan by any stretch of the imagination, but he comes away from 180 minutes of international football uninjured, and hopefully with a chip on his shoulder for Saturday’s derby.

Paul Robinson, as usual, will be one of the others. He’s never been the most reliable, either for club or country, and the save that fell to Pavluchenko sticks out in the memory. I know England isn’t the deepest at the position, but at the least, I still find it unfathomable that Carson hasn’t seen more time over the past 3 months. Foster also has to be back in contention when he returns from injury.

Neither Cole nor Wright-Phillips played very well either, and if Lampard was going to be brought on while Gerrard stayed on the field, he should have come on for one of the two earlier, but neither stood out to the degree that either Gerrard or Robinson did.

Otherwise, certain players did do well. Barry’s been a revelation, and has to have cemented a place for the near future. Owen’s seemingly returned to fitness, and I still can’t believe that he won the header that led to Rooney’s stellar goal. Campbell and Ferdinand were a decent pairing, with Campbell making some excellent last-ditch challenges, while Richards gets better at international level in every game. But that more players disappointed than impressed is a big reason why England’s going home with a loss.

I honestly don’t know how England will react to this. Russia may well slip up in Israel; the Israelis have little to play for, but it’s never an easy place to travel to. I don’t see it though, and that means that England will fail to qualify for Euro 08, from a group they thought they’d waltz through. It may seem knee-jerk after all the good feelings in the last three outings, but something needs changing.

There were moments of brilliance, and over an hour of steady if not spectacular play, but that’s not enough for the amount of talent in the team and the importance of the sport in England.

0-0 draws against Macedonia and at Israel will linger longer than today’s loss, but all three results aren’t good enough. I almost hope Russia wins out as to not paper over the cracks, but I can’t root against England.

Either way, there needs to be changes. England isn’t good enough right now, and hasn’t been for too long.

England 3-0 Russia

Well, I asked to see England give a similar performance to that against Israel on Saturday. The same line-up and same scoreline certainly satisfies that.

As promised, Russia aimed to do far more in the opposition’s half than Israel. They got into England’s box within the first minute and also forced the first corner. And before seven minutes were up, they paid for that directness, with England able to create opportunities of their own with the resulting space.

After Gareth Barry’s corner was cleared back to him on the right flank, he sent in a threatening cross. John Terry’s run and attempt at a header made mountains of space for Michael Owen, who made no mistake in side-footing home off the far post, giving England a dream start.

From the inception, England looked to equal Russia’s attack, and we were treated to an open and entertaining match, at least for the first half. Wright-Phillips and Richards were the focal point of the attack down the right flank for the first part of the game, as they were against Israel, and once again, Heskey looked to set up those around him admirably.

But Russia should have pulled level 19 minutes in. England failed to clear the ball, and it came to Zhyrianov, who chested it down, swiftly turned, and slotted it in. However, it was chalked off for handball, and honestly, it might have come off his arm after the chest. It sure looked to be incidental contact if it happened though, and England could consider themselves lucky.

But just after half an hour, Owen made it 2-0 after a flick-on from the ubiquitous Heskey with a delightful first-time volley. The half finished as it started, with both teams having decent spells of possession and decent chances on goal.

After the break, Russia was the better team for large stretches of the second half but without any stellar chances (although Robinson made a couple of nice saves), and honestly, the final 45 minutes were pretty dross. But credit to England, who held on and sealed the victory in the 84th minute with a stunning goal from Rio Ferdinand, faking out the defender and stepping past him before unleashing a strike from close range.

With Owen getting a brace, he’s got to be man of the match. Both goals showed how classy a poacher Owen can be, and if he can maintain his fitness (which has to be a big if after the last couple of years), he’ll soon be doing similar in the Premiership.

Gareth Barry was also again influential in midfield, this time overshadowing Gerrard’s contributions with his excellent passing. Gerrard did play the full 90 minutes, looked fit, and didn’t appear to take any knocks, which is great news for Liverpool fans. Joe Cole also threatened at times, but by the end of the game, showed his temperament in picking up a silly and unnecessary yellow card in a game that was otherwise without malice.

