In the build-up to Tuesday's do-or-die fixture at home to Poland, I have been running an England mini-series, looking at the talking points that have haunted the England side's preparations, and looking at their chances going forward. A few weeks ago, I gave my opinion on Greg Dyke's comments that England should be looking to reach the semi-finals of the Euro 2020 competition, and win the World Cup in 2022 in Qatar. This assumes that the groundwork is already in place for England to become a viable winner of trophies, as Spain's 'Golden Age' really began a decade or so previously, with the change of several rules regarding training of youngsters. Using the State of the Game report, as well as evidence from the current England squad and the lower leagues, I will examine just how much creedence can be given to Dyke's claims. I dismissed them a few weeks ago-was I wrong to?
After a year and a half of relentless qualification matches, England find themselves on the brink of getting to yet another major tournament. After a morale boosting victory against Montenegro on Friday (the review of which can be found here), only Poland stand between our country and a place in Brazil next year. Whilst few (including the majority of the FA) expect us to achieve any real success in Rio, the plans above indicate that victory is expected in the coming decades. Having seen 'The State of the Game' report, this final post of my six-part England series considers the future of English football, asking whether the majority of our next few tournaments' teams will be found from the top teams, or if the lower leagues could be the place where we will begin finding the next generation of our national team.
Bearing in mind the target for an England victory is the Qatar World Cup in 2022, I wonder just how many of our current crop of players will still be around come that competition. Given that this World Cup is nearly a decade away, it is quite obvious that only players under the age of 25 currently will realistically have any chance of playing in Qatar. This obviously rules out the older members of our current squad, with the likes of Lampard, Gerrard and Cole more likely to retire within the next five years. More surprising is the amount of players that we will not realistically have at our disposal in ten years. If we take the cut-off point as being 25, with anyone older than that unlikely to travel to the Middle East, I will now list the ages and players that will not be there.
31-Phil Jagielka, Jermain Defoe, Joleon Lescott
30-Ben Foster
29-Glen Johnson
28-Leighton Baines, Ashley Young
27-Wayne Rooney, Gary Cahill, James Milner
26-Joe Hart, Aaron Lennon
As you can see, the vast majority of this group are first-team players, all of which will be missed massively, and all of which will need to be replaced. Arguably the only first team players that will remain, having discarded these, are Kyle Walker (23), Andros Townsend (21), Phil Jones (21), Jack Wilshere (21), Tom Cleverley (23), Theo Walcott (24), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (20), Daniel Sturridge (24) and Danny Welbeck (22). Whilst these are all good players, it leaves a considerable hole in the English team. Who could we possibly replace our outgoing stars with?
As I discussed in my last post, 'The State of the Game' report has shown that only 32% of the minutes played in the Premier League were played by Englishmen, compared to Spaniards making up 59% in their home country, and Germans making up 50%. This certainly leaves us at a disadvantage when it comes to producing young, bright talent. However, are there any talented youngsters currently breaking into the top flight that we could potentially earmark at this early stage? Andros Townsend is certainly one of these, as he has proven himself to be worth more to Spurs than £30 Million man Erik Lamela in the early part of the season, earning himself his first England call up for the match on Friday. However, even he would be turning 30 as the 2022 tournament kicked off. Perhaps the best thing to is to look at the younger age-groups in English national football. Looking at the U-21s and U-19s, I have produced perhaps 7 names that may be of England fans for the future, that will all be towards the peak of their careers come 2022.
Southampton's James Ward-Prowse, a product of the Saints' excellent youth system, is only 18, and has already been playing semi-regular football in the Premier League. With a handful of appearances this season already, I see no reason why the youngster cannot kick on and challenge for an England place in the near future. Ravel Morrison, once of Manchester United, and now plying his trade for West Ham is another. A name that recently has been hyped up, and one that Sir Alex Ferguson even tipped for stardom. At 20, he has perhaps taken a little while longer to develop than initially expected, but if he maintains the form that he has shown at the beginning of this season, I see no reason why the central midfielder couldn't push Jack Wilshere all the way for a starting place in Qatar. The same applies to Wilfried Zaha. The recent Manchester United signing burst onto the international scene earlier this year, with a single cap to his name. He has perhaps become another casualty of the 'bigger club', where competition for places stunts the growth of young talents. Nevertheless, he still has plenty of time to prove himself, and oust Theo Walcott from his position. He will be competing with two more exciting wingers, however. Liverpool's Raheem Sterling, who had such a fantastic season for the Merseyside club last year, and Norwich's Nathan Redmond, who looks every inch a great winger this season, will also be vying for starting places. Ross Barkley ends the wealth of talented midfielders that England are cultivating, as the 19 year-old Evertonian has shown just how good a player he is over the last two seasons at Goodison Park, and I would not be surprised to see him get a cap in the near future. Finally, up-front, West Brom's Saido Berahino looks a positive prospect. Having scored a stunning finish at Old Trafford, the youngster has been scoring bagfuls in the League Cup, and he could be another to make the jump to international level. I have purposefully left out Adnan Januzaj, as I personally do not believe that the United winger should choose to represent England, having lived elsewhere and formed bonds with another country for the majority of his life.
As we can see, midfield seems to be an area that England have covered for the Qatar World Cup. Up-front, Saido Berahino can add to the likes of Daniel Sturridge, Danny Welbeck and even Andy Carroll, if he forces his way back into the fold. However, based purely on Premier League youngsters, the squad is perilously thin on goalkeepers and defenders. Can promising players from the lower leagues solve this?
Quite simply, no. There are perhaps only four names of players plying their trades in the Championship or below that may make it into the England squad any time in the near future. Though he technically is owned by Stoke, Jack Butland has played the vast majority of his career at Championship level, currently playing for Barnsley. He is an excellent goalkeeper, but one that has not quite reached his true potential as yet. The same could not be said for Tom Ince. The 21-year-old is lighting up the Championship at the minute, and has already been the subject of a bid from Liverpool. I fully expect to see him in and around the England squad within the next few years. Similarly, Will Hughes is another exceptional prospect. The 18-year-old Derby County man has had to fend off interest from the two Manchester clubs and Chelsea to keep playing regular football, and I suspect that he is a real talent for the future. The final name is Danny Ings. Though not consistent enough to really merit significant hype, the Burnley man has had his best season so far, scoring goals for fun in England's second tier. It will be the step up to the Premier League that decides whether he will be international class, or if he will go the same way as David Nugent.
From this analysis, it looks as though the lower leagues actually have a smaller role to play in the shaping of English talent than the Premier League. This would be a concern if it were true, but I think it is not. If we look at many of the names that have just been discussed, along with the names that will still be around the England squad in 2022, we see a significant amount of lower league involvement in their progress. Looking at the names in the current squad, Kyle Walker spent time at Sheffield United, Tom Cleverley had spells at Watford and Leicester, both Alex Oxlade Chamberlain and Theo Walcott began their careers at Southampton, Danny Welbeck had a brief stay at Preston and Andros Townsend played at 8 different football league clubs! The Football League, then, has contributed to many of our current internationals. But what about those for the future? Have they all come from Premier League youth academies?
