The soap opera within Soho Square continued this week with an hour long episode. All eyes were on England and Fabio Capello, as they made their first appearance at Wembley since the disastrous World Cup campaign in South Africa. The game was not something to watch again and probably the result ( England 2-1 Hungary) represented a fair outcome, though it could have been different. The questions and headlines the next day were certainly not about the debutants and the questionable goal scored by Hungary, but what have we learnt since the World Cup and whether there is an answer to improve.
Many of England’s failed stars received a raucous of boos at the end of the game, Capello also confirmed that David Beckham will no longer be a part of competitive fixtures. It is probably the right decision that Beckham should not play, perhaps he shouldn’t have received any further caps after the 2006 World Cup, but the fact is that Capello completely misjudged the intense admiration for Beckham by England fans. Capello also seems uncertain on whether it is time to end the careers of other players who are now in their thirties. Experience counts for something, but it has never translated to success.
The game became a public relations exercise to reassure fans that the World Cup is now in the past and England can build for the next tournament with some new talented. Kieran Gibbs, Adam Johnson and Jack Wilshere possess the ability to become regulars in the future, but even Capello and his eventual successor are limited by what they can do in the future. It has been highlighted since the misery in Africa the abundance of youth coaches on the continent and the perpetual technical deficiencies at the lowest level of English football. England has 3000 coaches with an UEFA pro A licence, compared to the 30000 in Italy and 35000 in Germany. The difference between the two teams was highlighted in Bloemfontein.
Football's global popularity has made the talent pool so large that it has become impossible to shrink it and create talent academies similar to cycling and swimming. Despite the international talent dominating the Premier League, English players are still technically falling short against their continental rivals. Yet, the world loves the hard-tackling and fast-paced Premier League. English players have benefited by playing in the Champions League, but there are still far too few of them making an impact in Europe and for England.
Maybe David Beckham's biggest legacy could be his academies. At least he is doing something, I’m not quite sure what the FA are.
Many of England’s failed stars received a raucous of boos at the end of the game, Capello also confirmed that David Beckham will no longer be a part of competitive fixtures. It is probably the right decision that Beckham should not play, perhaps he shouldn’t have received any further caps after the 2006 World Cup, but the fact is that Capello completely misjudged the intense admiration for Beckham by England fans. Capello also seems uncertain on whether it is time to end the careers of other players who are now in their thirties. Experience counts for something, but it has never translated to success.
The game became a public relations exercise to reassure fans that the World Cup is now in the past and England can build for the next tournament with some new talented. Kieran Gibbs, Adam Johnson and Jack Wilshere possess the ability to become regulars in the future, but even Capello and his eventual successor are limited by what they can do in the future. It has been highlighted since the misery in Africa the abundance of youth coaches on the continent and the perpetual technical deficiencies at the lowest level of English football. England has 3000 coaches with an UEFA pro A licence, compared to the 30000 in Italy and 35000 in Germany. The difference between the two teams was highlighted in Bloemfontein.
Football's global popularity has made the talent pool so large that it has become impossible to shrink it and create talent academies similar to cycling and swimming. Despite the international talent dominating the Premier League, English players are still technically falling short against their continental rivals. Yet, the world loves the hard-tackling and fast-paced Premier League. English players have benefited by playing in the Champions League, but there are still far too few of them making an impact in Europe and for England.
Maybe David Beckham's biggest legacy could be his academies. At least he is doing something, I’m not quite sure what the FA are.
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