International Football

A Few Thoughts from a Weekend of international Football:

The question surrounding most England friendlies is “What did we learn?” From manager to player to journalist, friendly-as-learning-exercise is the dominant motif. Forgive me for overstating my case, but this is a complete cop out. This kind of language makes the England national team sound like a large footballing sponge, which soaks up all that comes its way. It’s as if the team has that incredible superpower which allows you to soak up all the other powers of your adversaries and use those powers against them. England have played France, and have thus learned the art of, um, disharmony [?]. England have played Spain, and have thus learned the art of possession. England have played Germany, and have thus learned the art of never being written off. England have played Brazil, and have thus learned the art of samba football [which, if the present Brazil team are to go by, looks a lot like the kind of football Liverpool play).

The reality, whoever, is that England have learned very little that they didn’t already know. Their players are not as good as those of other top nations. You cannot learn in one game what Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez have been learning their entire lives. The kind of football Spain play runs through the blood of all of its players. Their jealousy for the ball is pathological. To surrender it cheaply would be a betrayal not of “the system”, but of their inward fabric. You cannot teach that kind of disposition to men in their 20’s. It’s too late.

To illustrate my point, take Theo Walcott as a microcosm. In three of four years at Arsenal, has he developed into the “Arsenal” mould? Has he really learned to the point of transformation? I don’t think so. He is who he is, who he has been since he was coached as a child.

The England team will stand a better chance of winning the World Cup if they forget about “learning leassons” from technically superior players. England will not “out-Spain” Spain. They will not beat Brazil at their own game. They will simply need to work harder than the teams they play against, defend well, and hope the likes of Rooney can produce moments of quality at the other end.

There is a good reason why so few teams play football the way Spain play it - it is high risk. As communal as their style is, it rests on individual skill. Each player must be trusted enough so that the ball can be passed to him in any area of the pitch. After a lifetime of experience, each player has earned this trust. One cannot say the same for Gareth Barry, Michael Carrick, Frank Lampard, or any other midfielder England are likely to play. If England are to learn any lessons from their high profile friendlies, it’s that being a pseudo-Spain will not be good enough. England will only win the World Cup as England - the team that launches high balls up to Emile Heskey and hopes either Gerard or Lampard will get on the end of things.

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I have already talked about Spain, but allow me to touch on their “friendly” against Argentina. I knew the gap between these two sides was large; I just didn’t realise how large. Argentina went out to literally kick Spain off the park; the Spanish ended up playing the Argentinians off of it. It should have been three or four nil at half time, such was the Spanish superiority.

What a shame to see an Argentine side so bereft of talent and guile. They were the most joyous team to watch 3 years ago, with that goal against Serbia & Montenegro standing as a monument to all that is good about football. Now they are nothing short of a joke. When Maradona came in and Riquelme left, who would have thought that it would have such disastrous consequences? It does seem ironic that the entrance of the real Maradona into the nation team set-up and the exit of a failed “New Maradona” would end up biting Argentina on the back-side, but it has. Spectacularly. Just as Iniesta/Xavi embody the Spanish philosophy of football, Riquelme embodies the Argentinian. Yes he is a flawed genius, but a genius he is nonetheless. You may question his loyalty for jumping ship at the start of Diego’s reign, but you cannot question his foresight. He recognised Maradona as a tactical nightmare, and decided he could play no part in such a mess of a team.

If Argentina are going to avoid humiliation next Summer, Diego has to go, and Riquelme has to be re-installed as the focal point of the team. It’s not going to happen though, is it? And even if it does, what of the defense and goalkeeper? Still, wouldn’t you like to see how the following 6 players would gel:

……………Mascherano…Cambiasso………..

……………………Riquelme………………….

Messi………………………………….Aguero

………………….Lisandro……………………

That’s a team I could get behind. A team with Gago in it is one that I can’t.

By the way, how wrong was Paul Doyle when he said Carlos Tevez was a rich man’s Dirk Kuyt? The busy Argentinian is a far less effective player than the Dutchman. Fergie may have made a lot of mistakes in the transfer market over the past three years, but refusing to sign Tevez was not one of them.