Okay, I had to.. I could literally not resist posting about the fast approaching Fifa 2010 World Cup tournament in South Africa. Seen as though I am English, I will be following my national team through the tournament, cheering them on all the way. It seems incredible, because when the World Cup is on, most of the country goes absolutely crazy and passionate about their team. The beer is bought, the England flags are flying, and a nation awaits the 11th of June, and the official start of the competition.
Let us rewind a second, back to the land of realism. England have a fantastic team of players, and so they should, the Barclay’s Premier League is arguably one of the best leagues in the world, and has some truly world-class players. I write this on the day that Fabio Capello has named his 23 man squad to take to South Africa, and it is a good squad:
England. (23 man squad).
Goalkeepers: Joe Hart, David James, Robert Green.
Defenders: Jamie Carragher, Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Glen Johnson, Ledley King, John Terry, Matthew Upson, Stephen Warnock.
Midfielders: Gareth Barry, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Aaron Lennon, James Milner, Shaun Wright-Phillips.
Forwards: Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, Emile Heskey, Wayne Rooney.
Yet on Sunday a nation found that things are never that simple..
Admittedly I have not analysed the England squad closely in any of their friendlies, up until these last two games before they fly off. Obviously I have watched them, and in turn have had my opinions on their performances, but it was not until all this World Cup fever that is currently sweeping the nation, caught up to me, that I really settled down to focus on the squad that a nation’s hopes will be resting on. In the game against Japan we were definitely far from fantastic, some would go as far to say that we were largely disappointing.
As England lined up against Japan, I felt a familiar sense of apprehension about our actual chances in the match. Ordinarily, on paper, you would expect England to play Japan around the field, stopping them in turn from having many meaningful chances. However, everyone knows the game is not played on paper, and for the more reasonable England fans – those not blinded by a patriotic loyalty to expect England to conquer everyone they play – it is always realistic to not have faith in our ability to produce a world-class performance.
In the opening seven minutes Japan managed to take a quick lead; some slack defending in the box from a corner, resulting in Tanaka’s superb finish. It was 1-0 to Japan, and England played poorly for the remainder of the first half; the only decent chance of the half fell to Lennon on his left foot, but the winger fumbled the shot, one-on-one against the keeper. It was a strongly disappointing half from England, and one which proved to many fans that the England squad is far from ready to go to the World Cup next month.
However, for England, the second half was better, even if it still was not the fantastic standard required from the players. Second half changes from Capello came in the form of; Shaun-Wright Phillips, Steven Gerrard, Joe Cole, Jamie Carragher, and Joe Hart. Going off were; David James, Glen Johnson, Tom Huddlestone, Theo Walcott, and Darren Bent. The mix-up was just what England needed as they pushed for an equaliser, Rooney now playing as the lone striker, with Lennon switching to the more preferred right-wing position.
England’s reward came quickly in the second-half; in the 54th minute, Frank Lampard’s free-kick was handled by two Japan defenders, resulting in a penalty. As Lampard stepped up to take it, a nation held its breath. The keeper picked his side, Frank Lampard picked his..
To the disappointment of the England midfielder, he saw his shot saved by the Japan number 1, who dived smartly to his right to get his hand on the strike. The score still stood at 1-0 to Japan. Some fantastic keeping from both goalkeepers at opposite ends of the field kept the score level for the moment, Joe Hart certainly did himself no harm in Capello’s decision about which goalkeeper to choose to take to South Africa next month, as today we have found that he has indeed been included.
Thankfully for Capello, in the 71st minute, England levelled, although it was not through an England goalscorer. The earlier hero for Japan, Tanaka, scored again, but this time in his own net, diverting a Joe Cole cross into the back of the net to level the score-line at 1-1. Amazingly, twelve minutes later, in the 83rd minute and England were celebrating once again, and once again through no goalscorer of their own. Another own goal; this time Nakazawa flinging himself at an Ashley Cole cross, taking the ball past his goalkeeper and into the bottom corner of the net, giving England the 2-1 lead they had been chasing after.
It was a fantastic result in the end, but that was all it was, a result. The performance was not there, and I am sure Capello will be slightly worried about England’s capabilities before they fly out to South Africa next month.
If you want my predictions for the World Cup next month:
Winners: Spain. 
England’s Final Position: Quarter-finals.*
*England only made it to the second-round, so I was wrong..
England’s Top Goalscorer: Wayne Rooney.
Top Goalscorer: David Villa.
They may seem disappointing to the die-hard fans that expect England to go all the way this summer, but they are at least slightly realistic. This does not mean to say I will not be following and cheering for England next month, because I will. Good luck boys, try prove my predictions wrong..
