We have to stop focusing on Rooney and deal with England's REAL problems
Last updated at 12:00 AM on 9th October 2011
My heart sunk as I watched Wayne Rooney being sent off against Montenegro on Friday night playing for England. But not for the same reason as most people watching the game, who will be talking about how he never learns and how he lets everyone down.
Don’t get me wrong, he can’t hide from the mistake and he was right to apologise in the dressing room afterwards. But what gets me is that now everyone will get caught up in the circus and furore surrounding the sending-off.
The most disappointing thing about his red card is that it distracts from the major issue.
With England, we’re always looking for an excuse; we’re always caught up in the minor rather than the major. The real issue is that the spine of the team is not good enough, as it stands, to take on Spain, Italy, France or Germany at Euro 2012.
Harsh fact: England did enough in Montenegro but know tougher tests are ahead
Going into major tournaments we always put all our pressure and hopes on one man. I’ve seen it before with Rooney in 2006 and 2010 or David Beckham in 2002. Even before them, it was Kevin Keegan or Bryan Robson in the Seventies and Eighties.
It’s as though we think that one world-class player might be able to propel us to a major trophy. And now we’re talking about Rooney possibly missing two games at Euro 2012 when what we should be talking about is the spine of a team that has no mobility and can’t keep the ball.
When I look at it coldly, a team that has John Terry, Gary Cahill, Scott Parker, Gareth Barry, Darren Bent and Rooney in its central positions is nowhere near good enough to take on the major nations such as Spain.
I’m not having a go at individuals; there are some very good players among those names. But collectively, Rooney aside, there is hardly any pace, very little invention and hardly any rotation of positions. Compare that with the spine of Spain: Carles Puyol, Gerard Pique, Xabi Alonso, Xavi, David Villa and Fernando Llorente.
Masters: The World Cup winners and European champions are streets ahead of England
That’s the issue Fabio Capello now has to resolve and why the Wembley friendly against Spain on November 12 is so much more than a practice. Never has a friendly been more important. It’s like a cup final.
More from Gary Neville...
- Gary Neville: Buying a team of superstars could spell trouble on the way to the top 01/10/11
- Gary Neville: Don't knock the Carling Cup, it can lead to great success 24/09/11
- Gary Neville: Chelsea may regret it if they go for safety first at Manchester United 17/09/11
- Gary Neville: Lampard's been dropped but it happens all the time... get used to it 03/09/11
- Gary Neville: I sat in the toilet at West Brom and knew I was playing my last game 03/09/11
- Gary Neville: Sir Alex is the man who can make or break you 27/08/11
- Gary Neville: How did Manchester United beat Wenger's Arsenal? We bullied them! 27/08/11
- Gary Neville: I was the most hated player in the country: Only Fergie stopped me quitting England 20/08/11
- VIEW FULL ARCHIVE
Somehow, Capello has to do something that no England manager has done in 15 years, and that is make the England players believe that this next match could be the most important of their life.
Let’s be clear, England are not as good as Spain. While England were struggling in Montenegro, Spain, who had already qualified, were winning 2-0 in the Czech Republic, continuing their 100 per cent record in qualifying games since winning the World Cup.
But you can’t just accept they’re better. You have to find a way to stop them, to disrupt the rhythm and to hurt them going forward — because England need to believe that, in a one-off, they can beat Spain.
The rest of Europe is watching and if Spain do what most people think they will do and destroy us, just like France did in February 1999 at Wembley when they were world champions, then England will go into Euro 2012 thinking they have no chance.
Harsh reminder: Nicolas Anelka hits the second at Wembley as France breezed past England
England have to show they have the mentality to take on the likes of Spain, Germany, Italy, Holland and France, and I have to say, after Friday night, that I’m concerned. I thought after last month’s performance in Bulgaria there was a ray of light. There was rotation through the positions up front, with Rooney, Ashley Young, Stewart Downing and Theo Walcott, and solidity in defence.
But going back to 4-4-2 on Friday, there was none of that and now Capello has a month to get together a group for Spain to leave a mark on them.
And he needs to be able to do so without Rooney. I know how Wayne’s mind works. He’ll be angry with himself. I could see it in his eyes. He was thinking: ‘I’ve been here before; I can’t believe I’ve just done that.’
People will say he has problems with this or that, but’s that rubbish and a lazy conclusion. There’s no way he could have played like he did in the first half if he were not focused. These incidents usually stem from the fact that he’s got such incredible expectations.
He’s playing for England, supposedly one of the superior nations, against Montenegro, a country of 625,000 people, and in the second half they were getting on top of us, so he became isolated up front. Wayne would have been incredibly frustrated by that. He has that streak in him, has done for 10 years and you’ll never take it away from him.
Flshpoint: Wayne Rooney sees red after kicking out at Miodrag Dzudovic
When whiter than white people say they can’t understand why he’s done that, I don’t get them. You’re dealing with human beings. Of course, you’d love players never to make mistakes, but that’s not reality. Injuries, red cards, suspensions happen. The point is that it shouldn’t change the mentality of the team.
Look at Brazil in the World Cup quarter-final against us when Ronaldinho was sent off: they overcame it and went on to beat us and win the World Cup. Look at France in 1998, when Laurent Blanc was sent off in the semi-final and was suspended for the World Cup final. Like Brazil, they still went on to win. Great teams — the teams that have ability to fight, that have courage and belief to win — come through these moments.
Ironically, I said last month that Capello ought to have considered leaving Rooney out of the first Euro 2012 group game anyway because England need him to be fresh for quarter and semi-finals, which is where England should be aiming. And if they cannot get out of the group to those stages without him, then they don’t deserve to be there anyway.
There are some positives. This team has a good level of ability. Getting Steven Gerrard and Jack Wilshere back will be important and there are others, like Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard, Ashley Young, James Milner and maybe Aaron Lennon and Walcott with talent who can rotate their positions.
There are younger players — Chris Smalling, Kyle Walker, Phil Jones, Tom Cleverley, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Danny Welbeck — who are mobile, talented and not tainted by previous failures.
Somehow, Capello has to mould those with the more experienced players into a team to compete with Spain. Because the team that played on Friday would be well beaten. It’s now time for Capello to be brave.
How I'd love to play at Anfield
Fond memories: Neville and Edwin van der Sar celebrate victory at Anfield in 2007
Wayne Rooney and Manchester United will be relieved England don’t have another game this week so that they can prepare for what is always one of the toughest games of the season: the trip to Liverpool on Saturday.
Kenny Dalglish and the Liverpool players will feel the same. As a player, it was always the fixture I looked forward to most and the trip to Anfield is one of the biggest tests of a player.
In the past three seasons, Liverpool have been fantastic in this fixture, so United players will need no reminding of what to expect. The atmosphere will be fantastic and it should be a great clash.
My only disappointment is that I no longer have a chance to play in it.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2046899/We-stop-focusing-Wayne-Rooney-deal-Englands-REAL-problems--Gary-Neville.html#ixzz1aEjEAHfu
No comments:
Post a Comment