Heskey’s also going to get a bit of attention, and rightfully so, even if the majority of it is because of surprise at his inclusion in the last two games. I’ll say it straight up; I do not think Heskey is a better footballer than Peter Crouch. But if Michael Owen is going to be the focal point of the attack, which has become obvious, Heskey is the best partner for him. They know each other that well and complement one another excellently. It’ll be interesting to see how McClaren copes once Rooney is fit, as Heskey and Owen have looked a better partnership than any of the strikers paired with Rooney since 2004.

So all that was said after the Israel game has seemingly come to fruition. England could replicate their performance against better opposition. They’ve gotten ahead of Russia on points, and won so convincingly (or at least, the scoreline was convincing) that it has to be a psychological boost going into the game in Russia. And they’ve put themselves in pole position to qualify from this group.

But there’s still work to be done. Despite never wanting to seem confident about any team I root for, England should stroll over Estonia, especially based on the past two games. And they probably could drop points in Russia or against Croatia and be safe. But the key word in that sentence is “or.” England probably needs two wins from the final two games to advance. It’ll help matters that Croatia should have qualification sewn up by the final game, but I won’t put anything past England after how good the Croats have looked and England’s atrocious performance in Zagreb.

Still, as an England fan, you couldn’t have asked for much more from this game.

And even better is the fact that the Premiership resumes in less than three days.

England 3-0 Israel

That went about as well as England could have hoped. To be fair, Israel was pretty dire.

Since by now most have probably read a write-up of the game if not saw the match, I’ll limit my thoughts for brevity’s sake.

- It’s hard to tell how much was actual progress and players playing to potential, and how much was down to Israel’s poor performance, which should be kept in mind throughout my comments. Israel defended from the opening whistle and showed little ambition to get forward. Robinson didn’t have a save to make.

- What is this, 2002? The way that Heskey and Owen played, it sure seemed like it. And while surprising, it’s undeniably pleasing to see. There’s certainly some nostalgia value as a Liverpool fan. I can’t believe I’m writing this, but the pairing has to start against Russia, even considering Crouch returns from suspension. It was a marvelous goal by Mickey too, even if he was wasteful on other occasions.

- Gerrard played well, but slowed as the game went on and limped off after 70 minutes with Wednesday’s match in mind, although today he's said that the toe's healing and it was down to cramp and a lack of fitness. Pity how important the Russia game is, as McClaren will undoubtedly start him again. Heaven help my reaction should Stevie re-injure his foot.

- I thought Gareth Barry in central midfield and both Joe Cole and Wright-Phillips on the flanks were excellent, which means all the more as Barry rarely plays for England, Cole’s been frequently injured, and Wright-Phillips hasn’t always impressed in an England shirt.

- Funny how Frank Lampard doesn’t play and all of England’s midfielders earn plaudits.

- Micah Richards just took Gary Neville’s England place. I just feel absolutely awful for Citizen Neville.

- The booing of David Bentley after he came on was wholly out of order. So he skipped the Under-21 Euros as to avoid fatigue for the side that pay his wages after a long and grinding season where he saw more time than he ever had in the past, and after he had already featured as a full England international. An understandable decision, and were he a Liverpool player, I would have applauded it. And for fans to boo him incessantly is mind-bogglingly small-minded and juvenile.

- Thanks for stealing “Ring of Fire” from Liverpool, England fans. Now I’m going to feel dirty when (if) it’s heard ringing throughout Anfield.

With Macedonia’s loss to Russia and Israel’s dire performance (and a game less left than their competitors), it’s pretty clear that 2nd place in Group E is between England and Russia.

Croatia, 2 points ahead of Russia and 3 ahead of England, is going to win the group. And on results, they deserve to. They’ve been the best team so far, and they’ve probably got the easiest run-in of the teams in contention.

England hosts Russia and Estonia before traveling to Russia and finishing against Croatia at Wembley. Croatia is at Andorra, home against Israel, and at Macedonia before traveling to England. Russia has the two games against England before Israel and Andorra away.

Russia was always going to be a harder ask than Israel, and thanks to England’s win yesterday, it’s even more essential that they pick up three more points Wednesday to keep up momentum. As one of the two is going to finish second in the group, the winner of this game will have an enormous advantage over the other.

