Question Time for Capello

It all started so brightly for Capello. A little more than two years ago, after the disaster that was the McClaren era, Capello brought in calm, discipline, and above all, a pride in the shirt. England, as we all know, stormed through qualifying, winning nine out of ten games, and everything was rosy, or so it seemed.

Lately though, the threads at the edge of the Capello master plan have become frayed. Did it all start with the John Terry affair? Who knows! But various ideas from the Italian have not gone down so well recently, including the interesting proposal for the head coach himself to post ratings of his team on a public site. The FA did not approve. Then there has been the strung out debate of Capello's contract and the get-out clause it contained. But the most glaring of all problems seem to be that Capello is not certain who to pick or what formation to play. Maybe he is more certain than he lets on, but it would be interesting to know when exactly Rob Green was told he was the number one goalkeeper for the tournament (if he isn't, then it was an odd decision to play him yesterday). The problem I had when watching the England game, was the questions over every area of the pitch, and these aren't small questions, these are vital areas of the game which we are not confident in.

Let's start with the goalie. Joe Hart has been the form 'keeper this season, and should have played in the friendly against Egypt in March, and taken forward as the number one. The old adage of "good enough, old enough" should have been used here. Green and James have had tough club seasons, both behind defences which have struggled. Hart on the other hand has been quite superb in a Birmingham team finishing in the top half of the league. However, as Green played yesterday he should be kept in now, mistake or no mistake, otherwise his confidence will be truly shot.

If we move forward to the defending side of the game (without mentioning in too much detail that the first choice back 5 should have at least started the warm up games so they are as familiar with each other as possible), of course the injury to Rio was not ideal, but it displays our defensive frailties in which Ledley King is unfit, Carragher has no pace, and where Upson has fallen from number one reserve to completely out of the picture. Why Michael Dawson, hasn't been capped this season is beyond me. The form England defender, he also possess similar qualities to Rio, more so than King, Carragher and Upson do, and would have been the ideal player to slot in alongside Terry. Terry with King or Carragher did not look solid and exposed their lack of pace as a vulnerability.

Formation and midfield form the next part of my argument. Having stuck with the holding midfield player throughout qualifying, why not play one against the USA. Yes Barry is injured, but why not play Carrick? Or why not make the tactical change that was needed when the USA were constantly getting space between our midfield and back four? Why also play Milner when it was obvious he was not going to be at 100% due to illness? And then, why bring on SWP, who had a truly awful game? Joe Cole has been playing well and can play left midfield, he has done it on numerous occasions for club and country. Against stronger teams, we will be swamped in midfield. Please use Carrick or Barry against Algeria to strengthen the middle of the park, otherwise we will chase the game again and give to much space to the opposition. If that happens against Spain, or Argentina, or Brazil, or Germany, then we can kiss goodbye to this World Cup!

This moves nicely to the attacking threats we pose, and who will pose them? If you bring in Barry or Carrick as a holding player, keeping Gerrard, Lampard and Lennon, do you move Gerrard wide or play a wide player which would result in losing a striker? It has to be the latter. Whilst Heskey might win the long ball and lay it off, he doesn't get in the box enough, he doesn't finish the opportunities he has, and above all, he doesn't look confident that he can finish them off. No goals since February. First start since March. Was it the right call? Probably not.

So, Mr Capello, I ask of you, are you confident you took the right squad to start with? Are you confident you picked the best goalkeeper? Will you now stick with that 'keeper when he needs your backing most? Are you confident you played the right striker with Rooney yesterday? Are you confident you know your strongest formation? And finally, do you think that the indecision's that seem to be evident here have affected the build up to the tournament, with no-one sure of their place in the team or the system after all, it took you until ten days ago to settle on your squad. Should that time have been spent settling on your team instead? Mr Capello, you have two games in the next nine days to convince us.

Having dominated qualifying, you would have imagined we knew our team/squad/strengths/formations. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem so. Algeria on Friday is a big game. Win well, forgive and forget. Win badly/draw/lose, pressure is on!

Spoilt for choice

In little more than a year, Andy Flower, the team director of England cricket, has worked wonders. Taking over just after the Moores/Pietersen debacle, Flower endured a challenging start as temporary head coach in the West Indies. Since then however, Flower and new captain Andrew Strauss have turned English cricket around in a way no-one thought possible. An home Ashes series win, a one day series win in South Africa, a drawn test series in South Africa, professionally accomplished series wins home and away against Bangladesh, and of course, winning the Twenty20 World Cup in the Caribbean.

