It perhaps doesn't come as much of a surprise that most of the pre-match pre-amble to England's penultimate Group Six World Cup qualifier revolves around the issue of the game not being televised. Up and down the land, patriotic folk beat the Three Lions on their chest and boom forthright views about who's to blame for this national outrage: The BBC? ITV? The FA? At least it's not Lampard and Gerrard's fault.
The name of Kentaro has so far been used more in conjunction with the match than that of Capello, suggesting that - with qualification already assured - interest in the game has receded along with it's importance. Eight wins from eight games whilst scoring a remarkable 31 goals has put England into an unassailable position at the head of their group, with two fixtures left to fulfil.
Not since the summer of 2004, when Eriksson's ‘Golden Generation’ were supposedly about to conquer Europe, have the cogs and springs of the England football vehicle moved with such momentum. Five years on, and largely the same group of talented individual's from the class of Sven, have now finally been harnessed into a unit fit to bestow such a grandiose summons. The television blackout means the match in Dnipro will resemble an 80's style dash into the Soviet Bloc, but whilst the performance will be partially screened from the prying eyes of the public, the England squad will not be able to avoid the steely glare of their biggest critic, Fabio Capello.
Paramount to the relative success under Don Fabio has been the emergence of a new bond within the squad. A collective of equals has formed. Reputations, salaries and achievements left at the door. When checking-in for duty you sign-up for team England, Capello's Team England. No wags, no ‘merking’, no baby bentley's, just one last shot at the big prize. You sense the message has been driven home. South Africa 2010 will offer this generation the best and last chance to do something golden.
When evaluating the potential of the England team, it is reassuring to see how many seemingly never ending problems have been ended. We can fit Gerrard and Lampard into the same midfield, we have a solution for the left-midfield berth and we have got Wayne Rooney playing well in his favoured shift just off a main striker. However, with cures come questions, and the shift of focus has moved elsewhere, with pertinent points being raised over who deserves the Goalkeepers jersey, whether Glen Johnson is up to the job defending at international level, and who partners Rooney in attack. Such quandaries help the evolution of a team, and such quandaries will need to be addressed come next June. Wednesday's 'dead rubber' is the perfect place to start.
Capello's AC Milan side of the early 90's was revered for its mentality. It’s stubborn, self-centred pursuit of excellence. Built on a bloodthirsty need for victory and a relentless drive for supremacy. Traditionally, England have fluffed it when the going gets too tough. Quarter’s, semi’s, penalties - the uber-pressure situations. The habit of winning comes with winning, and developing a hunger to win. These qualities need to be ingrained in the psyche of a successful team, one mentally tough enough to win a World Cup. Capello knows his side’s ascent must continue flawlessly between now and the finals, and the maturity and mentality of the team will grow with every game along the way. There is no time, nor place for ‘dead rubbers’.
To speak only in terms of how England must rally themselves for this game would be doing a great disservice to their hosts, Ukraine. Having qualified for the finals of the 2006 World Cup, Oleksiy Mykhaylychenko’s men know a win over the Three Lions would elevate them above Croatia in the race for a play-off spot. Their final game would be against whipping boys Andorra, so effectively they must beat England.
Ironically it is the Ukraine who have come closest to taking points of England during the qualifying process, fairing far better than play-off rivals Croatia. Last April a late Andriy Shevchenko goal looked to have earned the Ukranians a draw at Wembley, before a last gasp John Terry goal snatched all three points. Once again Shevchenko will be the main threat to England’s back line, as he proved at Wembley, he is still able to produce moments of magic, although the reinstated defensive partnership of Terry and Rio Ferdinand will look to nullify the threat.
The points mean more prizes for Ukraine, but home focus lies on the attitude and application of a performance away from the widest scope of England’s ever-optimistic fan base. England are in the unusual position where a result is not essential, but it is expected, and it is this expectation that will continue to grow as 2010 draws closer.
No comments:
Post a Comment