And so, despite a frantic Premier League season, which sees congested races for both the Champions League and to avoid relegation, our attention turns to the national team. Just for that few times a year when fans can stop acting like idiots to antagonise one another (for a good example of this, please refer to Aston Villa fans' outrageous and ridiculous pitch invasion in their FA Cup quarter final against West Brom), and act like idiots together (ok, not a great step forward, but every little helps!).
However, for fans of England, there has been very little to cheer in recent years. The team has gone progressively backwards (arguably since 1990), culminating is the abysmal showing at the 2014 World Cup. For those of you that don't remember, allow me to share the statistical highlights. Two goals. One point. The worst English World Cup campaign since 1958. Feeling suitably morbid? Then we'll continue.
Since the Brazil aberration, England have done what England do best - given their fans false hope of a recovery. Six straight wins since the World Cup, albeit against the likes of San Marino and Estonia, has inevitably lifted the spirits of England fans - who have to be some of the most overly optimistic supporters on the face of the planet.
But what is the reason behind England's recent decline? As much as club sides and the lack of 'home-grown talent' often take the blame, deservedly so in many cases, I believe I may have uncovered an additional reason. If we look at the last three long-term managers of the national side, we see a clear trend. As with Louis van Gaal's much maligned Manchester United side this season, constant chopping and changing of players and systems can have a disastrous impact on form and performance. Here, England have previous. In his 37 games in charge, Roy Hodgson has used a remarkable 60 players - in just three years! This averages out at introducing 1.62 new players every match, which cannot be good for securing a consistent team.
However, I mentioned that this is not a Hodgson-specific issue. Fabio Capello, Steve McClaren and Sven-Goran Eriksson also all regularly rotated their squads, selecting a disproportionate amount of players for the number of matches played. If we discard Steve McClaren, who selected 45 players in his 18 woeful games in charge of the national side, there is an ongoing trend. Sven selected 67 in his 72 games, at an average of 1.07 new players per game, while Capello's average is 1.5 new players per game, having used 63 men in his 42 game reign. If we add in Hodgson's current average, we see that since 2001, England have been introducing more players per game. It cannot simply be coincidence that Sven's two World Cup resulted in quarter-final appearances, Fabio Capello's one saw them escape the group, while Hodgson's, well we can't forget that! But naturally, instead of looking closer to home, we blame the foreigners!
So, getting back to the crux of the article, who would I select for the current England squad that may end the problems with consistency? And who would start the upcoming games against Lithuania and Italy?
Though I've bemoaned the constant chopping and changing of the previous England administrations, I will make a couple of additions to the list. However, I would expect that this side will be around for at least the next five years, taking us back to the 'Golden Generation' mentality that we had under Sven.
My England Squad:
Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Manchester City), Fraser Forster (Southampton), Jack Butland (Stoke City)
Defenders: Luke Shaw (Manchester United), Ryan Bertrand (Southampton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Calum Chambers (Arsenal), Phil Jones (Manchester United), John Stones (Everton), Nathaniel Clyne (Southampton), Kieran Gibbs (Arsenal)
Midfielders: Raheem Sterling (Liverpool), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Jack Wilshere (Arsenal), Adam Lallana (Liverpool), Ross Barkley (Everton), Theo Walcott (Arsenal)
Forwards: Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool), Danny Welbeck (Arsenal), Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)
The most telling thing about this squad? In five years, just five of the above will be over 30 years old, and those include two goalkeepers, who can continue late into their thirties (just look at Brad Friedel and Mark Schwarzer!). As a result, barring injuries, this can certainly be the bedrock squad for the next few years, and while I wouldn't expect England to trouble the winner's enclosure, this is certainly a squad capable of escaping the group stages at any competition!
As for my first XI, here's who I would start if all were fit:
Hart, Bertrand, Cahill, Chambers, Clyne, Sterling, Henderson, Lallana, Walcott, Rooney, Sturridge
For me, Hart will remain England's number one for the next five years, while the form of both Saints wing-backs give me encouragement for both of their futures. For centre-back, while Gary Cahill adds steel, it was a toss-up between Chambers and Jones, with the Arsenal man's age and potential counting in his favour.