Today's series clinching win against Bangladesh has capped a successful start to 2010 for the England side, but the key point to enforce is that England don't only have a good first eleven, they have a good squad. Competition for places is strong and healthy, and all of a sudden, English cricket is looking rosy again. Eoin Morgan, Steven Finn and Ajmal Shahzad have come into the side recently to potentially audition for the trip to Australia in November, and having performed pretty well - Finn stands out after winning man of the match at Lords and man of the series (both v Bangladesh) - mean English cricket is looking as strong as ever. The England selectors are, dare I say it, spoilt for choice!

It is always difficult to judge how a good a team is against a team like Bangladesh, with all due respect, and Pakistan later this summer will provide a much sterner test. But at the same time, you can only beat what is put in front of you, and this England side, with the likes of Broad and Collingwood to come back in, looks like it is continuing to head in the right direction. What will take the focus now, is whether England can continue their limited overs form against the Aussies in a couple of weeks time.

On your marks…

…get set, go! Domestic Twenty20 cricket is once again upon us in the shape of the Indian Premier League, with the first six scheduled for some time tomorrow! World class cricketers, Bollywood stars and more; the IPL continues to demonstrate how cricket can continue on its path to becoming global phenomenon with the twenty-overs-a-side brand.

Live sport is developing in to more than just a contest between two teams. It is now an experience, a day out full of varied entertainment and high quality. Twenty20 is three to four hours of fast, intense and high impact cricket. Runs, wickets, fours, sixes, music, dancing, fireworks, skill, pressure and many, many more adjectives demonstrate the nature of the shortened format. Batsmen have learnt to hit the ball harder and further than ever before. Bowlers have learnt to bowl different deliveries to counter the hard hitting batsmen. The batters then adjust themselves by developing flicks and scoops and reverse sweeps and switch hits, making the bowler refine the trade even more. Twenty20 has enhanced the development of all forms of cricket. Kevin Pietersen has used a switch hit in Test cricket. Evolution and development!

The IPL is also about money. Funded by wealthy business and Bollywood stars, the IPL franchises attract the best limited overs players in the world who are looking to not only improve their current skill set and play alongside other world greats, but secure themselves financially in the long term. Who wouldn’t want to take advantage of the money that is on offer? Many players now only play the shortened form of the game. Andrew Flintoff recently became a “freelance cricketer”, meaning he can play for who he wants to in the shortened formats and take advantage of the cash available. He is after all a family man, with a limited time left in the game, and having achieved two Ashes series wins, the time has come where the body can no longer live up to the rigours of Test cricket, and he is looking to cash in on the riches on offer. Shane Warne, a global star like Flintoff, only plays Twenty20 cricket now.

These riches don’t just come to any player though. If a player wants to earn the big bucks, he needs to have proved himself on the world stage already. The player needs to be marketable to draw in the crowds, and that is gained through success in International cricket. And success and money can come out of nowhere. Eoin Morgan of England has barely arrived on the international scene, but a number of impressive displays have led to a big money offer for him to join an IPL franchise. Of course to play in a competition that is broadcast around the world, with and against some of the best players around is beyond the dreams of some, but it doesn’t end there. Remember Ravi Bopara? After having a successful couple of months involving Test cricket and the IPL, Bopara was unceremoniously dropped from the England side during the Ashes for a string of failures with the bat, and he hasn’t been got his place back. A vital lesson for Eoin Morgan: this is just the start! There is always the example of Stuart Broad, who after breaking in to the England team was offered the chance of putting himself forward for the IPL auction, which he subsequently turned down so that he could train harder and continue to work on his game. There is no defined right or wrong way to do things, but what will hurt Bopara more? Not playing Test cricket, or not playing in the IPL?

One massive positive to come from the IPL this year is that it will be shown on free-to-air television in the UK on ITV4, and all the matches will be streamed live on YouTube. With a lot of controversy surrounding the lack of cricket on free-to-air television, this is a welcome change, take note ECB, and hopefully the IPL and the entertaining brand of cricket that it provides and the presence of many household names, including Tendulkar, Gilchrist, Warne, Gayle, Pietersen, and many more, can maintain the interest in cricket that there is here in the UK amongst those who do not have access to Sky, and even help with the outreach of cricket to new followers.