The future prospects also show signs of Football League involvement. Of those mentioned above, only James Ward-Prowse and Raheem Sterling have been brought up entirely by Premier League clubs, playing only in the top division. Ravel Morrison had a season-long loan at Birmingham, whilst Nathan Redmond began his career there, leaving only this summer. Saido Berahino spent time on loan at Northampton Town, whilst Ross Barkley also went out on loan to Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday. Wilfried Zaha spent almost the entirety of his fledgling career at Crystal Palace, helping them to the Premier League in 2013. So what role do the lower leagues play in the development of the England squad? The fact that the 'State of the Game' report indicates that the Championship's English players make up 70.5% of the minutes played in the second tier last season, up 7% on 2007/8, tells us that the Championship is rapidly becoming a cauldron for young, British talent. This is especially true when you consider the amount of loan signings that we can see from Premier League clubs to Football League ones. This means that the Football League, and the Championship in particular, will be a significant contributor to any England side of the future.
Can the lower leagues help England win the 2022 World Cup? In my opinion, unless Barnet or someone help discover the new Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, I doubt it. We need a complete change of our grassroots system, and a much more nurturing attitude to our young English players. The loan system is valuable, but we need plenty of young English players, like Barkley and Wilshere playing regularly in the Premier League. Should we overhaul the system, we can win the 2022 World Cup. However, I feel that we are still some way from an overhaul, and therefore, still some way from ending our near-50 year hoodoo.
Analysis of sporting events, talking points and controversies.
Showing posts with label Qualifiers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Qualifiers. Show all posts
Tuesday, 15 October 2013
Monday, 14 October 2013
England Series: What Does 'The State of the Game' Mean For The National Team?
In the build-up to Tuesday's do-or-die fixture at home to Poland, I will be running an England mini-series, looking at the talking points that have haunted the England side's preparations, and looking at their chances going forward. A few weeks ago, I gave my opinion on Greg Dyke's comments that England should be looking to reach the semi-finals of the Euro 2020 competition, and win the World Cup in 2022 in Qatar. This assumes that the groundwork is already in place for England to become a viable winner of trophies, as Spain's 'Golden Age' really began a decade or so previously, with the change of several rules regarding training of youngsters. Using the State of the Game report, as well as evidence from the current England squad and the lower leagues, I will examine just how much creedence can be given to Dyke's claims. I dismissed them a few weeks ago-was I wrong to?
28th February 1999. The last time any Premier League side fielded an entire XI of English players. The team: Aston Villa. The match: Coventry City vs Villa. The scoreline: 4-1. Which perhaps explains why it has never happened since. Nevertheless, it is slightly worrying when you consider that less than a third of the Premier League minutes played were by English players, after staggering decline of English players in the Premier League. This is the reality as described by the BBC State of the Game report last week. However, is it really any different around the continent? With the influx of players from Europe and, especially, South America, is it really that surprising that the leagues have been diluted? This post will compare the plight of the English game to other European leagues, before assessing why this has occurred, in order to see just how much of an English specific problem this is. Finally, by assessing the performance of the England team in the recent World Cup Qualifiers, we can further compare them as a footballing force to other European nations.
First, I think it would be useful to outline the core findings of this report. The BBC State of the Game report is taken once every 5 years, in order to get a basic lay of the land during the intermittent period. The 2013 report stated that the percentage of minutes played by English players in the Premier League has dipped below a third of the overall minutes played. The 32.26% that English players have played this season is a dip on the 2007/8 stat of 35.43%, and, as a result, is the lowest ever on record. This has prompted many in the game to make statements about how worrying this should be considered, almost blaming the Premier League for the lack of English talent. Personally, I believe that they have the cause and effect the wrong way around. Whilst the influx of foreign players inevitably affects the national squad, it is not the fault of other players if England as a nation are not the force they once were. If the league wants to compete with the other European leagues (e.g. Spain, Italy and Germany), they need to be providing the best talent. If that is not from England, as is the case at the minute, it is not the fault of the league.
One way of looking to see the influence of South American and African imports is to look at competing European leagues. Are imports really more prevalent in the Premier League than in the Bundesliga or La Liga? The State of the Game report indicates that perhaps there is an English-specific problem. La Liga, the league of the current World Cup holders, and winner of the last three major international tournaments available in Europe, Spain, shows that 59% of the minutes played were played by Spaniards. Meanwhile, in Germany, the Bundesliga's statistics are vastly similar to that of their Spanish counterparts, with Germans making up 50% of the minutes played. This clearly indicates that the Premier League relies far more on players from abroad than homegrown talents.
So why is there such a gap between the continental leagues and the Premier League? On the face of it, it doesn't make sense, as many of the big money transfers over the last few summers have been from Spanish or German clubs, not buying Spanish or German players. Looking purely at this season's transfers, whilst Real Madrid did sign two Spanish youngsters for large sums (Isco and Illaramendi), the majority of their transfer outlay were on foreign players (Bale, Casemiro and Carvajal). Barcelona's only signing was Brazilian Neymar, indicating that foreign players do still play a significant role when it comes to Spanish transfers. The same is true for the Bundesliga, where big name signings like Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Luis Gustavo, Thiago Alcantara and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were also brought in from abroad. However, whilst the big name transfers and the big teams are the ones more frequently focused on, the teams that really give the indication of the study are those further down the table. Looking at Spain, we can see that there are only two teams outside of the El Clasico pair that spent more than £20 Million on players. Similarly, in Germany, only three teams outside of the top two spent past that margin. Generally speaking, foreign players tend to be more expensive, so those that have spent large sums have generally brought in foreign talent. However, if we look at Premier League teams outside the Manchester clubs, eleven of the 18 clubs have spent beyond £20 Million in this recent transfer window. In England, there has been the school of thought that the better English players are rare and overpriced, and therefore too expensive for smaller clubs to buy, making foreign players a more affordable alternative. However, we can also see that the majority of big-name transfers have been foreign, with the likes of Willian, Lamela, Eriksen, Ozil and Osvaldo all coming in for large fees. This perhaps goes some way to explaining exactly why we have seen a decline in the percentage of minutes played by English players in the Premier League.
However, to what extent does this affect the England national team more than that of other nations? Do the players in the national squads get regular game time? Underneath I will lay out what I consider to be each of the nations' top squads (all 4-4-2 formation). This way we can see whether each of the sides' starting line-ups are playing regularly.
