England vs Wales - Patience, Passing Perfected

Potential Champions

I have been a big fan of the English football team for quite sometime now and that is probably because of the stars they always boast of, rather than the quality of football itself. In life it is an undeniable truth that reality almost never exceeds expectations, and if there was a quantitative measure for the gap between the two, the widest gap would be for an English football fan considering all the hype before every international tournament and the ultimate disappointing exit of the team, time and time again. I have been one of them too as I, to this day, idolize the great Steven Gerrard. But last night when I watched the Euro qualifier between England and Wales, I realized that this English team has gone through a sea change in the way they play. Having said that, these are just early days and they have miles to go, but many supporters of this football side would be sharing my joy and hope that someday in not the distant future, this talented bunch will emerge victorious.

Young and Restless

The playing eleven was looking very refreshing with no Scholes, Brown etc. I have the greatest respect for them, but when young blood is introduced into a team it just instils excitement and confidence. Downing with his attack from the right flank and the Red Devil Ashley Young from the left flank created considerable peril to the Welsh defense. I must say that I am quiteimpressed by Young’s skills and the goal scored by him resulting from the brilliant run from Downing is testament to their abilities. England was playing a level that will be envied upon by many international sides, and something that they themselves have never been able to do before. I remember the days when Beckham and Gerrard use to fire in these long range passes and crosses and Owen would try everything within his reach to score. Many minutes and chances later, a horrendous blunder from the English goalie would put the opposition ahead. This is the story we all know, but this time was different. The patience and passing exhibited by the Englishmen will be lingering in my mind for a long time to come. Without too much of exaggeration, it did seem like FC Barcelona was playing.

Trust in Wayne, wont go in Vain

I have not been a great fan of Lampard, however in this game he played his role to perfection. I would be miserably failing in my op-ed duties if I forgot to mention and heap praise on the contribution of Wayne Rooney. Many readers might not agree to what I am about to say, but Rooney is severely underrated and in fact is a couple of notches above CR7 or CR9(sorry I don’t pay attention to his number). Anyway before I digress, my point is that the all round abilities of the English striker is way above most of thehyped footballers of today. This match was no exception to that fact, and it was visible in every pass, movement and coverage on the pitch. On more than a couple of occasions he actually was seen in the position of a fullback and also doing a great job of it. His performance is going to be extremely crucial for England’s chances at the Euro championships. Finally credit must be definitely given to this Manchester City quartet of Barry, Johnson, Milner and most of all Hart. One particular moment when the goalie plunged forward and made a save with his extended right arm was breathtaking, though the goal would have been disallowed anyway.

Great expectations

Shifting the focus to Wales now, there were instances when the team could have caused some serious damage to the scoreline but all the valiant efforts of Bale and Ramsey went without any fruition. The scoreline could have easily ended up being two to one if it were not for a pathetic error from a striker and tight offside call from the linesman. Gareth Bale had a great first touch from a long range ball and was in my opinion in a onside position when he did so, and thenwent past a defender with ease before the flag went up. Knowing and having watched Bale week in and week out, he would have definitely found the back of the net. But the mother of all misses came from the Welsh striker called Earnshaw which I am sure even G.B.Shaw would have been able to score, from that range. None of this should take away any credit from the strength and performance of the English side, but Fabio’s men should be honing their skills and going for the ultimate kill rather than dancing around with a solitary goal lead, something which only the Azzuri have mastered. All in all, things are shaping up well for Capello’s squad and with the arrival of Steven Gerrard things can only sound more promising.