推 eslite12: 06/13 08:03
Steven Gerrard pays back the confidence of Fabio Capello
The flair of the England captain and Wayne Rooney is essential
but they need better order around them
http://gu.com/p/2hkxe
Kevin McCarra, Guardian
No one likes a know-all. Well, perhaps with the exception of an oracular
Fabio Capello. The England manager had announced that Steven Gerrard would
prosper at the World Cup despite his hard times at Liverpool. Maybe the
Italian foresaw it would be a liberation for the midfielder to be freed
from the poor results and unsatisfactory team-mates at his club.
Capello's reputation for clairvoyance was, of course, imperfect and he cannot
have anticipated the nerve-ridden state of Robert Green, who had little to do
before he ushered Clint Dempsey's attempt into the net for an equaliser, but
it was disturbing that a confidence in the new-found durability of Ledley
King also turned out to be overstated. The seeming recurrence of James
Milner's illness was unhelpful, too.
Amid that confusion in Rustenburg, the roles of Wayne Rooney and Gerrard were
all the more significant. The pair embody the spontaneity and explosiveness
essential to any prospect England now have of impressing despite this result.
The side has counted on Rooney, whose nine goals steered the team towards the
World Cup.
Further assets, however, were essential for the steeper challenges in South
Africa. Gerrard was being willed towards excellence and Capello's
judiciousness fostered helpful circumstances for him. There was never any
prospect of hand-wringing over the supposed quandary of a partnership that
had to be composed of Gerrard and Frank Lampard while Gareth Barry is absent.
The pair have been regarded as so incompatible a duo it is a wonder that they
have never been sent for marriage counselling. Capello, of course, is
particularly unlikely to concern himself with anyone's opinions and had his
own view of the relationship. Predecessors have fooled themselves into
believing Gerrard and Lampard could be left to work out matters in the field,
with one sitting when the other gets a notion to attack.
No such woolliness is feasible for Capello and when England were in
possession it was Gerrard's task to get close to the attack while Lampard
exercised discipline and stayed nearer the centre-halves. The Liverpool
player has been a beneficiary of Italian tailoring. Gerrard was so far
advanced that he went clear to put England ahead in the fourth minute. Close
to the half-hour mark he was still causing havoc as he turned Michael Bradley
in a promising area.
Individualists like Gerrard depend on a solid context, but England's
organisation crumbled and not only because of King's trouble. Rooney, seeing
the confusion, may not so much have been nondescript as intent on
distributing passes that would bring about some order. In the 18th minute
his judicious ball to the right had Aaron Lennon haring in to spark panic
among the opposition.
There were too few such moments and pre-match assertions came back to mind.
Retired footballers have no fate left to tempt and can speak with complete
freedom. "This is definitely the easiest group the USA have been drawn in at
a World Cup," Alexi Lalas said in advance of the game. In case anyone had not
got the message, the former USA defender added that England were "ripe for
defeat".
Gerrard's cross almost found the head of Rooney as the second half moved into
its latter phase, but the midfielder had still waned somewhat. A painful foul
by Robbie Findley led to a caution, but also a sore ankle for the midfielder
as the game edged nearer the end. By then Gerrard was waning and the prospect
of a breakthrough lay with a slightly more effective Rooney.
The Manchester United striker was in his sixth appearance for Capello before
he struck his first goal for him – against Croatia in Zagreb. Given the slow
start under the Italian it is all the more notable that he had scored 11
times in 20 appearances before this game.
The climb in the strike rate reflects the fact that, at 24, he is more
mature, give or take the odd foul-mouthed complaint to a referee, but Capello
has also struck a balance by keeping Rooney in dangerous areas without
obliging him to put up with the drudgery of being a target man. Here, all
the same, was definitive proof that mercurial presences, such as Rooney and
Gerrard, need better order around them.
It was confirmed with this outcome that the two men with flair are not only
essential to the line-up but also that England will fail if they fall prey to
the fitfulness that affected them here.
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※ 編輯: ivanos 來自: 122.126.232.207 (06/13 07:55)