Test cricket still has, and in my opinion always will have, its place as the pinnacle of the game, but Twenty20 cricket is the key to that remaining the pinnacle in the future. Test cricket will continue to evolve and retain its supporter base because of the new customers Twenty20 will attract. Test cricket will be maintained because of Twenty20, but never be replaced by it. No matter how many new competitions can be won or how much money can be achieved through playing Twenty20 cricket, playing in the hardest, most gruelling and testing of conditions and circumstances over a five day period will always remain the ultimate desire, and this is what any cricketer will affirm.

Goal-line technology: in or out?

On Saturday, the International Football Association Board dismissed the possibility of bringing goal-line technology and video replays in to football. Fifa has come under increasing pressure to examine the possibility of introducing video replays and goal-line technology in a bid to prevent high profile errors, the most high profile of which recently came when Thierry Henry handled the ball in setting up France’s winning goal against Republic of Ireland in a World Cup playoff match, and then in Saturday’s FA Cup quarter final between Portsmouth and Birmingham City, there was an incident involving Liam Ridgewell where he claimed his header had crossed the line before being scrambled clear. The referee and assistant referee were both unsighted, but a quick replay from the camera placed along the goal line showed the ball had crossed the line before being scooped back out again. Another recent example is the FA Cup 5th round tie between Crystal Palace and Aston Villa at Selhurst Park, with Palace leading 2-1 and time running out, Villa were awarded a corner incorrectly, from which they equalised and subsequently won the replay. Offside decisions are of constant debate, and I am sure you could point many other incidences where some injustice has gone against, as well as in favour of, your club. As a Watford fan, I always remember the Reading goal that never was!

The IFAB has declared its reasons for not pursuing the technology ideas further; they include that introducing technology will create too many stop-start situations in the game, and that they want to retain the human side of the game. The IFAB statement mentions debate and controversy. I would have used the word error; not deliberate error, but human error, which the technology would be there to minimise. A lot of people say that the bad decisions even themselves out over the course of a season. If we take some of the examples used previously, where is the evening out for the Irish, who are out of the World Cup? Where is the evening out for Palace and Birmingham, who are out of the FA Cup now? Should the IFAB and Fifa instead be ironing out errors, rather than evening them out? The IFAB is apparently open to Fifas discussion on having an extra official positioned behind each goal, as has been experimented with in the Europa League this season.

So if technology were to be embraced, in what capacity would it be used and how would it affect the game? Well that will be a point for much debate, as the ruling boards would have been able to control how and when it is used in a game, whether it was for goal line incidents, corners, throw-ins, dives, etc, etc, etc. But it is quite obvious how much of a positive effect technology has had on other sports. Cricket uses technology for many aspects of its game now, a lot of which came about due to the innovative ideas of television companies, and the International Cricket Council recognised that it could not allow the decisions of umpires at the very highest level to continue to be undermined by technology. Originally starting with run out decisions, the IRC has been trialling the use of Hawk-Eye and Hot Spot. Tennis has also taken to using Hawk-Eye, although not in the predictive element it offers, but the mapping of the flight of a tennis ball and where it lands. Rugby union and rugby league both use a television match official to decide the awarding of tries where the referee is unsure of the decision.

There are issues with technology however. It is not always the wonder it is portrayed to be. In cricket especially, the two dimensional aspect of television makes it difficult to judge catches low to the ground, where a fielders hands are on top of the grass when the ball enters the hands, making it unclear as to whether a clean catch has been taken.

I am still firmly in favour of introducing technology in to football in some way however. There is a lot of money involved in the professional game today at the top level. Can the top clubs afford to miss out on the Champions League because of some bad decisions and all the money that goes with being in Europe’s elite? In the Championship play-off final, also known as the richest game in football, one decision could be the difference between a successful and failed promotion, a managers job, a club staying in business, etc. And finally, referees are constantly the source of barracking over poor decision making. Introducing some video technology at least would no doubt go some way to restoring the respect that they deserve by allowing them to come to the correct decision. Making sure football continues to have referees available is just as important as any other facet of the game. Remember, no referee, no game, and if technology can help preserve the respect of referees in some way, then it is surely a step worth taking.