Should Russia win, they’ll be four points up on England, and England will assuredly need to win their last three. It will also be a big ask for England to pick themselves up from what would be a devastating loss.

And a draw wouldn’t be much better. Russia will still lead on points, they’ll be that much more confident going into the home game, and England will still probably have to win their last three.

But should England play as they did against Israel and win, as they certainly looked capable of, it will put them in an excellent position for the remaining qualifiers.

So is today’s result another false dawn for England, like the early matches of McClaren’s reign, or a true turning point?

We’ll find out on Wednesday.

England v Israel 09.07.07

The more I think about it, the less incredulous I am that England must win games against Israel and Russia to even have a chance at qualifying for Euro 2008.

The problems aren’t solely because of injuries to key players, although the absence of Rooney, Lampard, Beckham, Owen (in previous matches), and Hargreaves (possibly), among others, has and will continue to hurt.

It’s not even because of Steve McClaren, although he hasn’t helped matters or himself.

And while the FA has time and time again proved themselves criminally inept, running the gamut of foul-ups, it’s not completely their fault either.

This has been a long time coming.

England underperformed at the 2006 World Cup, but that in and of itself isn’t all that surprising. There’s definitely a precedent for it.

But since then, they’ve clearly regressed. Which after Sven Goran Eriksson I didn't think possible.

Right now, England sits fourth in Group E on 14 points. Russia has 15, Israel and Croatia 17, although Israel has played one more game than the other three. When the group was drawn up, with England matched up against those three teams as well as Macedonia, Estonia, and Andorra, the majority of pundits were pleased at the outcome. This originally looked like a group that England could qualify from with ease.

But it hasn’t been.

After two wins against Andorra and Macedonia that gave the appearance that McClaren might be a different manager than Eriksson, England drew against Macedonia at home 0-0, lost to Croatia 0-2 in the embarrassing ‘3-5-2’ game, and drew Israel 0-0 in Tel Aviv. The last two games have seen 3-0 away victories over Estonia and Andorra, but had England not won those games, riots may have ensued.

In reaction to these problems, McClaren’s major moves have been to recall Beckham and now Heskey, and play as conservative a style as the one that Eriksson was lambasted for. Mistake-prone Paul Robinson is still the #1 keeper, no headway has been made in Lampard v Gerrard debate (as an aside, Gerrard’s been declared fit and may not even need an injection to play Saturday, and while I’m not happy about it, I’ve no desire to enter the club v country debate), and England is woefully understaffed at forward.

Nowhere near enough progress has been made in blooding youngsters, and that’s been a major fault of the last two England managers (especially in friendlies), but it’s also due to the media culture that demands results every time of asking and cries bloody murder when “star players” are left out.

And yet, England should still be favorites to qualify.

As proven in Tel Aviv last March, Israel will be no walk in the park. Benayoun, Ben Haim, Toto Tamuz, and Sahar are excellent players, three of whom ply their trade in England. Once again, it will come down to whether or not England can breach the opposition’s defense and score goals against decent opposition, which, despite their overall superiority, they were unable to do at Ramat Gan.

But this time should be different just in that it’s the national team’s first qualifier at Wembley. Being back at the national stadium, in the first meaningful game held there, should catalyze the team. That is, if the crowd stays on their side, which will come down to McClaren’s tactics and how England starts the game.

After the next two games, England will host Estonia and travel to Russia in October before finishing qualification at home against Croatia on November 21st. Chances are that England will need to win 4 out of the remaining 5 games to qualify.

And while I’ve spent the whole article trashing the team, manager, and set-up, they should be able to accomplish this.

Maybe it’s my biases or maybe it’s the fact that England’s always been one of football’s pre-eminent nations (not a joke, I swear), despite some of the results in major tournaments. But I can’t fathom England not qualifying for Euro 08, despite not being all that surprised at previous results or the state the England’s currently in. And I refuse to join the camp that secretly (or overtly) hopes against qualification for the sake of shaking the foundations of the international set-up.