In midfield, there are not many surprises - the Liverpool connection between Sterling, Henderson and Lallana was Spain-esque, a technique that has been proven to work in the past, while Theo Walcott just edged out his club mate Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Up front, common sense prevailed. There can be no doubt that Harry Kane is having a sparkling season, but he has not yet done enough to displace either of Rooney or Sturridge at present. However, with Rooney at 29 years old, have we found the successor? Only time will tell, but the signs are there that England may have found its next number 9 (or is that 10?).
Analysis of sporting events, talking points and controversies.
Showing posts with label Rooney. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rooney. Show all posts
Saturday, 14 March 2015
Wednesday, 19 November 2014
England's Newest Centurion: Is Rooney an England Legend?
Despite the long history of England's national football team, it comes as a considerable surprise that just nine individuals hold more than 100 caps. The latest of these, Wayne Rooney, has been at the heart of the side for almost a decade, and in recent years we have seen an arguable overreliance on the combustible forward. But a true England legend alongside the likes of Bobby Moore, David Beckham and Bobby Charlton? I'm not so sure.
Though the caps statistic doesn't lie (Rooney follows an elite list of Peter Shilton, David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Bobby Moore, Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard, Bobby Charlton and Billy Wright), it's not the only statistic that matters. As a successful striker, Rooney, as with any other forward in world football, is ultimately going to be judged on goals scored. As of writing this, Wayne Rooney sits 3rd on the all-time England scoring list - just three behind Bobby Charlton at the top.
If we dig a little deeper, however, we see that this achievement is not as impressive as it initially appears. Of the eight other England centurions, just one is a striker - Charlton. This brings us onto an additional point. As well as the volume of Rooney's goals, it is also important that the ratio of goals to games is considered. As of writing this, Rooney's record is an average of a goal every 157 minutes. While this is comparable - even slightly better than Bobby Charlton (193 minutes), he is actually behind considerably more than just the two other England goalscorers for volume. Second in the list, Gary Lineker scored an average of a goal every 136 minutes, while 4th place Jimmy Greaves has an incredibly impressive 117 minutes a goal.
On top of this, Rooney also falls behind Michael Owen (155), Nat Lofthouse (95), Steve Bloomer (74), Vivian Woodward (72), Stan Mortensen (98), Tommy Lawton (94), Peter Crouch (99). And that's just those that have scored more than 20 for their country!
So Rooney as a goalscorer is perhaps not all it's been suggested to be cracked up to be. These is further reinforced when you look at the opposition against whom England's current talisman has scored the majority of his goals. Interestingly, though Rooney has played matches against the majority of the world's top footballing nations, he has only scored against four of FIFA's top ten, and has only scored more than once against one - Brazil. This is despite the England man finding the net on more than one occasion against 15 different opponents in his career.
If we look at those nations he has been most clinical against, we see an obvious pattern develop. At the top of the list, Rooney has scored four goals against Croatia (14 world ranking) and San Marino (208), three goals against Switzerland (12) and Kazakhstan (132) and two against Slovakia (24), Iceland (28) Denmark (32), Scotland (37), Poland (44), Bulgaria (59), Montenegro (64), Estonia (88), Belarus (106) and Andorra (202). If we find an average ranking of those he is most prolific against, it comes in at 70, or Antigua and Barbuda in the current rankings.
We also don't tend to remember his performances at major competitions fondly. With the exception of his earliest tournament - a four goal salvo at Portugal's Euro 2004, he has been underwhelming. Germany's World Cup in 2006 saw Rooney attempt to stop Ricardo Carvalho from ever having kids (who can forget Cristiano Ronaldo's wink?!), while the less said about the 2010 and 2014 World Cups the better. Even in 2012, which saw England put in reasonable performances on their way to the quarter finals, Rooney failed to live up to his talismanic billing. He himself has said that until he wins a trophy with England, he cannot eclipse Sir Bobby Charlton as England's greatest. Sorry Wayne, but until you win something as the nation's centrepiece, you won't even be up there for consideration, let alone the top. Bobby Charlton, Bobby Moore, Peter Shilton, Gordon Banks and David Beckham have all had tournaments where they were the heart of the team, but all have kept a high level of performance up consistently, which is more than can be said for Rooney.