Spain: Casillas, Jordi Alba, Sergio Ramos, Pique, Arbeloa, Pedro, Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas, Soldado, Negredo
Germany: Neuer, Lahm, Boateng, Hummels, Jansen, Muller, Ozil, Schweinsteiger, Kroos, Kiessling, Gomez
England: Hart, Walker, Cahill, Jagielka, Baines, Walcott, Gerrard, Lampard, Milner, Rooney, Sturridge
Looking at these XI's, we can see that in Spain's case, every single one of the names mentioned play week-in, week-out, with 9 of the 11 coming from the El Clasico pair. The other pair, both strikers, now play every match for their sides Tottenham and Manchester City respectively. This is a similar story for Germany. Every one of their XI plays on a weekly basis, with 7 of their players coming from Bayern Munich or Borussia Dortmund. For England, whilst the majority play every match, there are a few that have found they are in strong competition for their place at club level. Gary Cahill and Frank Lampard at Chelsea have both, at one time or another, found themselves ousted in favour of either David Luiz (in Cahill's case) or Ramires/Kevin De Bruyne (in Lampard's). James Milner has also found it difficult to break into the Manchester City midfield. Though he often starts the important matches, he is usually used as a bit-part player, covering for the likes of Jesus Navas and Fernandinho. Before the start of the season, even Wayne Rooney's place was not guaranteed at United, with the Englishman playing second fiddle to Robin van Persie for the majority of last season. His performances so far this season have won him his place back, but this shows that the influx of foreign players is affecting the national team. The differences are far more stark when we consider those that would be expecting to be on the bench. Spain's bench is an embarrasment of riches, with the likes of Valdes, Jesus Navas, David Silva, Juan Mata, Santi Cazorla all playing regular football. Germany's bench is much the same, with Adler, Khedira, Gotze, Mertesacker and Draxler in their first-team squads. Looking at those players pushing for the bench for England, Fraser Forster and Andros Townsend illustrate the rare exceptions to the rule. Players like Jack Wilshere, Danny Welbeck, Tom Cleverley, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Jermain Defoe all have a battle on their hands to retain their place, with many of them having to settle for benchwarmer for part of the season. This will have a disastrous effect on the strength in depth of the squad, as without match practice, the England team will be left far behind by their European rivals, as has been the case in recent years.
How does the English game rectify this? As I stated earlier, the Premier League prides itself on being (arguably) the best league in the world, and with that status comes a lot of money. The league can only work with what they are given, and if the problems with the English players begin at the very bottom, as I suspect, there is where we need to start. Enforcing 'minimum English' rules will only be to the detriment of the Premier League, as we will inevitably see the top talent elsewhere. What we have to do is train the English top talents properly here. By bettering our training techniques, teaching technical ability over 'win at all costs', we should see some of the better players rise to the top at junior level. By nurturing our players properly, and teaching them the skills they need to succeed, there is no reason why we cannot follow Spain's example and have a 'Golden Generation'. We just need to get the grassroots organised correctly first.
28th February 1999. The last time any Premier League side fielded an entire XI of English players. The team: Aston Villa. The match: Coventry City vs Villa. The scoreline: 4-1. Which perhaps explains why it has never happened since. Nevertheless, it is slightly worrying when you consider that less than a third of the Premier League minutes played were by English players, after staggering decline of English players in the Premier League. This is the reality as described by the BBC State of the Game report last week. However, is it really any different around the continent? With the influx of players from Europe and, especially, South America, is it really that surprising that the leagues have been diluted? This post will compare the plight of the English game to other European leagues, before assessing why this has occurred, in order to see just how much of an English specific problem this is. Finally, by assessing the performance of the England team in the recent World Cup Qualifiers, we can further compare them as a footballing force to other European nations.
First, I think it would be useful to outline the core findings of this report. The BBC State of the Game report is taken once every 5 years, in order to get a basic lay of the land during the intermittent period. The 2013 report stated that the percentage of minutes played by English players in the Premier League has dipped below a third of the overall minutes played. The 32.26% that English players have played this season is a dip on the 2007/8 stat of 35.43%, and, as a result, is the lowest ever on record. This has prompted many in the game to make statements about how worrying this should be considered, almost blaming the Premier League for the lack of English talent. Personally, I believe that they have the cause and effect the wrong way around. Whilst the influx of foreign players inevitably affects the national squad, it is not the fault of other players if England as a nation are not the force they once were. If the league wants to compete with the other European leagues (e.g. Spain, Italy and Germany), they need to be providing the best talent. If that is not from England, as is the case at the minute, it is not the fault of the league.
One way of looking to see the influence of South American and African imports is to look at competing European leagues. Are imports really more prevalent in the Premier League than in the Bundesliga or La Liga? The State of the Game report indicates that perhaps there is an English-specific problem. La Liga, the league of the current World Cup holders, and winner of the last three major international tournaments available in Europe, Spain, shows that 59% of the minutes played were played by Spaniards. Meanwhile, in Germany, the Bundesliga's statistics are vastly similar to that of their Spanish counterparts, with Germans making up 50% of the minutes played. This clearly indicates that the Premier League relies far more on players from abroad than homegrown talents.
So why is there such a gap between the continental leagues and the Premier League? On the face of it, it doesn't make sense, as many of the big money transfers over the last few summers have been from Spanish or German clubs, not buying Spanish or German players. Looking purely at this season's transfers, whilst Real Madrid did sign two Spanish youngsters for large sums (Isco and Illaramendi), the majority of their transfer outlay were on foreign players (Bale, Casemiro and Carvajal). Barcelona's only signing was Brazilian Neymar, indicating that foreign players do still play a significant role when it comes to Spanish transfers. The same is true for the Bundesliga, where big name signings like Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Luis Gustavo, Thiago Alcantara and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were also brought in from abroad. However, whilst the big name transfers and the big teams are the ones more frequently focused on, the teams that really give the indication of the study are those further down the table. Looking at Spain, we can see that there are only two teams outside of the El Clasico pair that spent more than £20 Million on players. Similarly, in Germany, only three teams outside of the top two spent past that margin. Generally speaking, foreign players tend to be more expensive, so those that have spent large sums have generally brought in foreign talent. However, if we look at Premier League teams outside the Manchester clubs, eleven of the 18 clubs have spent beyond £20 Million in this recent transfer window. In England, there has been the school of thought that the better English players are rare and overpriced, and therefore too expensive for smaller clubs to buy, making foreign players a more affordable alternative. However, we can also see that the majority of big-name transfers have been foreign, with the likes of Willian, Lamela, Eriksen, Ozil and Osvaldo all coming in for large fees. This perhaps goes some way to explaining exactly why we have seen a decline in the percentage of minutes played by English players in the Premier League.
However, to what extent does this affect the England national team more than that of other nations? Do the players in the national squads get regular game time? Underneath I will lay out what I consider to be each of the nations' top squads (all 4-4-2 formation). This way we can see whether each of the sides' starting line-ups are playing regularly.
