The Problem With England

The England national football team is currently ranked 4th according to FIFA rankings. That's the 4th best in this world we live on. Out of the 203 teams currently receiving rank, England are the 4th best which is some achievement. If they really are the 4th best team on the planet at the moment then the question looms on why can't they do well in any major tournament? They have been labelled 'tournament bottlers' by some, 'donkeys' by others but nobody can take away the fact that England do in fact boast world class players on the team. Maybe that's the problem though, just world class players and not a world class team. It takes the players ability to gel together and support one another to be labelled as a truly world class team, something England do not seem to have. For years now Lampard and Gerrard, two of world footballs best central midfielders have underachieved in the Englad set up, is it because of the manager, or is it purely because they do not know how to play with each other? With the majority of the other top ranked teams, goals come through midfield with classy build up play and neat interchanging passes between the midfielders and forwards. Not England. England seem to hoof the ball up the field straight to the attackers, hoping they can nod it on to their team mate but since when has this yielded results? Maybe in the Conference or other lower leagues but this is the national team, a team with great pride and ability yet not the means how to use it. The managers England have had may be a small part to the huge problem too. During World Cup 2010, a fully fit and in form Joe Cole was expected to play to take the place of the ill James Milner (he had the flu) yet Milner started and Cole did not get a chance. This is outrageous as it seems the boss will only play 'big names' rather than use strategical subs and fielding a logical starting 11. Crouch, who for England has always been a top goalscorer could not get in the squad. And the reason? Emile Heskey. The same Emile Heskey who could not score for club or country for 2 years. The target man who gets it onto his head and nothing else materializes from it. The selection from the manager was a shambles but this was not the reason England crashed out of the World Cup rather embarrassingly. It was down to whether the players wanted it or not. Some did, Terry, Rooney and a couple of others but it seemed the rest were too busy messing around launching the ball from defence to attack instead of playing a good passing game and using the players we have to their full potential. Many have had a bad word or two about Rooney during the World Cup but I cannot see why. He always ran at defenders, he put together some great passes with the wingers and switched the play often, and he had to resort to shooting from anywhere just to get a shot off due to poor delivery or scarce delivery from the midfield. This was a man who was trying, maybe not successfully but trying nonetheless. The problems with England have cast a grey cloud over the nations footballing credentials for as long as I can remember. England failed to qualify for Euro 2008 with a disastrous qualification campaign which saw a goalkeeping howler or two and a lack of passion. Luckily there is a new crop of young talent coming through the ranks with many from Manchester United and Arsenal so they will gain their top level education and experience at their clubs so there is no need to worry whether they are ready or not. They play for club with their heart on their sleeves and give it their all, not to mention the talent some of these young lads possess. It should be out with the old such as Lampard and Gerrard, and in with the new with Tom Cleverly, Jack Wilshire, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling with a lethal, always hungry Wayne Rooney to lead and guide them. This new England team has a lot to live up too for such young heads and many will wonder can they hack it? I believe the answer is yes if the manager gives them a look in and grants them game time otherwise it will probably be the same old England in Euro 2012, boring and bitterly disappointing.

Whats your views on the current national squad?