Where does Capello go now?

Michael Owen has been ruled out for the rest of the season. It’s sad for him, but at least now he won’t keep on being mentioned every time a conversation drifts towards the World Cup and who might the great Fabio be taking with him. I always find it helpful when talking about selection issues, especially for a World Cup squad, that it is made clear whether discussions are based around personal preferences for the squad, or the realistic views of where the manager might go, as they tend to differ. Seeing as I have mentioned both avenues, I will share who I think Capello will be choosing, based on the latest friendly squad, and then look at other players who in my opinion should be going, but probably won’t be. The observant amongst you will be eager to point out that Capello is a world class football manager and coach, and I am neither (unless you go by Football Manager record) so my opinion doesn’t count for a great deal, but we all love to have our say on who should be in the England team, and I am no different. As an aside, I am going to assume Wayne Bridge will continue his self-imposed exile from the squad, and that Ashley Cole will be fit to take his place on the plane.

Capello has to announce a 28-man provisional squad on May 16th, a day after the FA Cup Final. This squad is then whittled down to 23 on June 1st, ahead of England’s opening group clash on June 12th against USA.

England’s possible 28 man squad:

Goalkeepers:
Green, James, Hart, Foster

Defenders:
Ferdinand (c), Terry, Glen Johnson, Upson, Ashley Cole, Baines, Warnock, Wes Brown, Lescott.

Midfielders:
Gerrard (vc), Lampard, Barry, Milner, Wright-Phillips, Carrick, Downing, Beckham, Walcott

Strikers:
Rooney, Crouch, Heskey, Defoe, Carlton Cole, Agbonlahor

From that list, the five players to be dropped from the squad would be Foster, Warnock, Agbonlahor, Wes Brown and Walcott. Controversial that Beckham will remain, but as he has been continually involved in the squads, I can’t see Capello leaving him out. Wes Brown is not playing consistently for Man Utd, and I think Milner could play right back if needed. Walcott is not in any sort of form, and SWP came off the bench to great effect against Egypt.

There are also a number of players who might consider themselves unlucky not to be in South Africa. Some names to mull over include Darren Bent, Michael Dawson, Bobby Zamora. Micah Richards and Ashley Young. Theo Walcott will be disappointed his form has deserted him after injury, but his time is yet to come. Aaron Lennon was in super form before injury disrupted his season. Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate have been in the treatment room most of the season and have never really got close to the squad. Jimmy Bullard and Owen Hargreaves will be hoping they get some game time towards the end of the season to off themselves up for selection, but Capello has probably already made his mind up, and his only concerns will now come from keeping his key personal fit and fresh.

And finally, to those who I think might get their opportunity post the World Cup include Man City’s Adam Johnson, and Ryan Shawcross is on the radar so he would hope for another call up. Many eyes will be on the development of a lot of the current under-21 set up, including Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere, who has been receiving rave reviews for some time now. Daniel Sturridge has scored a few goals for Chelsea, and the Everton duo of Gosling and Rodwell have been getting plenty of first team opportunities at Goodison Park.

Capello has plenty to arm himself with this summer, but perhaps more exciting to see is the promising talent that he will have to work with over the next couple of years in the build up to the European Championships.

Simply not good enough

England continued to disappoint at Twickenham today, against a vastly superior New Zealand side, who could afford the luxury of a below par performance from fly-half Dan Carter. Carter, widely renown as the best in the business, was erratic with his kicking from hand and also missed several easy shots at goal (he got the more difficult ones though!). Having said that, his running game was particularly impressive. Standing flat, he received enough quick ball to be a constant threat to the England defence, and you always had the feeling the All Blacks could go up several gears if needed. But what did we learn from today's performance about the areas England need to improve upon.

Well it depends on your viewpoint. This was a definite improvement in some senses from last week; there was a greater intensity from the players on show today, but it is disappointing that it couldn't happen last weekend against an Argentina side who had come to mainly disrupt the English play. That was our big chance to impose ourselves on a game, but it very rarely, if ever, happened. Today showed a marked improvement in that area, but that was probably about it, to be honest. England were found lacking in quality and execution, especially at the breakdown area. Don't get me wrong, England did make a nuisance of themselves and disrupt some Kiwi ball, but England struggled when in possession to do anything meaningful with slow ball. As I said, Carter stood flat, unlike Wilkinson who was a lot deeper, making it more difficult for England to get across the gain line and create targets for the forwards, hence the ball coming back was slow. Vicious circle!