Spain: Casillas, Jordi Alba, Sergio Ramos, Pique, Arbeloa, Pedro, Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas, Soldado, Negredo
Germany: Neuer, Lahm, Boateng, Hummels, Jansen, Muller, Ozil, Schweinsteiger, Kroos, Kiessling, Gomez
England: Hart, Walker, Cahill, Jagielka, Baines, Walcott, Gerrard, Lampard, Milner, Rooney, Sturridge
Looking at these XI's, we can see that in Spain's case, every single one of the names mentioned play week-in, week-out, with 9 of the 11 coming from the El Clasico pair. The other pair, both strikers, now play every match for their sides Tottenham and Manchester City respectively. This is a similar story for Germany. Every one of their XI plays on a weekly basis, with 7 of their players coming from Bayern Munich or Borussia Dortmund. For England, whilst the majority play every match, there are a few that have found they are in strong competition for their place at club level. Gary Cahill and Frank Lampard at Chelsea have both, at one time or another, found themselves ousted in favour of either David Luiz (in Cahill's case) or Ramires/Kevin De Bruyne (in Lampard's). James Milner has also found it difficult to break into the Manchester City midfield. Though he often starts the important matches, he is usually used as a bit-part player, covering for the likes of Jesus Navas and Fernandinho. Before the start of the season, even Wayne Rooney's place was not guaranteed at United, with the Englishman playing second fiddle to Robin van Persie for the majority of last season. His performances so far this season have won him his place back, but this shows that the influx of foreign players is affecting the national team. The differences are far more stark when we consider those that would be expecting to be on the bench. Spain's bench is an embarrasment of riches, with the likes of Valdes, Jesus Navas, David Silva, Juan Mata, Santi Cazorla all playing regular football. Germany's bench is much the same, with Adler, Khedira, Gotze, Mertesacker and Draxler in their first-team squads. Looking at those players pushing for the bench for England, Fraser Forster and Andros Townsend illustrate the rare exceptions to the rule. Players like Jack Wilshere, Danny Welbeck, Tom Cleverley, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Jermain Defoe all have a battle on their hands to retain their place, with many of them having to settle for benchwarmer for part of the season. This will have a disastrous effect on the strength in depth of the squad, as without match practice, the England team will be left far behind by their European rivals, as has been the case in recent years.
How does the English game rectify this? As I stated earlier, the Premier League prides itself on being (arguably) the best league in the world, and with that status comes a lot of money. The league can only work with what they are given, and if the problems with the English players begin at the very bottom, as I suspect, there is where we need to start. Enforcing 'minimum English' rules will only be to the detriment of the Premier League, as we will inevitably see the top talent elsewhere. What we have to do is train the English top talents properly here. By bettering our training techniques, teaching technical ability over 'win at all costs', we should see some of the better players rise to the top at junior level. By nurturing our players properly, and teaching them the skills they need to succeed, there is no reason why we cannot follow Spain's example and have a 'Golden Generation'. We just need to get the grassroots organised correctly first.
England Series: What The Montenegro Game Says
In the build-up to Tuesday's do-or-die fixture at home to Poland, I will be running an England mini-series, looking at the talking points that have haunted the England side's preparations, and looking at their chances going forward. A few weeks ago, I gave my opinion on Greg Dyke's comments that England should be looking to reach the semi-finals of the Euro 2020 competition, and win the World Cup in 2022 in Qatar. This assumes that the groundwork is already in place for England to become a viable winner of trophies, as Spain's 'Golden Age' really began a decade or so previously, with the change of several rules regarding training of youngsters. Using the State of the Game report, as well as evidence from the current England squad and the lower leagues, I will examine just how much creedence can be given to Dyke's claims. I dismissed them a few weeks ago-was I wrong to?
England vs Sheffield. That's how I thought best described the contest on Friday. Montenegro, a country populated by just 600,000 people, around the size of Sheffield, should have posed no threat to England, who outnumber them by 100 to 1. However, such has been the decline of England as a footballing nation over the last half century, we were unsure whether we would have the strength to beat the Montenegrin side. To be fair to the Eastern Europeans, Montenegro were the only country, having played them on two or more occasions, that England had never beaten. The history of the fixture, albeit only relatively recent, seemed to illustrate the difficulty of the task. Everyone will remember the game in Podgorica back in 2011, where Wayne Rooney was sent off in a 2-2 draw, an event that would force the England striker out of the first two Euro 2012 games.
This task was made somewhat more difficult by the additional pressure placed upon the final two matches of the World Cup Qualification Group. Despite remaining undefeated in Group H, England were not assured of qualification for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Too many draws (Poland (a) Ukraine (h&a) and Montenegro (a)) had seen the chasing pack latch onto the 1966 champions, meaning that two wins from their final two matches were required to guarantee qualification. The inconsistency of England, coupled with the aforementioned poor record against the recently formed Montenegrin side (carried by the likes of Mirko Vucinic and Stevan Jovetic) meant that the valuable three points were by no means guaranteed. However, after a slow and methodical first half, England got into their stride to run out comfortable 4-1 winners. This came as a massive relief to all around the ground, and places even more emphasis on tomorrow's game with the Poles.
England, as a footballing nation, tend to leave the public in a constant bipolar state. When we win, everyone proclaims that we are certainties for the World Cup or European Championship. When we lose, the press and the public come down on the team like a ton of bricks. After this weekend's result, I have identified 5 things that we can learn from the Montenegro game, in order to keep our expectations more on an even keel.
1) Don't Get Carried Away
Before I get into the more positive aspects of our play that we can take forward with us into further competitive matches, I will offer a word of warning. Though we have ended the only unbeaten record of any country who has played multiple games against us, this is no time to get ahead of ourselves. We have to refrain from our usual practice of over-hyping that performance. Yes, we played well, but it is important to remember that this was only Montenegro. A side that currently sits in 27th place in the FIFA World Rankings. Whilst this is a good result, it is not one that marks a significant step forward. England should be expecting to beat those around them and slightly ahead. Should they beat Portugal or Chile in a competitive game, then we can say they are moving forwards. However, giving our players an sense of invincibility could have catastrophic effects, in the short term (against Poland tomorrow) or more long term (the World Cup).
2) We Can Be Patient
Friday's game, for one of the first times in my memory, was one in which England were successfully patient. Ordinarily in must-win matches, England come out of the traps quickly, hounding the opposition's area. If we score an early goal, normally, an England win follows. However, should the 20 minute mark come and go without a goal, England's passing begins to become sloppy, and they end up inviting pressure on themselves. The crowd become restless, and this translates onto the pitch. England become more and more frustrated, often resulting in exactly the opposite result of their initial aim. A story we have seen on numerous occasions against smaller nations, particularly at Wembley.
However, the game against Montenegro saw England keep their cool. Despite being unable to break the stubborn wall of Montenegrin defenders in the opening half hour, England remained solid. Though the tempo did dip on occasion, they were never threatened defensively, and they did not let their heads go down. This paid off early in the second half, when Wayne Rooney was given the chance to give the Three Lions the lead. Rarely does he squander such an opportunity. Once the first went in, it was clear that others would follow. That they did, with only a brief scare after Damjanovic deflected in a wayward shot. Nevertheless, the performance showed great maturity from England, and one that I cannot recall be so evident previously.
3) Trust In Young Talent
At Friday lunchtime, the news broke that Spurs's young winger Andros Townsend would start his first game for England. This brought about widespread criticism, myself included, as I did not believe that testing out such an inexperienced player in such an important match would reap the rewards. How wrong was I? The 22 year old thrust the words of his dissenters back down their throats with a superb display from first whistle to last. Working tirelessly to break up the play and put England back on the front foot, the midfielder was excellent creatively when he got the chance, setting up many of our better chances. Having played so well, he capped his debut off with the perfect coup de gras: the goal of the night. With England slightly rocking after Damjanovic's improvised goal to take the lead back to 1, Townsend picked the ball up 25 yards from goal and let fly. The ball flew beyond the Montenegrin keeper to hand England their two-goal cushion back, and ensure that they would take the three points. A stunning debut for the winger, who I doubt could have dreamed of such a start to the season for both club and country.
