ARGENTINIAN Jorge Valdano, who played with Maradona in 1986, said, “A friend of mine calls Riquelme the tollbooth. When the ball reaches him it has to stop. The rhythm and direction of play will depend, to a great degree, on Riquelme’s level of inspiration.”
Michael Carrick is a bit like that.
Rooney, Ashley Cole and Hargreaves played well in the 1-0 win against Ecuador, a below-average side ranked 39th in the world.
Carrick played OK in his third start.
The other seven English players embarrassed themselves.
Can’t write much today but on Tuesday I’ll compare Big Phil Scolari and Sven-Boring Eriksson.
On Wednesday I’ll say what England’s team should be in the quarter-final.
England play Portugal at 4 p.m. on Saturday.