The Italian Job

A new age has dawned (for the time being) on the England Football team with the appointment of former Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello whose record makes impressive reading. Amongst his achievements to date Capello can chalk off a European Cup, 4 Italian Cups, 4 Scudetto’s and 2 La Liga titles with Real Madrid. Yet surely this must be the biggest challenge of his career to date, namely to turn around the fortunes of a beleaguered England national team.

Where has it all gone wrong and why is the state of English Football at an all time low? It was all so different back in the 1990’s with Timmy Mallets Wide Awake Club irritating the life out of us whilst Rick Astley was “Never Gonna Give You Up” and even Kylie was doing the “Locomotion.” It’s scary to imagine but almost 20 years ago England were giving the top teams a run for their money and only lost out (yet again) to the Germans on a penalty shoot out in the World Cup Semi Final when Gazza spilt those now infamous tears in Rome’s Stadio Olimpico. During that period England had technical brilliance that could easily change a game in the likes of Gascoigne, Lineker, Beardsley and Waddle. These were players that wouldn’t wander around the pitch like a headless chicken in a “big” game situation.

However we have seen in recent major tournaments including the World Cup in 2006 and the last few European Championship Qualifiers against Russia and Croatia the disappearance of key English players at vital moments such as Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard and Chelsea boy Frank Lampard. Players who excel in the English league yet are inconsistent and rarely “step up to the plate” in major games and tournaments. Maybe it’s literally just a step too far for these so called great players?

Another reason for the state of the current England team could lie in the fact that they do not have enough quality players coming through the ranks at grass roots level. Take for example the French system that is in place. The Clairefontaine academy is highly regarded as one of the best youth academies in the world and the “mecca” of French talent. Located 50km southwest of Paris, the setup is something that falls only just short of being phenomenal. The best players between the ages of 13 and 15 come to apply their trade in the academy which boasts a whopping 56 hectares of land, countless training grounds and pitches that encompass both artificial and grass.

The pedigree of Clairefontaine cannot be argued with as down the years the French national team has produced more heroes than a comic book strip. Some of the players that have come through the ranks include the likes of Nicolas Anelka, William Gallas, Thierry Henry and current bright young things such as Lyon’s Hatem Ben Arfa and Arsenal’s Abou Diaby. With former Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier as French football’s technical director overseeing the structure the national side is certainly in safe hands. In fact the number of players that the French has produced is astonishing.

Did you see a glimpse of the recent France versus England friendly? In spite of this dull affair did you actually notice the quality of players “Les Bleues” had on the bench? With Henry out France started with Anelka and David Trezeguet upfront and even had the luxury of replacing them with ex Liverpool man Djibril Cisse and Lyon’s Sydney Govou. Even the old warhorses of the team such as Makelele, Thuram and the absent Patrick Vieira are players of the highest quality that have a World Cup and European Championship to their name. But how about the England side? The only silverware that the national side has come close to is the cutlery before the pre match meals. Can you honestly see Stephen Downing giving Lilian Thuram a run for his money? The best situation was in 2002 when England faced previous finalists Brazil who had lost to the French in 1998. Can you imagine the reaction on Roberto Carlos’ face when he viewed the team sheet and noticed that he’d be tussling against former Charlton and Man City right back Danny Mills? I don’t think he would have been quaking in his boots that day somehow.

The French keep producing players of note time and time again from Zidane, Vieira, Makelele and Henry to the current young crop of Benzema, Ben Arfur, Ribery and even Manchester United’s Patrice Evra and Arsenal’s Gael Clichy who are neck and neck for the title of Premier League’s best left back. Sir Trevor Brooking and not Capello is the linchpin in getting England back on their feet. However there’s plenty of cause for concern about the state of the England side who are technically inept, tactically unaware and do not play as a cohesive unit. Furthermore the lack of strength in depth is worrying as the talk of a National Football Centre in Burton rumbles on. Individually England have some quality players such as Rio Ferdinand, Steven “Mr. Liverpool” Gerrard and Wayne Rooney but with Sir Trevor aiming for a 10 year plan before the team makes their mark again on the international map there are plenty of unsettling times ahead for the England side.