4) We Have More Than Plan A
Credit must also go to the manager. Having had a turbulent week in the press, after Harry Redknapp's autobiography criticised the selection process of Hodgson, he would have been under intense scrutiny had he failed to win the game against Montenegro. His decision to hand the debut to Andros Townsend was completely vindicated, as was his decision to begin with a extremely positive lineup. Starting with three up front was an extremely risky tactic, and it paid off for Hodgson this time. Though he may not be as fortunate against other opponents, it would be unfair to claim that it was merely luck that saw England through the game. Hodgson is blamed when it may otherwise have been attributed to misfortune, so I see no reason why we should not praise him when it could be described as good fortune. His tactical knowledge enabled him to make small changes at half time, and these changes had an immediate impact. Pressure will remain on the former Fulham man on Tuesday, but his management of the situation on Friday can instil some confidence in his ability to take the team forward.
5) Defensive Partnerships Are Emerging
Finally, whilst this was something that I spotted predominantly during the Ukraine away game, it was clearly evident just how well Phil Jagielka and Gary Cahill have got to know each others' games at the heart of the England defence. The understanding between the pair was exceptional, and reminded me of the partnership that a young Rio Ferdinand and John Terry used to provide during the 'Golden Era' of English football. Whilst they are yet to be fully tested, they are certainly showing signs of connection, which will only be good moving forward. Baines also had an outstanding game on the left, and I feel that England have a ready made replacement for the aging Ashley Cole, who is perhaps past his best. The only area that remains of some concern, especially when considering the near future, is the right back position. Whilst Kyle Walker is an excellent attacking prospect, as well as a reasonable defender, the problem comes when attempting to play a more offensive winger (like Andros Townsend) with him on the right. Whilst against opposition like Montenegro this tactic may work, I would expect to see the like of James Milner on the right more often against the stronger sides, as he provides defensive cover for when the young right back bombs forward. Nevertheless, the England defence are finally showing signs of solidarity and stability, and this can only be a positive thing.
England have done, in Hodgson's own words 'half the job'. Having seen off Montenegro, the task does not get any easier. The home match against Poland may seem in England's favour at first glance, but players like Robert Lewandowski and Jakub Blaszczykowski will pose a significant threat to England. No-one wants a repeat performance of Croatia 2007! A win is essential. If we play as we did in the Montenegro game, taking into account the above 5 points, I feel we have enough to win the game. Take our foot off the gas for just a second, however, and we may see our World Cup dreams slip away.
England vs Sheffield. That's how I thought best described the contest on Friday. Montenegro, a country populated by just 600,000 people, around the size of Sheffield, should have posed no threat to England, who outnumber them by 100 to 1. However, such has been the decline of England as a footballing nation over the last half century, we were unsure whether we would have the strength to beat the Montenegrin side. To be fair to the Eastern Europeans, Montenegro were the only country, having played them on two or more occasions, that England had never beaten. The history of the fixture, albeit only relatively recent, seemed to illustrate the difficulty of the task. Everyone will remember the game in Podgorica back in 2011, where Wayne Rooney was sent off in a 2-2 draw, an event that would force the England striker out of the first two Euro 2012 games.
This task was made somewhat more difficult by the additional pressure placed upon the final two matches of the World Cup Qualification Group. Despite remaining undefeated in Group H, England were not assured of qualification for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Too many draws (Poland (a) Ukraine (h&a) and Montenegro (a)) had seen the chasing pack latch onto the 1966 champions, meaning that two wins from their final two matches were required to guarantee qualification. The inconsistency of England, coupled with the aforementioned poor record against the recently formed Montenegrin side (carried by the likes of Mirko Vucinic and Stevan Jovetic) meant that the valuable three points were by no means guaranteed. However, after a slow and methodical first half, England got into their stride to run out comfortable 4-1 winners. This came as a massive relief to all around the ground, and places even more emphasis on tomorrow's game with the Poles.
England, as a footballing nation, tend to leave the public in a constant bipolar state. When we win, everyone proclaims that we are certainties for the World Cup or European Championship. When we lose, the press and the public come down on the team like a ton of bricks. After this weekend's result, I have identified 5 things that we can learn from the Montenegro game, in order to keep our expectations more on an even keel.
1) Don't Get Carried Away
Before I get into the more positive aspects of our play that we can take forward with us into further competitive matches, I will offer a word of warning. Though we have ended the only unbeaten record of any country who has played multiple games against us, this is no time to get ahead of ourselves. We have to refrain from our usual practice of over-hyping that performance. Yes, we played well, but it is important to remember that this was only Montenegro. A side that currently sits in 27th place in the FIFA World Rankings. Whilst this is a good result, it is not one that marks a significant step forward. England should be expecting to beat those around them and slightly ahead. Should they beat Portugal or Chile in a competitive game, then we can say they are moving forwards. However, giving our players an sense of invincibility could have catastrophic effects, in the short term (against Poland tomorrow) or more long term (the World Cup).
2) We Can Be Patient
Friday's game, for one of the first times in my memory, was one in which England were successfully patient. Ordinarily in must-win matches, England come out of the traps quickly, hounding the opposition's area. If we score an early goal, normally, an England win follows. However, should the 20 minute mark come and go without a goal, England's passing begins to become sloppy, and they end up inviting pressure on themselves. The crowd become restless, and this translates onto the pitch. England become more and more frustrated, often resulting in exactly the opposite result of their initial aim. A story we have seen on numerous occasions against smaller nations, particularly at Wembley.
However, the game against Montenegro saw England keep their cool. Despite being unable to break the stubborn wall of Montenegrin defenders in the opening half hour, England remained solid. Though the tempo did dip on occasion, they were never threatened defensively, and they did not let their heads go down. This paid off early in the second half, when Wayne Rooney was given the chance to give the Three Lions the lead. Rarely does he squander such an opportunity. Once the first went in, it was clear that others would follow. That they did, with only a brief scare after Damjanovic deflected in a wayward shot. Nevertheless, the performance showed great maturity from England, and one that I cannot recall be so evident previously.
3) Trust In Young Talent
At Friday lunchtime, the news broke that Spurs's young winger Andros Townsend would start his first game for England. This brought about widespread criticism, myself included, as I did not believe that testing out such an inexperienced player in such an important match would reap the rewards. How wrong was I? The 22 year old thrust the words of his dissenters back down their throats with a superb display from first whistle to last. Working tirelessly to break up the play and put England back on the front foot, the midfielder was excellent creatively when he got the chance, setting up many of our better chances. Having played so well, he capped his debut off with the perfect coup de gras: the goal of the night. With England slightly rocking after Damjanovic's improvised goal to take the lead back to 1, Townsend picked the ball up 25 yards from goal and let fly. The ball flew beyond the Montenegrin keeper to hand England their two-goal cushion back, and ensure that they would take the three points. A stunning debut for the winger, who I doubt could have dreamed of such a start to the season for both club and country.
