One of the shortcomings: coach Capello made a mistake.
The match with Algeria once again exposed the biggest tactical problem of the English team at present, that is, the standard 442 formation they have used for a long time can not release enough attack power against the team that chooses to defend. In the face of Algeria's strong defense, England's offensive lineup seems to be completely incomprehensible, and the players have not shown enough offensive talent.
Capello obviously has huge problems in the tactical arrangement of wingers. The players are not given enough freedom to show their talents on the winger, but play according to Capello's deployment mechanically.
At the same time, as the trump card of England, the combination of "double virtues" composed of Lampard and Gerrard did not play enough power in midfield. It is an indisputable fact that "double virtues" cannot exist in midfield, and the stubborn Capello has not brought more players like Barry who can effectively connect the front and back fields in the lineup. Maybe he should give up Carrick and bring West Ham midfielder Parker. As an orthodox defensive midfielder, Parker can at least change Capello to 423 1 instead of sticking to the current 442.
Another big problem with English tactics is that the best players are not in the best position. Despite his excellent performance in the qualifying stage, Steven Gerrard, who moved to the left, completely exposed his strengths but did not play them out when he was defended by a better prepared and stronger opponent in the World Cup.
The same problem also happened to Rooney, who was at the forefront of Manchester United striker and was stared at by his opponent twice in a row. Under normal circumstances, Hejsky is Rooney's good partner, but in the World Cup, the distance between Hejsky and Rooney is too far, and the forward line is almost out of touch with the midfield. Against Algeria, Capello gave Defoe 15 minutes of playing time. The Tottenham striker is very active and England's attack has improved. He will be a good card in Capello's hand, depending on how Capello plays.
Short board 2: unbearable external pressure
For the critical English fans, it seems that nothing can be considered a success except the team's final, and players will inevitably have problems under such pressure. In the match against Algeria, the players of the "Three Lions Corps" seem to be very afraid of making mistakes, and they are also timid on the offensive end and cannot pose a threat to the other side.
Rooney couldn't help growling at the camera after the game: "It's great to see his fans booing him!" Although fans can refute him with the words "It's good to see their team playing so badly", for English fans, Rooney's anger should be a reminder not to put more pressure on the players. On the other hand, the pressure from the media is equally strong. The British media's ability to enlarge the problem infinitely is probably one of the best in the world. After the first world war with Algeria, the England team gave the British media a mockery in the following period of time.
A mistake made by a player in a club can often be forgotten in less than a week, because there are still several rounds to play, but when this mistake is put on a world-class stage like the World Cup, it is not so simple. The media repeatedly criticized and infinitely exaggerated the consequences, making this mistake look unusually "dazzling". Players all know that making a mistake at this time may ruin their future football career.
Short board 3: The players on the field are driven out of their wits
From Joe Cole and Steven Gerrard's blunt answers and disappointment in interviews after the game, we can see that the team is not running well. Unity, friendship and team spirit, which are familiar to us, are crucial to the victory of the game, but there seems to be no trace on the English team.
All the players are extremely concerned about their health and state, and are always concerned about whether they can be selected as the starting lineup by the coach. Players spend a lot of time and experience training on these tangled problems. Although the problems faced by the English team on the court seem to be not as bad as those faced by the French team, there is always one problem that cannot be ignored-the players lack the unity needed for collective fighting and the fighting spirit for the same goal.
When coach fabio capello asked long-lost Jamie Carragher and paul scholes to come back to play for the English team, it became clear that the Three Lions lacked players who could help the team win at such a high level. Despite winning nine of the 10 qualifiers, Capello himself seems to have little confidence in the final World Cup squad.
In fact, there are only two or three truly world-class players in the English team. It seems not enough to win the World Cup with such a squad, but this should never be an excuse for England's mediocre performance. China Radio International reporter Wang Yuxi
■ forecast
England may be whipped to death.
At present, Slovenia has 4 points and England has 2 points. As long as the opponent is defeated and the score reaches 5 points, England can qualify regardless of the outcome of the opponent's game, so the fate of England is still in its own hands. Whether England can win the first or second place in the group depends on whether the goal difference against Slovenia is more than that of the United States and Algeria. If England wins and the United States doesn't beat Algeria, the "Three Lions" will still be the first in the group.
But if England live up to expectations and draw Slovenia in the last game, the hope of qualifying will be extremely slim. As long as the United States and Algeria win the game, the England team with three points in three rounds will be eliminated. Unless, England draws Slovenia with a big score, the United States and Algeria draw with a small score, England scores more goals than the United States, and England and the United States add up to three points to overwhelm their opponents in terms of goals.
In addition, the most coincidental result is that in the final round, Britain drew 2-2, the United States drew 0-0, Slovenia was the first in the group, and Algeria will be eliminated. England and the United States are completely equal in points, goal difference, number of goals and the relationship between victory and defeat. According to FIFA rules, if this happens, Britain and the United States will decide who will qualify by drawing lots. 1990 world cup, England, Ireland, the Netherlands and Egypt once decided the second and third place by lottery (at that time, the top 24 and the third place in the group also had the opportunity to qualify). In the end, the Dutch team was unlucky and was forced to play against Germany in the final of 1/8, and the result was eliminated.
The worst result is that England lost to Slovenia and scored only 2 points in three rounds, so no matter what the result of the United States and Algeria, England will be eliminated.