Nine Jimmy Rimmers – Arsenal and Football

A fit well organized team with players that work for each other can defeat more ‘gifted’ sides and make it out of the group stage.

But soon after that a more experienced side will find them out!

But experience isn’t everything as the two oldest sides, Italy and England, demonstrated. It can be overcome by pace and hunger.

Hardly anyone plays 4-4-2 any more. It’s all about variations of 4-3-3 (mainly 4-1-4-1 or 4-2-3-1 depending how many holding midfielders you favour. So the main answers that England searched for were to the wrong questions.

Controlling the midfield is everything and hardly anyone works the ball out wide any more, so the weak links you can get away with most easily are an out-of-form lone striker and dodgy central defenders.

TV pundits who spend all season excusing brutal, ‘get in their faces early’ defending to stifle more skillful opponents will attack said tactics at the world cup without a hint of irony. (see Arseblog for a longer, more eloquent post on this).

This hasn’t been a great world cup.  Too many dull games.  Too many stars failing to shine.  Fernando Torres’ cameo display in the final typifyed the crocked superstar story.  But at least a worthy team one.  They might not have thrilled as much as their reputations promised, but the Spanish are the most free-flowing and skillful team around.

I thought that the Netherlands had the best player on the pitch but deserved to lose.  Robben was fantastic.  He didn’t stop running, dribbling or taking the game to the Spanish.  If he was Spanish he might of ended up with the medal he deserved.  Though where he would play in a team without a starting place for Fabregas would obviously be a problem!

But he is Dutch and so, on last night’s display, deserved to be on the losing side.  The Dutch tactics might be defended by a loyal fan of a league team that needed a point to stay up, but this was the World Cup Final.  The Dutch tactics threw in the towel and dragged down the standard of the game that should in theory be the showcase of football.  ‘We know we’re not really good enough but we might just grind you down and grab a goal along the way’.

Referee Webb worked hard to keep the Dutch on the pitch when they didn’t deserve his goodwill.  How van Bommel has got as far into this tournament as he did with only one yellow card is amazing.  Few would have complained if de Jong had got a red.  Van Persie nearly died of boredom.  Any good?  Who knows, he barely saw the ball.

Great pass from Fabregas and Iniesta deserved to score the winner.  All Arsenal eyes now trained on Cesc – crunch time!

What can you say? First, yes we should have had a second goal – but would that have changed the outcome? England were cut open so easily that even the most ardent patriot must have their doubts.

I wish I could say that Germay were stunning. But I just don’t think that’s true. England couldn’t keep the ball and they didn’t cover the supporting runs.

They couldn’t keep their shape. Is the shape right? I don’t think so, it meant either Gerrard was out of position on the left or he was where he wanted to be and leaving a hole But that’s still not enough of an excuse, the back four rarely had their shape let alone lose it.

At our best we were good enough to beat Slovenia 1:0.

Depressing.

:-0

Unbeleeeeeeeiiiiiiivable!

Four hopeless central defenders. Hopeless officials. How many more goals?

The last gasp winner for the US over Algeria means that England are back on an all to familiar route.  Next we have to beat Germany – and if we pull that off we probably get Argentina.

Is fate against us or are we going to be ghost-busting?

An on-form England has the chance to get past both these opponents but we are undoubtedly in the tough half of the draw now.  We’ll gave to hope that yesterday afternoon was the start of a run rather than a last gasp bid to avoid embarrassment.

England weren’t brilliant but there were encouraging signs.  Milner delivered the ball more reliably than Lennon and Wright-Phillips.  The other midfielders did better as well with much more passing on target.  Much more moving the ball forward.

Capello persisted with 442.  Is he unshakably wedded to this or does he worry about Rooney’s fitness if left to do all the from-running alone?

England still looked a bit unco-ordinated at the back with the defenders occasionally getting in each others way.  That’s understandable when we’ve had to keep changing the line-up and we got away with it against Slovenia.

So, the dream and the tension goes on.  I reckon that the best thing that England will have taken out of yesterday was a big dose of self-confidence.

Come on England.

They weren’t brilliant but they were good enough. Good enough to pass the ball and move for each other. This time they looked more relaxed and more confident.

