Three Points is Good Enough

I wrote about my admiration for England’s performance against Bulgaria last week, and I had high hopes for the team going into this local derby. England-Wales, or rather any matchup between the Home Nations, is always going to an exciting encounter, especially following Wales’s impressive win against Montenegro last week. Gary Speed’s team has come a long way, and with the likes of Bale, Bellamy, and Ramsey at the heart of his team, I think we can expect a lot to come from the Welsh national side. Speaking of Ramsey, several studios and commentators listed him as Man of the Match, and I’m tempted to follow suit because he above all players in red or white stood out. Wales’s youngest ever captain barely misplaced a pass all night. Arsenal will need him to keep up this form, especially with Jack Wilshere sidelined until November.

Rumours started circulating about 45 minutes before kickoff that Frank Lampard would be included in England’s starting XI, which was a surprise for me considering Scott Parker’s last five performances for England. That said, he is one booking away from suspension, and Capello must have had the all-important Montenegro match next month in the back of his mind when making his team selection. To write off Frank Lampard, as John Terry noted earlier in the week, is not only dangerous but an insult to a player who has done exceptionally well in his career. At the age of 33, however, I think it is safe to say that his international career is coming to an end. That he was put in as a stop-change cover for Scott Parker says something about his future in an England shirt, and I don’t expect that he will make it to Poland & Ukraine next summer if Gerrard finds his form, or if Tom Cleverley continues to grow at this rate.

Lampard’s inclusion meant that England lost the shape that Barry and Parker held together in such disciplined fashion in Sofia. James Milner’s involvement in place of Theo Walcott was also uninspiring. I understand that his main role was to provide backup for the internationally unexperienced Chris Smalling against the ever-threatening Gareth Bale, but as one analyst did mention, versatility has to have a performance to come with it. Milner has been uninspiring of late, at least in my opinion, and I continue to be surprised at his inclusion in the Three Lions squad and the Manchester City squad too, especially ahead of the talented Adam Johnson.

Wayne Rooney, as previously mentioned, has been in devastating form this season and this morning, Ashley Young said that together, the two of them could terrorise England and Europe. Considering their start to the season, I’m not entirely unconvinced. They could. Ferguson’s team can. But the reason they can is because Rooney is given service, service that was clearly evident in Sofia but so lacking at Wembley. He found himself coming deeper and deeper to collect the ball, and at one stage I believe he had to go retrieve it from his own corner flag! This is not where Rooney is at his best, and I think this did come down to the lack of shape and in part to Lampard and Milner’s inclusions in the squad.

For all this negativity, however, England got the three points and we cannot forget that. They wanted three points before heading to Montenegro next month, and they got it. One of my professors made an interesting comment about perception and bias this morning in class. He noted that when Arsenal scrape a 1-0 win, they are lucky, but when United pull off the same result, they are solid stuff, the make of champions. I think that to a certain extent, this could be true of England. The Netherlands (who I praised heavily in my previous article) were uninspiring in Finland, and although I think England were lucky to come away with three points – they were terrible in the last 20 or so minutes and how Robert Earnshaw missed that absolutely glorious sitter, we’ll never know – they did.

Despite being dominated in the second half by an increasingly impressive Wales side, Ashley Young’s strike in the first half ensured that Capello and his men got the win. Last season, many pundits commented that Manchester United showed the mark of champions by winning despite playing poorly. While I’m not ready to apply the same to England, I do think that Three Lions fans can be pleased. It’s three points to put the team on the brink of qualification for next summer’s European Championships, which is more than we could say four years ago.

The Sun is reporting today the Capello is planning a “dramatic shakeup” of the England team. I’m curious about that. I think that a number of players could be dropped from the squad and another could be included. It will be no surprise to Soccer Reviews readers that I’m a fan of QPR’s new signing Joey Barton and I think that if he continues his form from last season, then he should have a shoe-in for another England cap. Capello doesn’t trust him, but if he stays out of the media and doesn’t do anything stupid, ie put a cigar in a youth player’s eye, then I don’t see why not. The same goes for Steven Gerrard and his fitness. I think the Premier League has missed Gerrard – Liverpool may not considering their recent form – but he is one of the best players in Europe, if not the world, and I have always admired his leadership abilities, especially in an England shirt. I know that there is no one more than John Terry that epitomises an England captain, but Gerrard was good for England when he led the squad and, considering Terry’s age, Gerrard would be a fantastic captain next summer.

I’m dragging on now, but I’d love to hear who you would include in a 23-man England squad. Tweet us either at @fatbertt (me) or @soccerreviews, or comment below, and let us know who you would include in England’s next squad. Note, this is an ideal squad providing everyone in this list is fully fit.

Here’s mine:

Hart, Green

A.Cole, Baines, Smalling, M.Richards, Woodgate, Jagielka, Cahill, Jones

Downing, A.Young, Gerrard (c), Wilshere, Barton, Walcott, Parker, Cleverley, J.Cole

Rooney, Bent, Carroll, Zamora