However, there is one point that works in the favour of Rooney. All of the above have been involved in great England teams, be it the World Cup winners, the 1990 semi finalists or the 'Golden Generation' of 2002-06. Rooney may have seen the very back end of this era, but the majority of his time with the 3 Lions has been in a position of adversity, where the public expects more than is achievable. Though the failures of the last two World Cups go even further beyond that, it's certainly a mitigating circumstance for Rooney, who has had to carry the majority of the team for too many years.
He's certainly not a legend yet, and I'm struggling to see whether he ever can be. He is certainly among the most talented players England has ever produced, but I can't help but think that pressure, and circumstance, has held him back when playing his country. It is this, and this alone, that Rooney needs to handle better if he is to be talked about in the same breath as Charlton, Moore, Banks and Beckham, regardless of how many goals he scores against San Marino.
Though the caps statistic doesn't lie (Rooney follows an elite list of Peter Shilton, David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Bobby Moore, Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard, Bobby Charlton and Billy Wright), it's not the only statistic that matters. As a successful striker, Rooney, as with any other forward in world football, is ultimately going to be judged on goals scored. As of writing this, Wayne Rooney sits 3rd on the all-time England scoring list - just three behind Bobby Charlton at the top.
If we dig a little deeper, however, we see that this achievement is not as impressive as it initially appears. Of the eight other England centurions, just one is a striker - Charlton. This brings us onto an additional point. As well as the volume of Rooney's goals, it is also important that the ratio of goals to games is considered. As of writing this, Rooney's record is an average of a goal every 157 minutes. While this is comparable - even slightly better than Bobby Charlton (193 minutes), he is actually behind considerably more than just the two other England goalscorers for volume. Second in the list, Gary Lineker scored an average of a goal every 136 minutes, while 4th place Jimmy Greaves has an incredibly impressive 117 minutes a goal.
On top of this, Rooney also falls behind Michael Owen (155), Nat Lofthouse (95), Steve Bloomer (74), Vivian Woodward (72), Stan Mortensen (98), Tommy Lawton (94), Peter Crouch (99). And that's just those that have scored more than 20 for their country!
So Rooney as a goalscorer is perhaps not all it's been suggested to be cracked up to be. These is further reinforced when you look at the opposition against whom England's current talisman has scored the majority of his goals. Interestingly, though Rooney has played matches against the majority of the world's top footballing nations, he has only scored against four of FIFA's top ten, and has only scored more than once against one - Brazil. This is despite the England man finding the net on more than one occasion against 15 different opponents in his career.
If we look at those nations he has been most clinical against, we see an obvious pattern develop. At the top of the list, Rooney has scored four goals against Croatia (14 world ranking) and San Marino (208), three goals against Switzerland (12) and Kazakhstan (132) and two against Slovakia (24), Iceland (28) Denmark (32), Scotland (37), Poland (44), Bulgaria (59), Montenegro (64), Estonia (88), Belarus (106) and Andorra (202). If we find an average ranking of those he is most prolific against, it comes in at 70, or Antigua and Barbuda in the current rankings.