Gerrard didn’t leave a hole in front of Ashley Cole but still got in the box to support Rooney and Defoe. Milner played a blinder, whipping in crosses with enough consistancy to get Rooney and Defoe running into the box with belief.

Still don’t understand the Joe Cole issue but who cares. England are through.

England rediscover passing and movement. Fantastic. And a goal.

Come on England.

England are not out the World Cup yet.  A win on Wednesday against Slovenia should see them through.  They need to keep calm heads, decide what they can do differently and then go out and play like it matters to them.

So how are they doing with that?

Somebody thought, I know, let’s get John to head up the presser on on Sunday.  John?  Yes, you know, the deposed captain from the club where public player rants have become the norm since Jose left.  Stunning idea.  That will calm things down.

So out comes John Terry to set the record straight about who is to blame, with the backing of all the senior players.  Except that now perhaps we find they might not all have agreed with his plan.  If it was a plan rather than just car crash telly.

Then another bright spark thinks, if this goes pear-shaped were going to look like dorks for doing an extended deal for Capello the other day.  Tell you what, let’s leak out the word that if England fail to reach the next stage, we expect Capello to resign.  That will cover our backs and stop everyone thinking that the FA is a complete shambles.  So they did.  And then a few hours later started to downplay the whole story.

Anyone out there think the FA isn’t a complete shambles?  Everything a lot calmer in the England camp now?  Thought not!

England probably need to do something different.  What they have tried to do so far hasn’t worked.  But they need to work it out by talking to each other.

The FA, the England set up, need to learn a lesson from the politicians (yes I know that sounds mad but bear with me for a moment).  The lesson is this: the media are not listening to you because they are your friends.  They are there to earn a living.  It’s a bit like with your agent only you don’t pay the fee. They understand media manipulation better than you.  Just like the politicians, this doesn’t make you saints in comparison.  But you don’t have be so &@”*ing naive either.

Stick to thinking about the football guys.  A) because it’s supposed to be the bit you know most about and  B) because the media verdict will be determined by what happens in the 90 minutes on Wednesday regardless of any media stunts pulled before.

Come on England.

Remember how we all felt when the groups were drawn. Hmmmm. Now we need to beat Slovenia to come second.

What to do?

Is it the pressure? Could be. No hope of any change there. The pressure will be worse. Is it fitness? Could be. Anything that can be done about it? Not a lot, there isn’t a lot of depth there and why would the others be a lot fitter?

What else? Change formation. Ditch 442. Play five in midfield.

Play Joe Cole. We started the first game with Milner. Not fit. Replace him with Wright-Phillips. Wrong side of the pitch. Started the second game with Gerrard. He wonders off everywhere else on the pitch. We’ve been round this one before. If Joe Cole isn’t worth having, why is he there?

Move the ball faster. Carragher’s got to go anyway – two yellows. Upson comes in. Drop Barry. I’ve changed my mind on him. Two slow. Too much dwelling on the ball and getting robbed. Bring in Carrick. Bit of a risk defensively, but it’s do or die now.

This is all a bit random – but a performance like that doesn’t inspire coherence.

Come on England. Please.

Wayne Rooney has just had his best ever season, playing as a lone striker supported by attacking midfielders.  England have Wayne Rooney.  England has attacking midfielders.  Capello seems to favour a big traditional centre-forward who can receive the ball reliably, hold-up the play with strength and pass accurately.  Heskey does this well and if Capello sticks to his system, I would think he sticks with Heskey.

But I also think that to do this would waste the fact that England has one of the best forwards in the world at the moment.  Anyone who has watched Rooney’s powerful acceleration and determination to put himself in the box on the end of a pass knows that he doesn’t need someone to hold up the game for him.  He is the game.

Play him at the front, with Gerrard or Lampard just behind.  On current form that would be Gerrard.  Then play three supporting players behind them.

Put Barry in front of the back four.  This does two things.  It sets Lampard and Gerrard free because they know they don’t have to check to see if the other one is covering the defence.  It helps to cover the fact that England have lost their two most agile central defenders.  Terry and Carragher are going to have to rely on their experience of reading the game and their strength.  They could do with Barry cutting out the pacey runs through the middle when they are caught square with their backs to goal.

Come on England.