I will however admit that should England drop points in either of these matches over the next week, the ‘McClaren out’ campaign will look mighty appetizing.

Roll on England.

Guess at a squad:
Robinson
Richards Ferdinand Terry A. Cole
Wright-Phillips Carrick Gerrard J. Cole
Owen Heskey

England 3-0 Estonia

Well, now we can have our David Beckham praise in full. The surprising thing is that most of it will be deserved.

If McClaren manages to lead England to qualification, and save his job in the process, a lot of it will come down to the recall of Beckham. And yes, I’m as surprised as you.

Beckham truly played well, even after picking up an ankle knock. I don’t want to join the chorus that will over-emphasize his role, but those were two gorgeous crosses for England’s second and third, both coming during open play.

I still feel, despite what McClaren says, Beckham still moves infield and congests the middle too often while leaving gaps to be exploited on the right. Wes Brown was on his own on the right flank for much of the match. But both of the crosses for goals came from the wing, and they were absolutely spot on. And now McClaren can take the credit for this master plan.

No matter how pretty the crosses were for the second half goals, England’s first goal was easily the best. Some of the moments Joe Cole has created while playing for England have been jaw dropping, and this was up there with the rest. Controls the flick-on from Crouch with his chest, swivels, and fires on the half-volley in off the post. If Ronaldinho did that, everyone would be falling over themselves.

I also thought that Crouch was up there with Beckham for man of the match. It’s easy to mock him at times, but he’s finished the game with a goal and assist, and was heavily involved with England’s attack. While I’ll readily admit his goal was down to Beckham’s cross, his header was perfectly placed, and he’s gotten stick for his heading ability in the past. Albeit against a different class of opposition, England held the ball up much better than against Brazil, and most of that was due to Crouch. He’s ruled out due of the next match because of a needless yellow picked up here, but McClaren would have dropped him in favor of the returning Rooney regardless. It’s too bad, because England’s played just as well with Crouch as with Rooney since Wayne’s performances in Euro 2004.

Let’s not get carried away though. England were playing Estonia, who have yet to score or gain a point during the qualifiers. And there are still problems with this team. I fear that, as usual, some will take too much from one game against admittedly lesser opposition. I know I fell for it after McClaren’s first few matches in charge.

Again, Lampard was fairly anonymous. He was more influential than against Brazil, but that isn’t saying much. Gerrard still did most of the legwork in midfield, as against Brazil if less effective, while Lampard was unable to pick up the slack in attack. Something has to happen here. It’s gotten repetitious, but I’m still of the opinion this pairing will not work against top competition.

The defense was also sloppy at times. Estonia was never going to create a ton of chances, but there were still a couple of moments where they managed to worry. Paul Robinson had to be quick off his line on the stroke of halftime when Voskoboinikov was through after easily splitting Ledley King and John Terry. And John Terry had to make a last ditch save in second half stoppage time after more confusion in the box and a shot that skidded under Robinson. There were gaps to be attacked on the counter when England was spread, and that’s worrying.

England still sits in 4th in the group, but only 3 points back of first place Croatia, who drew 0-0 at home against Russia today. Four of the five remaining games are at Wembley. It was unthinkable when the groups were drawn that England wouldn’t qualify, but now, I will echo McClaren (despite my preference not to) and agree it’s back in their own hands.

Job done here, and now no England games until September. I’m pleased to see the Liverpool players involved, Gerrard especially, get some well deserved rest before the Premier League resumes. Me thinks it's time for a nice, long summer. But, of course, hopefully chock full of gossip, hearsay, and innuendo.

So I heard Thierry Henry was off to AC Milan? Or is it Barca?

England 1-1 Brazil

Oh England. You never fail to disappoint.

It was set up so perfectly. The game certainly had all the airs of a friendly, despite being the first time the national team played at the new Wembley. Best and most generously described as “cagey,” there were few attempts that troubled either keeper for the first hour. But then, Steve McClaren’s “master plan” (patent pending) came to fruition.

