England are in a mess and everybody knows that. A team that had been hyped up to go all they way are perched precariously on the edge of a precipice now.
After a dreadful performance against Algeria on Friday, the Three Lions’ will face an unbeaten Slovakia in a win-or bust match at Port Elizabeth on Wednesday. Fabio C
apello is experienced enough to know that an early exit is on the cards for his team of under-performing multimillionaires. In the presence of Princes William and Harry, England played like paupers, utterly bereft of ideas.
The body language of everyone who took the field against the African side was appalling. The Frank Lampard playing in the blue of Chelsea is quite different from the English midfielder who turns out in white. Ditto for Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard. Rooney was just a pale shadow of his rampaging self for Manchester United. A man known for the fire in his belly didn’t remotely resemble a fighter.
It appears that the bearded Rooney will become a forlorn figure at the end of the tournament, as a Nike advertisement portrays him after an imaginary scenario.
England’s performance also casts a big doubt over Capello’s credentials.
The Italian, it was widely reported before the tournament, was England’s saviour. But the coach will face questions over his team’s show on football’s biggest stage.
Gerrard and Lampard are among the best midfielders in the world. Based on the Algeria performance, one has to conclude that the duo are clearly overrated. There is no reason to believe that they will improve in course of time because the midfielders are now at the peak of their powers.
Give a thought to the opportunity that Lampard missed. Free of challenges, he failed to beat the Algerian goalie from point-blank range. Chelsea’s Lampard would have buried the chance any day.
Lampard, it appeared, had been forced to wear the Three Lions jersey. Why are the star players missing the spontaneity and joy they unfailingly exhibit while turning out for their respective clubs?
One enraged fan barged into the English dressing room after the Algeria match on Friday to seek answers. He was wrong in his method but his questions might have been just right.