4) We Have More Than Plan A
Credit must also go to the manager. Having had a turbulent week in the press, after Harry Redknapp's autobiography criticised the selection process of Hodgson, he would have been under intense scrutiny had he failed to win the game against Montenegro. His decision to hand the debut to Andros Townsend was completely vindicated, as was his decision to begin with a extremely positive lineup. Starting with three up front was an extremely risky tactic, and it paid off for Hodgson this time. Though he may not be as fortunate against other opponents, it would be unfair to claim that it was merely luck that saw England through the game. Hodgson is blamed when it may otherwise have been attributed to misfortune, so I see no reason why we should not praise him when it could be described as good fortune. His tactical knowledge enabled him to make small changes at half time, and these changes had an immediate impact. Pressure will remain on the former Fulham man on Tuesday, but his management of the situation on Friday can instil some confidence in his ability to take the team forward.
5) Defensive Partnerships Are Emerging
Finally, whilst this was something that I spotted predominantly during the Ukraine away game, it was clearly evident just how well Phil Jagielka and Gary Cahill have got to know each others' games at the heart of the England defence. The understanding between the pair was exceptional, and reminded me of the partnership that a young Rio Ferdinand and John Terry used to provide during the 'Golden Era' of English football. Whilst they are yet to be fully tested, they are certainly showing signs of connection, which will only be good moving forward. Baines also had an outstanding game on the left, and I feel that England have a ready made replacement for the aging Ashley Cole, who is perhaps past his best. The only area that remains of some concern, especially when considering the near future, is the right back position. Whilst Kyle Walker is an excellent attacking prospect, as well as a reasonable defender, the problem comes when attempting to play a more offensive winger (like Andros Townsend) with him on the right. Whilst against opposition like Montenegro this tactic may work, I would expect to see the like of James Milner on the right more often against the stronger sides, as he provides defensive cover for when the young right back bombs forward. Nevertheless, the England defence are finally showing signs of solidarity and stability, and this can only be a positive thing.
England have done, in Hodgson's own words 'half the job'. Having seen off Montenegro, the task does not get any easier. The home match against Poland may seem in England's favour at first glance, but players like Robert Lewandowski and Jakub Blaszczykowski will pose a significant threat to England. No-one wants a repeat performance of Croatia 2007! A win is essential. If we play as we did in the Montenegro game, taking into account the above 5 points, I feel we have enough to win the game. Take our foot off the gas for just a second, however, and we may see our World Cup dreams slip away.
Saturday, 12 October 2013
England Series: Joe Hart: Over-Reliance Breeds Complacency
In the build-up to Tuesday's do-or-die fixture at home to Poland, I will be running an England mini-series, looking at the talking points that have haunted the England side's preparations, and looking at their chances going forward. A few weeks ago, I gave my opinion on Greg Dyke's comments that England should be looking to reach the semi-finals of the Euro 2020 competition, and win the World Cup in 2022 in Qatar. This assumes that the groundwork is already in place for England to become a viable winner of trophies, as Spain's 'Golden Age' really began a decade or so previously, with the change of several rules regarding training of youngsters. Using the State of the Game report, as well as evidence from the current England squad and the lower leagues, I will examine just how much creedence can be given to Dyke's claims. I dismissed them a few weeks ago-was I wrong to?
However, I will start with the talking points that have hit the headlines in the run-up to last night's match with Montenegro. The British media use rather wild expectations, with often contradictory arguments, when portraying our footballers and England as a footballing nation. I have long since despaired of the fact that, whenever a major tournament or big game is on the horizon, the British (mainly tabloid) media tend to overhype the abilities of our players. This leads to many people (ridiculous optimists, as I prefer to call them) claiming every World Cup year that 'we're going to win it'. Arguably the most ludicrous of these was Chris Kamara's claims on 8 Out Of 10 Cats last year. Ok, he was releasing his own England single (God knows why), and therefore had to be a little more optimistic about England's chances than I ever am, but he attempted to convince 5 comedians that England realistically had a chance of winning Euro 2012. A tall order at the best of times, but, with the team that England had assembled last year, it was almost laughable to hear his claims. Although not quite as laughable as some of the comebacks that Jimmy Carr and the like had for him! However, for those of you that have read the title of this blog and thought I am going wildly off topic, just bear with me. It will become clear. The most annoying aspect to the British media regarding English football is that, as a result of holding these ridiculously optimistic expectations, assuming that England will steamroller any nation in their path, they then lambast any player that does not meet their (overhyped) demands. This usually refers to how much they get paid (I know it's a lot, but it's private money, the full argument of which I will not get into here), how irrelevant what they are doing is (despite the coverage the media gives it and the money it brings to the economy every year) etc etc. This has the inevitable effect of sapping the confidence of any player that finds themselves on the recieving end of this pressure, as they know that every move they make is being scrutinised under ridiculous standards. As we will see, just one mistake is often sufficient to see a player's international career ended by bad press.
Goalkeepers, historically, have a extremely bad press whenever they make a mistake. That is because, inevitably, whenever they make a mistake, a goal usually is the end result. This is the situation that they signed up for when they accepted the position, and therefore should expect more media scrutiny than that of a central midfielder. However, I feel that the disparity in blame apportioned to goalkeepers to that given to strikers that miss guilt-edged chances is unfair. Both cost their sides a goal, so there is no problem in terms of comparison. Equally, I think the person that gives away possession that costs a goal should be treated similarly. Nevertheless, I think that the extent of public scrutiny given to any footballer will have a self-fulfilling prophecy effect on most individuals. They will take more risks to put themselves back in the media's good books, and as a result, will often fail, leading to further dirision. This is not really repeated by any other national media around the world, and I refuse to believe that this does not have an effect. The amount of pressure placed upon any footballer for individual mistakes is unfair, and should be stopped. However, there are too many examples, especially to goalkeepers, in recent years that suggests that the practice will continue for the foreseeable future.
The expansion of the mass media has led to this scrutiny, which is why all examples are within the last 20 years or so. The first that I can remember: David Beckham's media assassination after the 1998 World Cup. His sending off in the crucial game against Argentina led the papers to crucify the young winger, subjecting him to abuse that no person should ever have to go through. The Sun headline of 'Sorry Lads, No Tits, Only Beckham' is particularly memorable, and is indicative of the abuse that the England man went through. A weaker person would have crumbled-fortunately Beckham responded to become the player we all know today. It did not end his England career. Three former England goalkeepers were not so fortunate. In 2002, after another World Cup exit, this time at the hands of eventual winners Brazil, the media formed a lynch-mob to end the England career of David Seaman. After being at fault for the now-infamous Ronaldinho free-kick, Seaman was hounded out of his position in the England squad. Similar fates have since befallen Scott Carson (England vs Croatia, 2008), Steve McLaren ('The Wally With The Brolly', England vs Croatia, 2008) and Rob Green (England vs USA, 2010). None of these individuals have been involved in the England squad since, and this can only be attributed to the media. I am a firm believer that a mistake can be forgiven, as long as the person learns from it. The media's reaction to the mistakes means that the individual is not given the time to learn anything, as they are usually ousted.