What can England do is the big question on the lips of supporters at the moment. There is a lot of talk about the players, the coaches, the infrastructure, and the long term development of the side filling the air, and here is my view on it all, and it starts with Martin Johnson, the team manager. Johnson is a man who is widely respected by much of the English public, but with no previous coaching experience, was he the right man to be given the job? Probably not, but Rob Andrew was very insistent and persuaded him to take it, even though Jonno had distanced himself from the role for those very reasons several times. But Johnson is the man in charge, he picks the team, and he is responsible for what happens with that team, and I have to question the long term plan, or if there is even a long term plan in place. Johnson has been in charge for nearly 18 months, squad and team selections have been fairly inconsistent and it seems like we are trying to pick a team to do a job on a week by week basis. However, we are instead falling further behind the opposition in terms of team spirit, leadership, continuity, quality and execution. They are words constantly used by coaches in rugby, and England seem to be lacking across the board.

The game plan also seems to be unclear. The players are like horses with blinkers on, not knowing whether to use their own initiative or not, not being instinctive enough, not looking outside the set moves and that must come down to the clarity of the plans laid out by the coaching staff.

Are we playing the best players is another point, raised quite rightly in my opinion. The two top teams in the English premiership supply one player between them to the England set up. Is that enough? Probably not. England need players playing well and used to winning. At the moment, we have an unclear game plan, and a squad of players which rotates for every match and no-one is sure of the direction we are taking. The issues are more than skin deep and there needs to be a complete re-think of the direction this team is taking. Playing New Zealand and Australia this autumn has shown us how far behind we actually are!

Dutch crash England party

The Netherlands cricket team turned up at a wet Lords yesterday afternoon for the opening of the T20 World Cup, with many thinking they were just there to make up the numbers against an English side brimming with confidence. How wrong we were!

The Netherlands, clad in their bright orange outfits, stood out as a team who were motivated to perform and not leave the field disappointed. A team mainly made up of amateurs, could not have seriously thought that they could make these professionals look no better your local pub team. In fact, it was the Dutch and their professional attitude which shone brightest on a damp night in St John's Wood to shock the majority of the crowd and leave Paul Collingwood stumped for words.

It could easily have been so different though. England started well, and at 100 for 0 after 11 overs, a score of 180+ was on the cards. Ravi Bopara and Luke Wright started positively and were scoring consistently, and in all honesty, there was no need for Bopara to try and heave his Essex team mate ten Doeschate over cow corner, but he tried and failed. With Pietersen out injured, Rob Key was down to come in at number 3, but Shah, Morgan and Collingwood all moved above him in the order, all then falling cheaply, and with Luke Wright holing out for 71, it left Key and returning wicket-keeper James Foster to stumble over the 160 mark. A disappointing finish to an innings, which saw only 14 fours and no sixes, and England possibly ruing the fact that big six hitters with IPL experience in Mascheranas and Napier were both sitting on the sidelines.

Despite the Netherlands regularly losing wickets, they kept hitting the big shots for four and six, keeping them ahead of the required run rate, and the Duckworth/Lewis rate, although even with steady rain, the umpires kept the players out there. Coming down to the last over, the Dutch needed seven to win. By now, the floodlights were shining brightly, and the crowd were getting very nervous. Broad was to bowl, and after fluffing a run out and catch off his own bowling, he then tried to throw the stumps down off the final ball, which would have given England the win by one run. Instead, the throw went wide with no field backing up, and the Dutch won courtesy of an over throw. This sparked wild scenes of celebration from the Dutch players, with small pockets of orange in the stands bouncing wildly, and no doubt the Dutch will enjoy their celebrations. And congratulations to them for having the belief that if they gave their all, you never know what might happen.

For England, this is a terribly sorry tale, and we can only hope that the weather stays away on Sunday for a crucial must win game against Pakistan at the Oval. Oh, and that KP is fit enough to play. England really thought they could make an impression in this T20 World Cup on home soil, and they have! But I don't think it's the impression we were all hoping for!