We also don't tend to remember his performances at major competitions fondly. With the exception of his earliest tournament - a four goal salvo at Portugal's Euro 2004, he has been underwhelming. Germany's World Cup in 2006 saw Rooney attempt to stop Ricardo Carvalho from ever having kids (who can forget Cristiano Ronaldo's wink?!), while the less said about the 2010 and 2014 World Cups the better. Even in 2012, which saw England put in reasonable performances on their way to the quarter finals, Rooney failed to live up to his talismanic billing. He himself has said that until he wins a trophy with England, he cannot eclipse Sir Bobby Charlton as England's greatest. Sorry Wayne, but until you win something as the nation's centrepiece, you won't even be up there for consideration, let alone the top. Bobby Charlton, Bobby Moore, Peter Shilton, Gordon Banks and David Beckham have all had tournaments where they were the heart of the team, but all have kept a high level of performance up consistently, which is more than can be said for Rooney.
However, there is one point that works in the favour of Rooney. All of the above have been involved in great England teams, be it the World Cup winners, the 1990 semi finalists or the 'Golden Generation' of 2002-06. Rooney may have seen the very back end of this era, but the majority of his time with the 3 Lions has been in a position of adversity, where the public expects more than is achievable. Though the failures of the last two World Cups go even further beyond that, it's certainly a mitigating circumstance for Rooney, who has had to carry the majority of the team for too many years.
He's certainly not a legend yet, and I'm struggling to see whether he ever can be. He is certainly among the most talented players England has ever produced, but I can't help but think that pressure, and circumstance, has held him back when playing his country. It is this, and this alone, that Rooney needs to handle better if he is to be talked about in the same breath as Charlton, Moore, Banks and Beckham, regardless of how many goals he scores against San Marino.
Sunday, 2 June 2013
England vs Brazil: Is The Road to Brazil Blocked?
In a week in which the remodelled iconic Brazilian stadium, the Maracana, has been heavily criticised for the various safety and security concerns, football fans finally got to see the 'finished product' in the lead up to (in my opinion) the real 'Greatest Show On Earth', the World Cup in 2014. Unfortunately, those safety concerns had an immediate impact on the stadium capacity, reducing tonight's crowd to a 'meagre' 60,000 packing one of the world's prettiest new stadiums. The inaugural match of its long-awaited re-opening saw Roy Hodgson's England visit the new home of the Brazilians.
Fresh off the back of a disappointing 1-1 draw at home to the Republic of Ireland, in which Hodgson and his tactics were criticised for being predictable and one-dimensional, England took the long trip to Brazil as underdogs (unless of course you are one of those England fans who still maintains at the beginning of every tournament that we can 'channel the spirit of 66'). 1,000 loyal England fans (or 'gluttons for punishment' as I call them) made the long trip to South America, to be significantly outnumbered. In fairness to them, the England fans were often the more vocal and recognisable, putting the 59,000 Brazilians to shame at times. This was certainly seen as a good indicator of England's progress under Hodgson, as after positive home results against the likes of Spain and Brazil in the last year, the real test would come away from home. It would also be a first impression of what our expectations at the next World Cup should be.
Looking at the two sides, you would have fancied the Brazilians to win at home against what is regularly considered a weaker generation of England team than we would have experienced under a decade ago. With the high-profile move of Brazil's pin-up striker Neymar to Catalan giants Barcelona for a reported £50 million in the week, the attention was once again on his shoulders. There is also no doubt that the weight of the expectant Brazilian population will also be upon him to deliver the World Cup trophy on home soil next year. Brazil too, however, seem to be going through a weaker generation than the famous periods in the 1970's and, in my earlier World Cup memories, the three 'Rs' of Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho in their dominant 2002 World Cup success. Therefore, this seemed to be set up for an intriguing contest from two underachieving nations.
The opening 15 minutes summed up my earlier point perfectly, with neither side at risk of scoring. Missed passes aplenty characterised the early part of this game, as neither side managed to capitalise on mistakes from the other, opting instead to hand possession straight back. However, it was the Brazilians, urged in by the vast majority of the Maracana, who got a foothold in the game first. Towards the end of the first half, England were indebted to their goalkeeper Joe Hart, who made a string of good saves, most notably from Neymar, using his face to deflect a goalbound effort. England seemingly perked up after these warning shots, and began to string a few passes together. This culminated in a great chance for Theo Walcott just before the half time whistle. A neat reverse pass released the Arsenal winger, only to see him hit his shot straight at Julio Cesar in the Brazil goal. This brought to an end a rather dire first 45, in which neither side had really improved their chances of being seen as contenders for next year's tournament.