This is the fate that could also await Joe Hart. The current England number 1 was the prime beneficiary of Rob Green's demise in 2010 (after the short reliance on the aging David James), and has secured the goalkeeper's jersey from that point. He began his career at lower league Shrewsbury Town, before a rapidly improving Manchester City spotted the talented youngster in 2006. His £100,000 fee seems like an absolute steal now, especially considering the £15 Million that neighbours United shelled out on David De Gea in 2011. His early years for City were spent mostly on loan, first at Tranmere and then Blackpool, before he finally got his hands on the Man City jersey in 2008. After a good first season for City, where he made his first England appearance in a friendly against Trinidad and Tobago in that June. He also started the following season in good form, but, with the arrival of Shay Given from Newcastle, he found himself out in the cold at City. He therefore decided to go out on loan to Birmingham City for the 2009/2010 season. It would prove to be the best decision of his career. In his breakthrough season, he helped the recently promoted Birmingham set a club record 12 Premier League matches unbeaten, and earned himself a place in the PFA Team of the Year. Though he narrowly missed out on an individual award, to be nominated at all was a great achievement. Since he returned to City, he has solidified the goalkeeper's jersey, winning the Golden Glove award (most clean sheets) for the last three years.
However, his more recent form has given the media, and the fans, plenty of reasons to criticise him. Whilst his reflexes are excellent, he is often prone to a mistake. Earlier mistakes for City against Blackburn in 2010 and Leicester in 2011, and Poland in 2012 for England, led to many stating that his 'cocky' demeanour was adversely affecting his game. He retaliated with an excellent 2011/2012 season, leading City to their first top flight title in 44 years, but those mistakes have resurfaced more recently. Beginning with a howler in the England/Scotland game, allowing James Morrison's effort to slip over the line, before a ragged start to the Premier League season with City, with mistakes against Cardiff and Aston Villa, before a nightmare in the Champions League against Bayern Munich. This has led for many pundits (Roy Keane) and the media to call for Hart to be replaced, with Celtic's Fraser Forster the most likely replacement. This pressure leaves Hart at a crossroads, with an important decision to make. With the additional pressure, does he try harder to produce exceptional performances, that we all know he is capable of, and risk making further mistakes, or does he attempt to slide under the radar with unspectacular, but simple performances? Unfortunately, the latter has become far more difficult to do, with every goal conceded now blown up and scrutinised to the n'th degree. Romelu Lukaku's goal for Everton at the weekend is a good example of this. Whilst this was essentially a one-on-one situation from 10 yards, a penalty, Hart's inability to save was criticised (unfairly in my view) by some. It is something he will have to put up with for the foreseeable future.
But, in Hart's case, is it even fair? For every mistake he has made, he has made countless match-saving stops. As a City fan, I can think of several matches where Hart's athleticism and brilliance has saved a point, or three, at one time or another. I will give two examples of this that are clearest in the memory. The opening of the 2010/2011 season saw City travel to Spurs, where a quite incredible display of goalkeeping, to deny Huddlestone, Kranjcar, and, most memorably, an incredible snapshot from Jermain Defoe, to preserve a point for the Blues. The second example occurred just last season, which illustrates just how short-termist and fickle football pundits, fans and the media are. The home game against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League saw Hart make flying save after save, denying Reus and Lewandowski on numerous occasions. He was the only reason City managed to pick a point up from that game, and showed just how good a goalkeeper he is. For England, he has also shown his quality. At Euro 2012 he was consistently strong, making good saves in each of the group games, and ensuring that Italy could not score in the quarter final. The game where I feel he showed his club form was in the friendly game against Brazil. Saving shot after shot in a Brazil-dominated first half, Hart even managed to deny Ronaldinho from the penalty spot, before making another excellent save from Fred later in the half. This allowed England to get a foothold in the game, eventually taking the lead. Though they could not hang on, they were indebtted to Hart for the draw.
One thing that could be levelled at Hart is a sense of complacency. This is partially his fault, and partially due to the circumstances that he finds himself in. As both his club, and his country, rely on him heavily in goal, with little in the way of alternatives. For City, Costel Pantilimon is an adequate cup keeper, meaning that City need Hart to remain fit and in form to be successful. For England, only Fraser Forster has looked like putting any sort of pressure on Hart for the jersey, as his competition has been few and far between. This will instil a sense of invincibility in the player involved, as when they believe their place is safe, there is no need to go the extra mile to impress. This has the end result of getting complacent, which almost inevitably leads to poor performances and mistakes. This is the situation that Joe Hart finds himself in, and he desperately needs to get out of it. City signing an adequate back-up keeper (Given would be a good choice) would help his club form, and Forster's recent rise could be the best thing for England, as Hart will feel that pressure for his place that he needs to be at his best.
Nevertheless, the voracity of the criticism that Hart has been receiving in recent weeks is just wrong, as he has not done enough wrong to be deserving of such abuse. He has the backing of both his club, and national managers (which is not entirely surprising when considering the paragraph above), and he will continue to be top dog for both for the time being. In order to rectify the situation, Hart needs the pressure from another goalkeeper, but he does not need the additional pressure from the media's unrealistic ambitions. To strive perfection is acceptable, but to expect it is unfair. The British media seems particularly culpable of being optimistic, and pessimistic, when it most suits them, and this has a knock-on effect on our players. We need to be a little more realistic in our expectations before we start applying them to people.
However, I will start with the talking points that have hit the headlines in the run-up to last night's match with Montenegro. The British media use rather wild expectations, with often contradictory arguments, when portraying our footballers and England as a footballing nation. I have long since despaired of the fact that, whenever a major tournament or big game is on the horizon, the British (mainly tabloid) media tend to overhype the abilities of our players. This leads to many people (ridiculous optimists, as I prefer to call them) claiming every World Cup year that 'we're going to win it'. Arguably the most ludicrous of these was Chris Kamara's claims on 8 Out Of 10 Cats last year. Ok, he was releasing his own England single (God knows why), and therefore had to be a little more optimistic about England's chances than I ever am, but he attempted to convince 5 comedians that England realistically had a chance of winning Euro 2012. A tall order at the best of times, but, with the team that England had assembled last year, it was almost laughable to hear his claims. Although not quite as laughable as some of the comebacks that Jimmy Carr and the like had for him! However, for those of you that have read the title of this blog and thought I am going wildly off topic, just bear with me. It will become clear. The most annoying aspect to the British media regarding English football is that, as a result of holding these ridiculously optimistic expectations, assuming that England will steamroller any nation in their path, they then lambast any player that does not meet their (overhyped) demands. This usually refers to how much they get paid (I know it's a lot, but it's private money, the full argument of which I will not get into here), how irrelevant what they are doing is (despite the coverage the media gives it and the money it brings to the economy every year) etc etc. This has the inevitable effect of sapping the confidence of any player that finds themselves on the recieving end of this pressure, as they know that every move they make is being scrutinised under ridiculous standards. As we will see, just one mistake is often sufficient to see a player's international career ended by bad press.