Beckham, who had looked dangerous on set pieces (the only time he looked dangerous; his inability to stick to the right flank was appalling), lofted an absolutely perfect free kick to the back post for John Terry to head past Helton in the 68th minute. It was the absolute height of hilarity and the tabloids were drooling over the storyline. Becks returns to deliver a free kick spot on for the new captain to head in (scoring his first goal in over 50 games), and it makes all the difference in a win over Brazil in the first game at Wembley. The hacks were delighted.

And then Diego had to go and ruin it. With England under the cosh for the last quarter of the game, and having watched England for far too long, it was only a matter of time. With less than a minute left on the clock, two minutes into stoppage time, Ledley King and Nicky Shorey (I have to say, other than this, Shorey was impressive) got caught ball-watching (along with pretty much every other England player in defense), and Diego popped up between them to head past Robinson from Gilberto Silva’s pin-point cross. All in all, a standard afternoon with the England squad.

Seems best served to start with why Beckham was brought back, because the goal completely elucidated it: free kicks. Free kicks, free kicks, free kicks. It wasn’t for his flank play or crosses, because he didn’t spend much time on the right wing. More often than not, he looked further infield than Gerrard or Lampard, and Carragher did well get forward up the right flank to cover at times. It is because of his set plays. No more.

Which leads to me Frank Lampard, free kick-taker extraordinaire for Chelsea. And invisible for England. He is the player best suited to take Beckham’s place on set plays, as it’s one of his specialties for Chelsea. But he was unable to fill that role in Becks’ absence, and in addition and once again, Lampard was nearly anonymous for the entire game. There really should be no debate over him and Gerrard. I do not understand it. Lampard’s inclusion is hurting the team. I sincerely hope Hargreaves’ return alleviates this problem, but it’s also worth mentioning that Gerrard did play well in a deeper role, and came through with a number of excellent tackles, even if his passing was a bit lazy at times.

There’s so much more to laugh about, as laughing is really the only way to avoid getting frustrated over this team. For one, Alan Smith had little business starting. It has to be in the FA’s bylaws that if at all possible a Manchester United player must start, and with Neville and Ferdinand injured and Rooney suspended, Smudger filled that role. That’s got to be the reason, because I can’t think of another. Yes, he made some decent tackles from the front and hassled Brazil well, but he also failed to trap or hold up the ball and ended up losing possession more often than not.

After Smith was subbed out, another United player filled the void. In his first touch of the game, Wes Brown slipped and put Europe’s top scorer Alfonso Alves through on goal, only to see his shot skim wide. To be fair, Wembley’s pitch has brought complaints from all sides and it clearly played a part here, but the incident was certainly in tune with a lot of the afternoon.

I recognize I’m taking shots at United and Chelsea players foremost, but honestly, if they were Liverpool, or Everton (ha), or (insert whomever here) players, I’d imagine I’d say the same. Because even though Liverpool has completely taken precedence over the national side, I am still an England fan, and I would still like to see the team succeed. I’ve just stopped expecting it, and that’s why a lot of these incidents are risible to me; too often the England team can be an absurd comedy.

And I couldn’t go without a mention of the manager. I throw out a disclaimer too often, but I don’t like criticizing managers. Usually, there has to be a reason they’re in the position they’re in, and I’m cognizant of the fact I’m just some guy on the internet with a blog. But I do not understand Steve McClaren. I do not understand his tactics at times (Why was Becks so far infield? Why did McClaren pair Owen with Smith?). I do not understand his substitutions (Smith for Dyer? Waiting that long for Carrick on for Lampard? And why didn’t Crouch come on earlier when England couldn’t keep position around that part of the field?). When I started writing this blog, I couldn’t imagine I’d ever get so carried away I’d call for a manager’s head in print, but I can’t see how McClaren will still be on for Euro ’08, whether England qualify or not, if that long, and I honestly hope he isn’t.

But hey, at the end of the day it was a fun game to watch, and against Brazil, not a bad way to open Wembley for the national side. I’ve definitely seen worse team performances recently, and admittedly, part of that has to be down to Beckham’s inclusion. He will definitely play against Estonia. I complain out of love, and I certainly know it’s a friendly. But England will still have to be better (and far less comical), despite the gulf in class of the opposition, on Wednesday.

Roll on Estonia.