Between now and the opening ceremony, I'll be taking a look at the nations participating in this year's World Cup, an event which is slowly consuming me with excitement. Share my pain! Group C opens with Our Glorious Nation, Engerland.
I'm going to put it out there early- I have a problem with lending unconditional support to a national side. Perhaps it's because I'm not a huge fan of the Premier League, perhaps it's because I hate the jingoistic media coverage that dominates in this country, perhaps I just dislike any team containing John Terry, but it's difficult to write in an unbiased way about England. I'm fully aware that during the tournament itself I'll be sucked into the wave of mass hysteria, and maybe that's what worries me the most, the mental weaknesses that England expose. Either way, right now it's easier to get excited about reserve Greek strikers, and that about sums up my feelings towards this England squad.
How did they get there?
After the debacle of the Euro 2008 qualification campaign, what England needed more than anything was a trouble-free, goal-heavy run of games, with a place in the top seeds pot at the end of it. Incredibly, that's what they got, with the only defeat coming once qualification had already been secured. Sections of the press clearly weren't prepared for this (hell, I certainly wasn't) and so they defaulted to their let's attempt a crisis mode, citing perceived deficiencies all across the pitch, from goalkeeper (fair) to midfield (not so fair).
I know it's reductionist, and easy to say because it's not my job, but I wish that people would analyse the England team far, far less than they do. History tells us that a decent qualification campaign or otherwise generally has very little impact on the tournament that follows it. The reasons for this are as numerous as they are obvious- preparation time, the removal of seasonal club-related pressures, etc...yet somehow we expect to be illuminated as to the status of the team by watching them on a godawful pitch against negative, godawful teams, in the middle of a tiring season. So the world turns.
Who's the coach?
It's a shame that the Capello Index story was buried right before he announced his 30-man provisional squad, as I for one was looking forward to seeing if it would continue to justify his selection of John Terry over, I don't know, anyone. But perhaps I was always hoping for too much. The fact that such a non-story briefly caused waves indicates how frustrating Capello must be to certain sections of the press (I promise that's the last time I use that phrase in this preview) who are used to Sven and Schteve writing their stories for them. In Capello, England have for the first time since Bobby Robson an articulate, intelligent, well-travelled manager who has an almost unblemished track record of success in every aspect of his job, a man who presided over one of the greatest performances of all time- AC Milan's 4-0 destruction of an outstanding Barcelona side in the 1994 European Cup Final.
As England manager, he has attempted to purge (with varying degrees of success) the clubby mentality that pervaded the squad before his arrival, and I have particularly enjoyed his evident frustration at the morons he has had to deal with. After Cassano, he must have thought he'd seen everything. And even now, after all these feats, he does more to make me love him- he considers a switch to 3-5-2. Fabio, stop it, please, not in public.
Ones to watch:
For a more in-depth dissection of the pros and cons of England switching to 3-5-2, I thoroughly recommend this excellent, excellent piece by Zonal Marking. I have little to add to it beyond agreement, and would remind readers that when a formation or style is dismissed out of hand in England, it's generally either because it's not fully understood, or we were never very good at it. Capello won Serie A using 3-5-2, and in 2010 it would be particularly beneficial to Glen Johnson, who would have more licence to do what he does best- bomb forward. It would also allow Frank Lampard (England's best midfielder) more space, as Gerrard could be pushed further up the field in his favoured number 10 role. There are issues with the formation, as teams with wingers would have a field day against the flat-footed Terry or Upson, and an unfit Ferdinand.
Whether Capello will eventually decide on the formation is unclear, I'llknow more after I watch England play Mexico on the 24th of this month. Either way, it'll make for a more interesting discussion than who should play alongside Wayne Rooney.
How will they do?
It's tempting, very tempting, to predict another quarter-final exit. But because I respect Capello more than any other manager England have had in the last twenty years, because England are (if my Group predictions are correct, which they are) in a fairly forgiving half of the draw, and because it's My Country (just kidding) I can genuinely see a semi-final spot where, by my calculations, they will be eliminated by the eventual winners. I'm not going to spoil my previews by revealing who that side may be, but take a look at the knockout stage and see for yourself. There's less than a month to go, if you haven't got one of those to fill out by now, shame on you. It's a beautiful day, what are you waiting for?
My prediction: Semi-finals.
Previous previews:
South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France (Group A).
Argentina, Nigeria, Korea Republic, Greece (Group B).
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