Goalkeepers, historically, have a extremely bad press whenever they make a mistake. That is because, inevitably, whenever they make a mistake, a goal usually is the end result. This is the situation that they signed up for when they accepted the position, and therefore should expect more media scrutiny than that of a central midfielder. However, I feel that the disparity in blame apportioned to goalkeepers to that given to strikers that miss guilt-edged chances is unfair. Both cost their sides a goal, so there is no problem in terms of comparison. Equally, I think the person that gives away possession that costs a goal should be treated similarly. Nevertheless, I think that the extent of public scrutiny given to any footballer will have a self-fulfilling prophecy effect on most individuals. They will take more risks to put themselves back in the media's good books, and as a result, will often fail, leading to further dirision. This is not really repeated by any other national media around the world, and I refuse to believe that this does not have an effect. The amount of pressure placed upon any footballer for individual mistakes is unfair, and should be stopped. However, there are too many examples, especially to goalkeepers, in recent years that suggests that the practice will continue for the foreseeable future.
The expansion of the mass media has led to this scrutiny, which is why all examples are within the last 20 years or so. The first that I can remember: David Beckham's media assassination after the 1998 World Cup. His sending off in the crucial game against Argentina led the papers to crucify the young winger, subjecting him to abuse that no person should ever have to go through. The Sun headline of 'Sorry Lads, No Tits, Only Beckham' is particularly memorable, and is indicative of the abuse that the England man went through. A weaker person would have crumbled-fortunately Beckham responded to become the player we all know today. It did not end his England career. Three former England goalkeepers were not so fortunate. In 2002, after another World Cup exit, this time at the hands of eventual winners Brazil, the media formed a lynch-mob to end the England career of David Seaman. After being at fault for the now-infamous Ronaldinho free-kick, Seaman was hounded out of his position in the England squad. Similar fates have since befallen Scott Carson (England vs Croatia, 2008), Steve McLaren ('The Wally With The Brolly', England vs Croatia, 2008) and Rob Green (England vs USA, 2010). None of these individuals have been involved in the England squad since, and this can only be attributed to the media. I am a firm believer that a mistake can be forgiven, as long as the person learns from it. The media's reaction to the mistakes means that the individual is not given the time to learn anything, as they are usually ousted.
This is the fate that could also await Joe Hart. The current England number 1 was the prime beneficiary of Rob Green's demise in 2010 (after the short reliance on the aging David James), and has secured the goalkeeper's jersey from that point. He began his career at lower league Shrewsbury Town, before a rapidly improving Manchester City spotted the talented youngster in 2006. His £100,000 fee seems like an absolute steal now, especially considering the £15 Million that neighbours United shelled out on David De Gea in 2011. His early years for City were spent mostly on loan, first at Tranmere and then Blackpool, before he finally got his hands on the Man City jersey in 2008. After a good first season for City, where he made his first England appearance in a friendly against Trinidad and Tobago in that June. He also started the following season in good form, but, with the arrival of Shay Given from Newcastle, he found himself out in the cold at City. He therefore decided to go out on loan to Birmingham City for the 2009/2010 season. It would prove to be the best decision of his career. In his breakthrough season, he helped the recently promoted Birmingham set a club record 12 Premier League matches unbeaten, and earned himself a place in the PFA Team of the Year. Though he narrowly missed out on an individual award, to be nominated at all was a great achievement. Since he returned to City, he has solidified the goalkeeper's jersey, winning the Golden Glove award (most clean sheets) for the last three years.
However, his more recent form has given the media, and the fans, plenty of reasons to criticise him. Whilst his reflexes are excellent, he is often prone to a mistake. Earlier mistakes for City against Blackburn in 2010 and Leicester in 2011, and Poland in 2012 for England, led to many stating that his 'cocky' demeanour was adversely affecting his game. He retaliated with an excellent 2011/2012 season, leading City to their first top flight title in 44 years, but those mistakes have resurfaced more recently. Beginning with a howler in the England/Scotland game, allowing James Morrison's effort to slip over the line, before a ragged start to the Premier League season with City, with mistakes against Cardiff and Aston Villa, before a nightmare in the Champions League against Bayern Munich. This has led for many pundits (Roy Keane) and the media to call for Hart to be replaced, with Celtic's Fraser Forster the most likely replacement. This pressure leaves Hart at a crossroads, with an important decision to make. With the additional pressure, does he try harder to produce exceptional performances, that we all know he is capable of, and risk making further mistakes, or does he attempt to slide under the radar with unspectacular, but simple performances? Unfortunately, the latter has become far more difficult to do, with every goal conceded now blown up and scrutinised to the n'th degree. Romelu Lukaku's goal for Everton at the weekend is a good example of this. Whilst this was essentially a one-on-one situation from 10 yards, a penalty, Hart's inability to save was criticised (unfairly in my view) by some. It is something he will have to put up with for the foreseeable future.
But, in Hart's case, is it even fair? For every mistake he has made, he has made countless match-saving stops. As a City fan, I can think of several matches where Hart's athleticism and brilliance has saved a point, or three, at one time or another. I will give two examples of this that are clearest in the memory. The opening of the 2010/2011 season saw City travel to Spurs, where a quite incredible display of goalkeeping, to deny Huddlestone, Kranjcar, and, most memorably, an incredible snapshot from Jermain Defoe, to preserve a point for the Blues. The second example occurred just last season, which illustrates just how short-termist and fickle football pundits, fans and the media are. The home game against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League saw Hart make flying save after save, denying Reus and Lewandowski on numerous occasions. He was the only reason City managed to pick a point up from that game, and showed just how good a goalkeeper he is. For England, he has also shown his quality. At Euro 2012 he was consistently strong, making good saves in each of the group games, and ensuring that Italy could not score in the quarter final. The game where I feel he showed his club form was in the friendly game against Brazil. Saving shot after shot in a Brazil-dominated first half, Hart even managed to deny Ronaldinho from the penalty spot, before making another excellent save from Fred later in the half. This allowed England to get a foothold in the game, eventually taking the lead. Though they could not hang on, they were indebtted to Hart for the draw.
One thing that could be levelled at Hart is a sense of complacency. This is partially his fault, and partially due to the circumstances that he finds himself in. As both his club, and his country, rely on him heavily in goal, with little in the way of alternatives. For City, Costel Pantilimon is an adequate cup keeper, meaning that City need Hart to remain fit and in form to be successful. For England, only Fraser Forster has looked like putting any sort of pressure on Hart for the jersey, as his competition has been few and far between. This will instil a sense of invincibility in the player involved, as when they believe their place is safe, there is no need to go the extra mile to impress. This has the end result of getting complacent, which almost inevitably leads to poor performances and mistakes. This is the situation that Joe Hart finds himself in, and he desperately needs to get out of it. City signing an adequate back-up keeper (Given would be a good choice) would help his club form, and Forster's recent rise could be the best thing for England, as Hart will feel that pressure for his place that he needs to be at his best.
Nevertheless, the voracity of the criticism that Hart has been receiving in recent weeks is just wrong, as he has not done enough wrong to be deserving of such abuse. He has the backing of both his club, and national managers (which is not entirely surprising when considering the paragraph above), and he will continue to be top dog for both for the time being. In order to rectify the situation, Hart needs the pressure from another goalkeeper, but he does not need the additional pressure from the media's unrealistic ambitions. To strive perfection is acceptable, but to expect it is unfair. The British media seems particularly culpable of being optimistic, and pessimistic, when it most suits them, and this has a knock-on effect on our players. We need to be a little more realistic in our expectations before we start applying them to people.
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