Demons over the stadium then came back to the fore, as all television pictures were suspended during the half time interval, leaving millions worldwide without access to live broadcasting of the game. Whilst this problem may not have been anything to do with the stadium, it only gave pundits the chance to further discuss the remodelling, and leaves this failure towards the front of the minds of many. This is particularly true because there wasn't much to talk about in the first half! Fortunately, the problem was fixed before the restart, and we were able to enjoy what turned out to be a highly entertaining second half. After a period of heavy Brazil pressure, a bit of fortune handed the 5 time world champions the lead. Substitute Hernanes curled a fantastic shot beyond the despairing dive of Joe Hart and onto the bar. Luckily for the Brazilians, the ball rebounded to the feet of Fred, who stroked the ball beyond the prone Hart. At this point, I must confess, I feared for England, as having been utterly outplayed for the majority of the match, a cricket score now looked likely.
However, to England's credit, they responded well. Chances for Milner and Rooney came and went, leaving England fans wondering whether they had spurned their opportunity. Step forward Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. England's newest golden boy stamped his mark on this historic stadium with a stunning team goal just before the hour. Neat one-touch football between Milner and Rooney gave Oxlade-Chamberlain the chance to volley at goal, a chance which he dispatched emphatically into the bottom corner. Even better was to come for the 1,000 travelling English fans. After heavy Brazilian pressure, Wayne Rooney broke free at the other end, and, courtesy of a small deflection, curled a looping, dipping shot underneath Cesar's crossbar, and England lead. Bearing in mind their awful first-half performance, this was the stuff of dreams for the travelling fanbase. Unfortunately, their joy was to be short lived. A Brazilian raid down the right hand side saw a deflected cross put into the England box, and Paulinho was on hand to acrobatically volley the ball across the goal, giving Joe Hart no chance. Despite further Brazilian pressure, England's defence remained resolute to the end of the game.
A 2-2 draw is certainly a scoreline I would have taken at start of play this evening, and one that was unforeseeable after the first half performance. Though the Brazilians dominated possession for the majority of the game, there are certainly positives that can be taken from this England performance, that can give us hope for a successful World Cup (but not too much!). Despite the mid-week derision, credit must go to Roy Hodgson, whose tactics were evidently poor in the first half, but his changes in the second period clearly gave England a greater say in the game. Whether we can read too much into this result is difficult to tell, as I believe that neither the English nor the Brazilians will be fancied to lift the historic trophy next July. As for the state of the preparations for the Brazilian World Cup, I would put them somewhere between the Delhi Commonwealth Games of 2010 (which now best known for the term 'Delhi Belly'), and the perfectionist Beijing Olympics in 2008. The 'Road to Brazil' is not blocked, but there are a few obstacles that need shifting first.
Fresh off the back of a disappointing 1-1 draw at home to the Republic of Ireland, in which Hodgson and his tactics were criticised for being predictable and one-dimensional, England took the long trip to Brazil as underdogs (unless of course you are one of those England fans who still maintains at the beginning of every tournament that we can 'channel the spirit of 66'). 1,000 loyal England fans (or 'gluttons for punishment' as I call them) made the long trip to South America, to be significantly outnumbered. In fairness to them, the England fans were often the more vocal and recognisable, putting the 59,000 Brazilians to shame at times. This was certainly seen as a good indicator of England's progress under Hodgson, as after positive home results against the likes of Spain and Brazil in the last year, the real test would come away from home. It would also be a first impression of what our expectations at the next World Cup should be.
