England win highlights importance of Messi and Ronaldo

England’s surprise victory over European and World Champions Spain certainly came as a shock, even to the most loyal fan. It had been billed as a question of how many Spain could score against the hapless and much maligned English side. Although England managed to hang on for a well deserved victory the game could easily have been won by the visitors if they have not been so profligate in front of goal.

The opening few minutes set the scene for the remainder of the game. The home side were effectively stuck in their own half with only a long thump enough to give them much needed respite. The superior Spaniards were playing tika-taka almost at will; but, were not really threatening the keeper Joe Hart. The way England played was very reminiscent of how Switzerland played against Spain at Euro 2008; they stuck men behind the ball and smothered the central midfield.

For all the sublime control and technique on display it resulted in very little end product. Although the ball was moving around crisply there was little incisive play from the Spaniards. Occasionally an opening would appear but either the pass would be misdirected or an English defender would eventually fill the gap. What Spain needed was the dynamism and acceleration of Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.

Having watched Barcelona on numerous occasions in recent years it became evident that it was going to be one of those nights for Spain. David Villa is not quite on top form, Fernando Torres is still trying to get back to where he was and even David Silva did not look like the player who has destroyed the Premier League thus far this season. The ball was not being passed at enough pace, there was not enough off the ball running and the incisive passing we see so often was not finding the player often enough.

What separates Messi and Ronaldo in modern football is their initial acceleration away from the first defender. Once Messi has received a pass he is looking to beat the nearest opponent and run into space where he is at his most dangerous. The Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger spoke of Messi after his side had been hammered in the Camp Nou two years ago and said he had never seen a player who could change direction at such speed and remain in complete control of the ball. It is this unique ability that makes these two players stand out from everyone else in the world and is exactly what Spain were lacking.

The slump in form and morale of Fernando Torres could actually hurt Spain more than Chelsea in some senses. David Villa is still the best finisher around in my humble opinion but since his move to Barcelona he has become more of a player than the ruthless striker of old. The side missed someone who could run on and break the line, rather than looking for another pass. What Torres did give them, once he came on, was that option and it was no coincidence that suddenly they improved - although with time running down it was likely they would step it up too.

It is often slightly ridiculous to criticise sides that have been as successful as Spain have in recent years but they must retain their ruthless streak if they are to remain on top. The same criticism can be levelled at Barcelona and it is why Real Madrid now find themselves in pole position in Spain. They will increasingly come up against sides that have set up to defend deep for 90 minutes and the key is getting beyond that. There is no doubting the fact that Spain will be one of the serious contenders for the European Championships next summer but they have to forget they don’t have a Messi or Ronaldo in the side.

Welbeck can benefit from Rooney’s ill-discipline

The fact that England have qualified for the European Championship 2012 has been completely overshadowed by Wayne Rooney’s ill-discipline. The 25 year old got himself sent off against Montenegro on Friday and now faces a ban which will impact massively on England’s chances.

However you wish to put it England now face an uphill struggle without easily their most talented player. The national manager Fabio Capello has already confirmed that he will not feature in the coming friendly against Spain as he now has to find a suitable replacement, and fast. This however, is the real dilemma – who is good enough to lead the line successfully? Darren Bent, Andy Carroll, Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, Daniel Sturridge, Danny Welbeck or Bobby Zamora, none of whom would strike fear into a top side in Europe at present.

In all fairness Crouch and Defoe have had enough chances at this level and have failed almost every time. And yes, although Crouch boasts an impressive scoring rate at International level (22 goals in 42 appearances) he has scored almost all of them against second rate opposition. Meanwhile Defoe has 15 goals in 46 appearances but lacks the ability to test the best defences. He has been a good Premier League player but has always seemed out of his depth at the highest level.

The other important factor is that Rooney contributes so much more to the side than simply holding the line and scoring goals. His work rate and teamwork is fantastic when he is on form and in modern day football it is essential to defend from the front. With Manchester United re-affirming their status as the best club side in the country his confidence and experience will also be missed.

