I am grateful to my good friend Barrie Harding for his reflection on last night's England international.
The overall performance was better. But it was poor in Norway so the
only way was up. Belgium are a good technical side but forty something in the
world ranking because they cannot score goals. As they showed last night.
Welbeck took his goal well but, as with the Young goal against Norway, it was
pretty much a solo effort and not the result of good team play. And in both
cases the defending was poor and certainly not up to the highest international
standard England will face in the Euros. Other than that, Welbeck made no real
impression even though Kompany wasn't playing. I like the look of Vertongen,
even though he was playing out of position. Very calm and assured and left
footed as a bonus. I hope Spurs buy him.
Defensively England coped well against a team that played in front of
them and not around or behind them. And without a goal scoring
forward Belgium had no outlet for their pretty football. Joe Hart still
had as much to do as their keeper but mainly from long range.
Offensively it was only when Defoe came on and Belgium were a little
more tired did we see any pressure play. With lesser teams it is
even more important that we maintain pressure on the opposition to get the
goals and, while we can build that pressure, we cannot sustain it because our
traditional game is based on bish-bash football. We lose the ball too easily
and then have to wait to get it back and we suddenly find that pressure turned
on us.
Roy is struggling to find the best team. He's not changing anything and
that's understandable. He cannot make wholesale changes at this late stage but
he can, at least, put players in positions where they are the most comfortable
and the most effective. And so far he hasn't done that. Rooney is by
far our best attacking weapon so don't have him chasing back to the half way
line trying to get the ball back. If he wants to contribute then have him
go wide, not deep, to put pressure on the other team. Put Gerard up just behind
Rooney and let him make those runs beyond Rooney when he drags central
defenders out left or right. Get Young wide, switching left and
right as the attack builds to provide that width. With those three
attacking the middle three can hold the midfield. Parker is now pretty
much established and has good holding qualities but very limited in passing
beyond twenty yards and usually sideways. With Barry injured but with two left
sided full backs and the need to maintain balance he should play both. A
creative playmaker is needed now but we don't have one.. Roy should
resist using another wide player and is probably left with
Milner to occupy (and that's all he does) the right side of midfield. This
looks a very defensive team, and it can certainly play that way and be very
solid right up to the last third of the pitch. It's here we have the problems -
as most teams do. Scoring goals at the highest level is tough and England won't
score many. We just need to score one more than the other side. So far we've
done that in the two matches but, as I say, with individual efforts and not
team play.
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