So England have started their qualification campaign for Euro 2012 positively, with solid wins over Bulgaria and Switzerland, but what exactly did we learn from these victories?
1. Jermain Defoe still suffers from inconsistency
Jermain Defoe was arguably England’s best player against Bulgaria, netting a very clinical hat trick. His movement was good and his finishing was excellent, and he posed a threat to the Bulgarian defence the entire time he was on the pitch. However, his peformance against Switzerland was less impressive. Defoe had a number of chances in the game which went to waste and he did not look like a threat to the Swiss defence, a fact which was emphasised when Darren Bent came on and put away a nice finish. Defoe suffers from similar form at Tottenham, where he will often go through barren patches followed by spells when he looks lethal. Inconsistency is the one thing holding Jermain Defoe back from being a top class striker, but at the age of 27 it seems unlikely that this is going to change.
2. Adam Johnson can offer a potent threat
Adam Johnson came on as a sub for Theo Walcott against Bulgaria and Switzerland, and he was very impressive in both of these games. Against Bulgaria Johnson only came on in the 74th minute, but he showed some superb glimpses and buried a good finish for England’s third goal. Against Switzerland he came on in the 13th minute as Walcott came off injured, and was England’s most threatening player. Johnson looks to be a real talent, with pace, excellent dribbling skills and perhaps most importantly, an end product. If he can maintain and improve upon this promising start to his international career, he could be a very big player for England for years to come.
3. Glen Johnson is an asset for the team
Everyone is aware of Glen Johnson’s defensive frailties, which in my view are overstated at times. He does need to improve in this area, but Johnson offers a real threat going forward and gives an added dimension to the England attack. He is a powerful runner, a good dribbler and can provide the final balls that create goal-scoring chances, as he did for Wayne Rooney for the first goal against Switzerland. There are very little alternatives at right-back for England and Johnson has really made this position his own in recent years.
4. Steven Gerrard excels in a central position
Steven Gerrard is still one of England’s key players and he played well in both qualification games, as well as putting in a match winning performance in the friendly against Hungary. Capello has often fielded Gerrard on the left, as he did during the World Cup, and in this position the Liverpool captain did not look at his best. As he is for his club, Gerrard is at his most effective when driving his team forward from the centre of the park, providing great passing ability and a goal-scoring threat from midfield. Against Switzerland he was the creator of the second goal, providing an incisive pass which Adam Johnson finished with aplomb. Gerrard must play centrally for England, and you get the impression Capello has realised this.
5. Personal problems should not affect selection
Over the weekend Wayne Rooney became the latest England player to be embroiled in tabloid stories about his alleged infidelity. Capello was unmoved however, and he made the correct call in picking Rooney to start against Switzerland, a decision that was rewarded with Rooney’s first international goal in year. A players personal problems should not affect whether the manager chooses to play him or not, and in fairness to Capello this is something he stands by. In my view, a players private life is their own and it should not generally have a bearing on their career.
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