England wobbled and lost in the Ukraine.
Argentina stuttered but beat Peru 2-1 on a night of chaos and drama in Buenos Aires.
Serbia, looking like the new Croatia, thrashed Romania 5-0 to win Group 7.
Before the Ukraine game we thought it would be interesting to see how England would perform in a match they did not have to win.
The media have mainly reported this : Rio Ferdinand made a mistake that cost a penalty but not a goal, Ashley Cole made a mistake that cost a goal, and England lost their 100% record.
A Ukrainian defender hoofed the ball 70 yards down the middle to test out England’s centrebacks. In my view, having watched the replay eight times, Rio Ferdinand was running back and could not have headed that ball out of play. The ball bounced beautifully for striker Milevskiy and he headed it on sweetly so that it bounced into his stride and was about to bounce again, so it was a 50-50 ball with the advancing keeper. Milevskiy got his foot to the ball first and Rob Greens arms clattered his legs.
A clear penalty and a red card.
A cannier keeper than Rob Green would have stopped and made the striker go round him, since Rio was close enough to possibly block his shot on the line. Green was sent off, David James came on for Aaron Lennon.
After 29, Ashley Cole was caught in possession because there was nobody available to take his pass. That happens when you have 10 men and Gerrard over in centrefield with Lampard. In that situation, Cole should have kicked it long or out to allow England to re-group. Their No.16 dribbled across the front of the box till he was tackled by Glen Johnson and the ball broke to Nazarenko, who hit a fierce shot that David James would have saved. But it deflected past him off Ashley Cole’s shoulder.
On this showing, England are a method team who won eight Group 6 games playing method football.
On days like this it looks as if England’s success is based on 60% attitude, 30% organisation and 10% talent. Capello recognised England’s strengths and realised he had to build his team around Terry and Rooney. He knew that neither was an ideal international player but those two were the most belligerent players we had and his Engerland had to become MORE ENGLISH to have any hope of success. The Swede could not make us more English because he is a star-kisser, not an ass-kicker.
In Ukraine, we scrapped and battled quite well with 10 men. Rooney, our best player by a mile, supplied Lampard with a chance and a half-chance. Milevskiy hit the post with a thunderbolt and James made two good saves, one with his foot from Yarmolenko.
Naturally, the events of the game, which included flares thrown by Ukrainian hooligans, made the headlines. But I thought the real story was the team selection.
FABIO CAPELLO broke his own rules.
He dropped Gareth Barry, who has been essential and spinal, to play Michael Carrick. And he picked two players who had not been playing regularly for their clubs, Rio Ferdinand and Emile Heskey.
If England bounce back by hammering Belarus, no damage will have been done. Realistically, England are a top eight team who need to improve.
Heskey does not score but he is the best partner for Rooney, just as he was the best partner for Michael Owen. Playing with Heskey allows Rooney, Lampard and Gerrard to prosper in the same team. Rooney has the ball a lot, and Lampard plays deeper than before but still scores goals.
Using Gareth Barry in this format was a tweak which eluded all previous England managers. The system works, so Capello will keep it. I bet Gareth Barry will play against Belarus on Wednesday night (ITV from 7.30).
In Russia, the Germans got men behind the ball and the Russians kept possession in deep positions.
While skipper Arshavin looked creative, and keeper Akinfeev looked cool and accomplished, chances were few,
Suddenly, the Germans had controlled possession and options in a dangerous area and Ballack’s shot was blocked. At the other end Zhirkhov hit a free-kick just over the bar.
Then Arshavin made a sparkling slalom through centrefield and released a magical pass to give a team-mate a one-on-one chance but he hit the keeper’s legs. Arshavin is a defence-splitter who needs runners who can finish. His mate Denisov did that for Zenit but he was invisible in this game.
Miroslav Klose is a Polish-born minimalist who doesn’t run where he hopes the ball will go. Rather, he’s a watchful poacher who waits and adjusts, hoping to nick a goal. As a low cross came in from Ozil, his tumbling, off-balance finish was cute and turned out to be the only goal of the game, scored in 35.
The Germans had done almost nothing until then. It was ever thus. German teams handle pressure better than other teams, and Klose now has 50 goals in 93 appearances
Nervous, paranoid and disorganised, Argentina, playing at home to Peru, the weakest team in the 10-nation South American qualifying group, could NOT handle the pressure.
Argentina ran into stupid positions, snatched at chances, and produced a carnival of incompetence.
Watching this drama on Saturday night after we came home from a party, I was riveted. Tiring by about 12.30, I was, perversely, watching the game standing up (after Higuain’s goal gave them a 1-0 lead in 48), as Maradona’s dodgy outfit struggled to find fluency in an hour-long storm which splattered the lens of the TV camera and made the contest look otherworldly, like something from a blurry parallel universe. Amazingly, with 20 seconds of normal time left, Peru equalised and then, with almost the last kick of the game, sub Martin Palermo, back after 10 years out of the national team, prodded home the winner from four yards.
Uruguay v Argentina will be sparky on Wednesday night. Oh to be in Montevideo for that one !
Seriously, Maradona and Julio Grondona, the 77-year old AFA president who appointed him, should both resign after the recent farces. Incredibly, Maradona has called 78 players into his squads. Argentina needs a coach and Maradona is not a coach.
After a 2-2 draw against Italy in Dublin, Ireland go into the play-offs with France, Russia, Bosnia and maybe Portugal and Greece, plus Croatia or Ukraine.