Monday May 28, 2012

JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION

Future bleak for England after World Cup flop

World Cup Jun. 29, 2010 - 05:00AM JST ( 4 )

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

Order by Time Order by Popularity

4 Comments

0

sourpussJun. 29, 2010 - 09:59AM JST

I'll preface my post with a disclaimer. I only watch WC soccer.

That said, it's interesting to extrapolate from other sports. Hockey may offer a few lessons.

Most players make big bucks, but go all-out for the Olympics anyway, so that's a non-issue. Anyway, I'm sure Messi and C. Ronaldo make big bucks too, and so far they've shown their worth.

Scheduling can make a huge difference with "fitness," but in hockey, the vast majority of elite players play in the same league, so it's not really an issue. In soccer, as the writer mentioned, one league getting a break, puts its players at an advantage over others that don't. Most of the top English players, apparently, play in the Premiership, putting them at a disadvantage if other leagues get an extra break.

Regarding players,I know nothing (besides what was written above) of how Capello chooses his team members, but in the last Olympics(where the Canadian hockey team won gold), some of the team members were chosen in pairs, or as a good combination, and prior chemistry was often chosen over pure individual production. No consideration was given to stars egos being hurt by not being selected, because this in fact, had hurt team Canada in 2006. Lesson learned. It is important to remember that this is a team sport, and interaction is of most importance. I'm not suggesting dropping, say, Wayne Rooney, but perhaps there could have been more consideration into who works best with him.

Finally, there's the national training program. After the Nagano Olympics debacle of 1998, Canada revamped the junior training program, putting more emphasis on skill/speed development in order to catch up to the European clubs. And it has paid off. I have no idea about what goes on at the lower levels in England, so my point might be entirely moot, however it might pay to look at what other countries are doing and pick up a few pointers.

This last point needs to be emphasized, because it seems to me that England regards itself on a different plane than other countries when it comes to soccer. There seems to be a certain sense of entitlement. Canada used to have the same feeling, but it has become something much more introspective. Of course we realize that the world has caught up to us in skill level and desire, so we need to try even harder. Some Americans mistake this as arrogance, but it's not. It's a desire for self-improvement. Canadians accept nothing less than gold in hockey, and it should be the same way with England in soccer. Even with premature exits in the last 2-3(???) world cups, nothing seems to have changed in England (according to the writer). Perhaps this latest drubbing will force some heads to roll and if it doesn't, England will not improve. With other countries catching up, they may even lose more ground.

Team Canada is a prime example of learning by getting the sh*t kicked out of you. In 1998 they lost to higher skilled teams, and so put more emphasis on skill, winning the gold in 2002. In 2006, they went overboard on individual skill, not even making it to the medal round. In 2010, they won gold again, with a balance of skilled players, and combinations of players who were able to interact at a higher level. It shouldn't be forgotten, though, that it was the top-down changes that had the greatest impact on results. With so many highly skilled teams, Canada cannot afford NOT to learn from its mistakes. Any letting up will only lead to disaster again.

England appears to be in dire need of a revolution starting at the top. Again, I could be talking out my *rse, because I know very little about the topic, but it is worth looking at the lessons that were learned in another sport. All options need to be on the table.

Team England has to learn from its mistakes.
0

ironchefJun. 29, 2010 - 04:47PM JST

God save the queen......
0

KronosJun. 29, 2010 - 05:40PM JST

I am not buying the "English players were not fresh" excuse.

There are lots of foreign players in the Premiership who play in the same schedule and spend the same amount of time with their national teams before coming to South Africa. They seem to be doing well in the World Cup. Why is this fatigue only affecting English Premiership players?
0

BurakuminDesJun. 29, 2010 - 11:54PM JST

England needs to purchase some Brazilians for their team if they are to succeed in the 2014 World Cup.