This surely then leaves a straight shootout between Bent, Carroll, Sturridge, Welbeck and Zamora. It is thought that Capello is a big fan of Zamora but he would need to be integrated quickly and although he has definitely improved in recent years he remains a decent player, but nothing special. Darren Bent would certainly fit some of the requirements; he is probably the best natural finisher of all the options available and has the pace to worry International defenders. However, he has only scored four times in 11 appearances in a career that began five years ago. He appears to be one of those players that struggles to make the step up, although if he got more minutes his confidence may increase.

It comes down now to the remaining three, all of whom are relatively inexperienced at this level; although this can be beneficial in major tournaments on occasions. All would need to have impressive seasons to force their way into the team and in Carroll’s case he would need to improve his overall game for Capello to trust him. I certainly feel that Sturridge looked impressive in the Under 21s and if he can get more games for Chelsea he could certainly do a job. However, in the recent trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United he looked a little out of his depth, but more exposure would help to eradicate that.

It certainly seems at the moment that Capello’s best option could be Danny Welbeck. Although I am not entirely convinced by the United forward he certainly seems to have the self-belief and confidence to fill Rooney’s shoes. He has been spoken about very highly by Sir Alex Ferguson for years and there aren’t many players he has been wrong about over the years. He is good in the air and has good technique; but the most important thing is that he is playing at Manchester United. Here he will have been exposed to big games, difficult atmospheres and will have a winning mentality which are pre-requisites in my opinion to succeed at the highest level.

Much will depend on how this season pans out for Welbeck but at the moment he would be my tip for the Euros. A good, and successful season for United maybe exactly what England need.

Young’s confidence ensures promising start

The transfer of Ashley Young to Manchester United this summer is one that I found particularly strange. Sure, he had looked promising since his move to Aston Villa from Watford in 2007 but to me he lacked the drive to kick on at England’s most successful club. How wrong I was. He has begun his career at United brilliantly and he has managed to replicate his form at International level.

Clearly a very talented youngster it was Martin O’Neill who took the initial gamble when he signed him from Watford for £8 million plus ad-ons. He certainly seemed like a promising talent who had everything required to go on and become a very good player. However, after the Villa saga begun brightly his career had begun to slide in the midlands last year where he struggled to find consistent form.

I had raised eyebrows when United finally completed a deal for him this summer as I had never seen him look dominant in a game against better opposition. To use a cricketing phrase he seemed ‘like a flat track bully’ who would murder the poor sides but then struggled against better opponents. His performance against United in a two all draw could have persuaded Ferguson that he would be an ideal addition to his front line this season.

He tends to operate on the left hand side where he can drift in on his right foot and hurt the opposing defenders (and goalkeepers, as we saw against Arsenal last weekend). It appeared to be particularly harsh on Nani who had his best season for United and was indeed left out of the Champions League final. It remains to be seen whether these two will develop a good understanding and enable United to play with a flexible front three as they did when they had Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez.

The understanding he has developed with Wayne Rooney is probably what has aided his transition into the England and United side seamlessly. Good players are always able to play with others effortlessly and the understanding is already clear to see. These days Rooney tends to play a little deeper for United and with both having a good range of passing they are able to tease and worry defenders almost at ease. In his three games in the Premier League he already has two goals and four assists which will have delighted his new manager.

Although we are only at the beginning of September Young is already establishing himself as a key player at United and is starting to show his class on the International stage. At 26 years old he should be approaching the prime of his career and Ferguson could well have pulled off another transfer coup in securing his services. The United squad is well set up to dominate for many years to come and Young looks like he will be central to that success.

England must make changes – and fast

After yet another abject display from England the time has surely come for a change in personnel. Whilst many fans feel the blame lies at the door of the manager Fabio Capello the problem lies with many of the players he continues to select. The World Cup finals highlighted the fact that many of the senior players are simply not good enough to bring success for the country.

There are too many players in the squad who have failed continually at International Level and are still picked. The emergence of Jack Wilshire has shown that the younger players are hungry for success and are capable of playing at the level required when playing International football.