Looking at the two sides, you would have fancied the Brazilians to win at home against what is regularly considered a weaker generation of England team than we would have experienced under a decade ago. With the high-profile move of Brazil's pin-up striker Neymar to Catalan giants Barcelona for a reported £50 million in the week, the attention was once again on his shoulders. There is also no doubt that the weight of the expectant Brazilian population will also be upon him to deliver the World Cup trophy on home soil next year. Brazil too, however, seem to be going through a weaker generation than the famous periods in the 1970's and, in my earlier World Cup memories, the three 'Rs' of Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho in their dominant 2002 World Cup success. Therefore, this seemed to be set up for an intriguing contest from two underachieving nations.
The opening 15 minutes summed up my earlier point perfectly, with neither side at risk of scoring. Missed passes aplenty characterised the early part of this game, as neither side managed to capitalise on mistakes from the other, opting instead to hand possession straight back. However, it was the Brazilians, urged in by the vast majority of the Maracana, who got a foothold in the game first. Towards the end of the first half, England were indebted to their goalkeeper Joe Hart, who made a string of good saves, most notably from Neymar, using his face to deflect a goalbound effort. England seemingly perked up after these warning shots, and began to string a few passes together. This culminated in a great chance for Theo Walcott just before the half time whistle. A neat reverse pass released the Arsenal winger, only to see him hit his shot straight at Julio Cesar in the Brazil goal. This brought to an end a rather dire first 45, in which neither side had really improved their chances of being seen as contenders for next year's tournament.
Demons over the stadium then came back to the fore, as all television pictures were suspended during the half time interval, leaving millions worldwide without access to live broadcasting of the game. Whilst this problem may not have been anything to do with the stadium, it only gave pundits the chance to further discuss the remodelling, and leaves this failure towards the front of the minds of many. This is particularly true because there wasn't much to talk about in the first half! Fortunately, the problem was fixed before the restart, and we were able to enjoy what turned out to be a highly entertaining second half. After a period of heavy Brazil pressure, a bit of fortune handed the 5 time world champions the lead. Substitute Hernanes curled a fantastic shot beyond the despairing dive of Joe Hart and onto the bar. Luckily for the Brazilians, the ball rebounded to the feet of Fred, who stroked the ball beyond the prone Hart. At this point, I must confess, I feared for England, as having been utterly outplayed for the majority of the match, a cricket score now looked likely.
However, to England's credit, they responded well. Chances for Milner and Rooney came and went, leaving England fans wondering whether they had spurned their opportunity. Step forward Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. England's newest golden boy stamped his mark on this historic stadium with a stunning team goal just before the hour. Neat one-touch football between Milner and Rooney gave Oxlade-Chamberlain the chance to volley at goal, a chance which he dispatched emphatically into the bottom corner. Even better was to come for the 1,000 travelling English fans. After heavy Brazilian pressure, Wayne Rooney broke free at the other end, and, courtesy of a small deflection, curled a looping, dipping shot underneath Cesar's crossbar, and England lead. Bearing in mind their awful first-half performance, this was the stuff of dreams for the travelling fanbase. Unfortunately, their joy was to be short lived. A Brazilian raid down the right hand side saw a deflected cross put into the England box, and Paulinho was on hand to acrobatically volley the ball across the goal, giving Joe Hart no chance. Despite further Brazilian pressure, England's defence remained resolute to the end of the game.
A 2-2 draw is certainly a scoreline I would have taken at start of play this evening, and one that was unforeseeable after the first half performance. Though the Brazilians dominated possession for the majority of the game, there are certainly positives that can be taken from this England performance, that can give us hope for a successful World Cup (but not too much!). Despite the mid-week derision, credit must go to Roy Hodgson, whose tactics were evidently poor in the first half, but his changes in the second period clearly gave England a greater say in the game. Whether we can read too much into this result is difficult to tell, as I believe that neither the English nor the Brazilians will be fancied to lift the historic trophy next July. As for the state of the preparations for the Brazilian World Cup, I would put them somewhere between the Delhi Commonwealth Games of 2010 (which now best known for the term 'Delhi Belly'), and the perfectionist Beijing Olympics in 2008. The 'Road to Brazil' is not blocked, but there are a few obstacles that need shifting first.
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