A change to England's style of play: It's about time

Roy Hodgson, manager of England waves prior to the FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier Group H match against England at City Stadium on March 26, 2013 in Podgorica, Montenegro. (Getty Images)

It was Joleon Lescott who scored England’s first goal of Euro 2012, heading home past Hugo Lloris to open the scoring against the French in what would turn out to be a 1-1 draw; Lescott’s club teammate Samir Nasri equalised for the visitors. James Lawton of The Independent describes the build-up to the goal as such:

“Steven Gerrard disguised a free-kick from the right in the form of a mortar shell. The French defence watched mesmerised and left the coverage to the gangling Alou Diarra, who couldn’t prevent Joleon Lescott from meeting it perfectly.”

Mortar shell. This is not a word I have often seen used to express an incident in modern-day football. You hear of crosses that find players being attributed to guided missiles, rapier-like thrusts used to describe slick, short passing moves, cannon blasts that rip the back of opposition keepers’ nets, and even torpedoes that lead to the crumbling of entire opposition defences.

This, of course, may have had something to do with Donetsk in Ukraine – where the match was being played – being the heart of the nation’s shell foundries, but that has little to do with this particular adjective being used to describe Steven Gerrard’s free kick. The reason I find it strange is because a mortar is essentially a piece of artillery. Like carpet bombing from the skies or a cluster of napalm flung earthwards, it is not meant for precision strikes, but damage that causes harm over an area of effect.

Like a battering ram, England’s style of football was aimed at – from the looks of it – forcing the enemy into submission. One game that comes to mind is another England versus France game, this time at the new Wembley. It was Laurent Blanc’s first real test for France after Les Bleus had come home after a pitiable World Cup in South Africa.

Wayne Rooney did not play that game, Andy Carroll and Peter Crouch did. Right from the time the referee blew for kick-off, it was clear that England were going to cater to the height of the two players. Crouch scored England’s only goal in that game.

But the French scored two.

And therein lies the problem. England’s style of play that some papers label ‘clogger’ looks rather out of place in today’s modern day world of football, which places emphasis on accuracy and efficiency that stems from technically skilled players. The presence of the so-called traditional English centre-forward is becoming more and more marginalised.

A quick glance at the Barclays Premier League will tell you that. The top teams do not employ target men in their starting line-ups.

Brendan Rodgers does not employ that sort of players at Liverpool, which is why Andy Carroll is out on loan at West Ham United. At Manchester United, you have the nippy Javier Hernandez and one cannot really remember the last target man Sir Alex Ferguson had at Old Trafford.

Ditto Chelsea, where Fernando Torres is a player who is good with the ball at his feet. Even before Arsene Wenger took over at Arsenal, there was no battering ram-esque striker at Highbury. Even at Manchester City, it is Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero who are given the nod ahead of the taller, more physical Edin Dzeko.

Truth be told, today’s modern attacking game is centred around skilled strikers who are as comfortable on the ball as they are off it, such as Robin van Persie, Robert Lewandowski, Edinson Cavani and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and buzzbomb forwards such as Karim Benzema, Wayne Rooney and David Villa, who are slighter in build but equally skilled.

But while segments of the English Premier League have slowly but surely metamorphosed from the English style of play to one which has infusions of continental and South American football, the national team until very recently hasn’t exhibited this style of play. As long-time England fan Oliver Clay puts it:

“The turgid, immobile style of the national team is a really poor demonstration of the league. That they’re boring to watch and the only thing worse than the team is the band.”

That attitude is one that is reflected by a significant portion of England fans. After being served up a more entertaining variety of football in stadia up and down England, fans who sport the St. George’s cross during international games will obviously be put off by one that is not as enticing, particularly when it has failed to deliver results time and time again.

For validation of the same, look no further than Steve McClaren’s ill-fated reign in charge of the Three Lions, which saw England fail to qualify for Euro 2008, following which he was quickly released by FA brass. Even Fabio Capello, one of football’s more illustrious names, was unable to lift England from their more familiar failings.

Under Roy Hodgson though, that is changing.

England were always blessed with a wealth of technically gifted players. It was just unfortunate that they never used them to their capabilities. Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney and David Beckham were all world-class players who were skilled and hard-working in equal measure. This was actually realised as early as 2006 by Sven-Goran Eriksson:

“Wayne Rooney is the Golden Boy of English football. Don’t kill him.”

What Gerrard, Beckham and Co. missed out on for a large part of their international careers is now being afforded to England’s current generation of players. Jack Wilshere, Tom Cleverley, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Raheem Sterling and several others who play their trade are switching to a more technical, less physical style of football that is working very well at unsettling opponents.

England captain Steven Gerrard listens as England coach Roy Hodgson answers questions during a press conference ahead of a 2014 World Cup qualifier against Montenegro on March 25, 2013 in Podgrorica, Montenegro. (Getty Images)

But while this flair is being embedded into England, they have forgot none of their roots. Their long-ball style of play stemmed from their Victorian-era qualities of being there for each other, of bonding, of having one’s back and a warrior-style camaraderie that placed a lot of emphasis on team spirit, honour and character.

If England were to amalgamate their work ethics with the style of football now commonplace among the rest of Europe and parts of the world, given the skill they now possess, they would surely be one of the world’s deadliest teams. That however, does not augur the death of the long-ball game. Like their red away strip, that style of play is quintessentially English, and whether one sees that way or not, a matter of pride, making it an excellent Plan B.

Given its comparatively ineffective nature, those within the FA know what is required of England. Gareth Southgate is the FA’s new head of elite development at the new National Football Centre in Burton-on-Trent. He knows what needs to be done:

“I played international football for England and in many games we were technically inferior to the opposition.”

“Everybody looks at Barcelona and Spain and realises we can’t keep playing the way we have and producing the English style of player. We have to grow and change.”

Source: The Guardian.

Change however, takes time; Roy Hodgson is aware of this. He is also aware that in the face of adversity, it is evident that England will return to their comfort zone. The press barracked England after their recent 1-1 draw in a 2014 World Cup qualifier in Pogdorica in Montenegro, where they retreated into those familiar failings in the adverse atmosphere of a hostile Montenegrin crowd. Montenegro may be one of the world’s newest nations, but that does not mean they do not have a good football team.

Hodgson understands that what he needs to do begins from the ground up, not just cosmetic. And if he can make a team ‘stop a France side that produced not only beautiful but killing football’ (James Lawton’s words, not mine) after just a few weeks in charge, then think of what he will be able to achieve in time.

Provided he is given that.