The Under 21s have a European Championship coming up and it will be fascinating to see how they compare with their European counterparts. In the side that played at the weekend I believe there are five or six players who are ready to take the next step and earn full caps. In defence there is a steady centre back pairing of Phil Jones and Chris Smalling who have both excelled for Blackburn and Manchester United respectively this season. In midfield there was Jordan Henderson and Jack Rodwell; both have been linked with big money moves to top clubs this summer. Then there is Daniel Sturridge who enjoyed a wonderful spell at Bolton in the second half of the season.

It is surely time for the likes of Ferdinand, Gerrard and Lampard to step aside for the younger players. Their desire to succeed is actually stopping the development of the up and coming stars who are ready to replace them. Those three are prime examples of players who have not succeeded at International level and were well below expectations against Switzerland on Saturday.

I have written about Ferdinand’s physical issues before and his lack of mobility is really starting to cause problems for club and country. Against average players his reading of the game is enough to get by but against pace he is exposed every time. He has been a good player throughout his career but his understudy at United Chris Smalling is ready to take over. The whole Gerrard and Lampard debate is just painful now; they have never looked comfortable at International level.

The result on Saturday did not prove to be too costly as Montenegro drew with Bulgaria at home but the draw at home to Switzerland is simply not good enough. England are slipping further and further behind the other major nations in world football and failure to qualify for the European Championships would be a disaster; although they have no chance of winning it the tournament would prove invaluable experience for Hart, Wilshire etc.

Wembley was graced with craft, guile and genius last weekend. Unfortunately this time around it was graced with overpaid has-beens. The time for wholesale change was at the end of the world cup, it has to happen soon or England’s search for major honours will go on for even longer.

Capello losing his grip on England job

The farcical re-appointment of John Terry as England captain suggests that Fabio Capello has finally lost control of the job. Whilst I believe that he is the right candidate to lead the side the manner of Rio Ferdinand’s demotion leaves a sour taste and one that will surely affect the team.

Initially it appeared that Terry would only be captain for the Wales game but the Italian then revealed that he would take over permanently. Admittedly with Ferdinand and Gerrard out the Chelsea captain was the natural choice, but after being humiliated by Capello when he was stripped of the captaincy why return it now?

Whatever your feelings are about Terry as a human being it should be remembered that he is a very good captain. He has lead Chelsea fantastically for the last few years and his form has returned after a shaky few months. The whole Wayne Bridge incident was blown massively out of proportion and should never have resulted in him being demoted. The appointment of Ferdinand as captain was ludicrous considering his injury history; even Sir Alex Ferguson appointed Nemanja Vidic as Manchester United captain this season.

Surely when you have 11 international players the choice of captain should not be this overplayed. Terry has been re-appointed, Capello is losing the plot, let us just get on with the football.

Wilshire impresses as holding midfielder

The news that Fabio Capello would play Jack Wilshire as a defensive midfielder appeared to affect people far more than I thought. Surely it was a logical decision for him to play there as he has spent the majority of the season in that position at Arsenal. However, the uproar from the English media, added with Nicklas Bendtner’s comments certainly made this a tough test for the 19 year old.

It has been a hard season already for Wilshire who has been written and talked about more than any other English player in terms of future ability. He appears to be a very grounded individual who simply enjoys playing the game as it should be played and is very assured at doing so.

I really cannot understand the surprise at playing him in that position as previous players in that role have been hopeless (Owen Hargreaves excluded). The much admired Gareth Barry is a distinctly average player who offers nothing but a screening in front of the back four. Whilst this would be a requirement for a lower ranked team England should surely be trying to replicate the top nations by having a slightly more creative player in that position. The midfield looked far better equipped when going forward but will take time to gel defensively with so many changes being enforced.

If England are to improve the standard of football must get better (surely it cannot get any worse?!) and players like Wilshire must be playing at the top level at a young age to reach their potential. Although it was only a friendly last night I would not be surprised to see him continue in this role in the qualifiers; he has everything needed to become a world class player for Arsenal and England.