Denmark 1 England 2
Agger 8, Bent 10, Ashley Young 68
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Why is balance so elusive?
England can’t have good players in every position, so balance is essential.
Most England managers put square pegs in round holes, so we struggle. We’re not very skilful, and not very smart, so we’ve struggled for most of my time as a football fan and most of my 20 years as a football journalist at Wembley.
Ramsey, Venables and Hoddle were quite good at balance.
Keegan, Sven and Steve McClaren were not. Graham Taylor wasn’t good at anything except talking.
Bobby Robson’s England was good when he had balance and bad when he didn’t. Every football fan in England has forgotten the 0-0 against Greece at Wembley when Bobby picked the wrong pairing in central midfield. Would you believe Gary Mabbutt and Sammy Lee? I didn’t.
Last night Denmark outplayed England in the first half and England took over in the second.
Recognising his mistake, Capello changed the team at half-time. He replaced Lampard and Wilshere with Scott Parker and Gareth Barry, who played more conservatively and made England much more solid. Then sub Ashley Young, who came on for Rooney, scored a remarkably good goal to give us our first win in five months.
Capello has now told Rooney that his place is no longer automatic.
Denmark 1 England 2 was a good game, a valuable exercise. Conceded after 8 minutes, equalised in 10, reshuffled, scored the winner in 68, manager learned quite a lot.
Being a James Milner fan, I was pleased to see him playing well. His whipped cross to the near post gave Darren Bent a good chance for a second goal after 20, but he missed it.
Bent was winning his 8th cap and he\’s had 4 clubs already!
When Ajax youngster Christian Eriksen fired a dangerously dipping cross, Daniel Agger scored with a diving header. Michael Dawson reacted far too late.
First half, Glen Johnson and Dawson were very shaky and the Danes were able to play in behind Wilshere, who was miscast in the Makelele role, as everyone predicted.
But England bounced back immediately. Theo Walcott did very well to send in a low cross which gave Bent a tap-in at the far post.
Milner played one terrific disguised through ball for Bent, who shot wide.
Stewart Downing replaced Walcott in 67 and England scored the winner in 68.
I always feel that Johnson and Walcott duplicate each other. A sprinter supporting a sprinter. For me, that\’s not a good blend, not a good balance.
For all his positional deficiencies, Glen Johnson is a Rolls Royce athlete with smooth gear changes and that was what brought the winning goal. He won the ball and zoomed away and cut the ball inside for Ashley Young, whose control and finish were immaculate. A great opportunistic spurt by Johnson, a clinical near-post finish by Young. It really surprised me when Young took that chance as well as he did.
Ashley Young can be an infuriating player. But he’s fast and skilful and dribbles well and he can also hit a football accurately over long distances. Why did Capello try Young as a striker? Because he looked lively in training?
Jack Wilshere played brightly for 45 minutes in the wrong role.
Like Sven and most previous England managers, Capello is struggling to find a blend. He said he wants to build round Wilshere, but played him in the wrong position.
Square pegs, round holes, as obvious as the nose on your face. But as soon as anyone puts on a blazer with three lions on the pocket, he can’t see the obvious. I’ve been watching this all my life. I’ve been watching them get it wrong all my life!
But when Capello gets Andy Carroll back, I think it will be easier to balance his midfield.
Copenhagen told him that he should play Wilshere with one winger, not two. If he absorbs that message, England will improve.
Denmark hit the post in the first half and Joe Hart made two good saves. As Fabio said, those two saves were important.
Next up : ECQ, Wales v England, Cardiff on Saturday March 26th.