A “sell-out” crowd saw France completely outplay England and hand them their first defeat at Wembley Stadium under Fabio Capello. The Frenchmen ran out 2-1 winners in a largely dull affair between two teams looking to forget their World Cup miseries.
England rung the changes, handing débuts to the likes of Andy Carroll (Newcastle United), Jordan Henderson (Sunderland) and Jay Bothroyd (Cardiff City), no doubt to inject some fresh blood into the team. Capello also selected Micah Richards, despite the fact he'd spent the last three Manchester City games on the bench.
With no clear choice at right-back, Fabio Capello slot Phil Jagielka there. It was a baffling decision, considering Jagielka has rarely played the position in his career, as he's spent most of his time at centre-half and centre-midfield. His lack of experience was exposed early on as France attacked down the left repeatedly with Florent Malouda. It didn't help that right-winger Theo Walcott kept drifting inside either, as Jagielka would often have to come forward and then be left for dead by Malouda on counter attacks. Capello had better hope Glen Johnson can keep healthy, because the only cover for him seems to be Richards.
France started the better team, and for them, the only way was up. Malouda and Yoann Gourcuff tested England goalkeeper Ben Foster early, and on 16 minutes they broke the deadlock through Karim Benzema. The Real Madrid forward played a pair of neat one-twos with Malouda around the proverbial headless chicken, Jagielka, before Benzema took the ball forward and struck from ten yards out past Foster's right. Ferdinand attempted to tackle him before he shot, but as is the case with Ferdinand these days, he wasn't there in time.
The goal only helped to knock England down a notch. Their nervy start was highlighted by stray passes and a general lack of communication which provided hardly anything going forward. It took until the 28th minute for England to produce something that resembled a positive move. Joleon Lescott lofted a ball over the middle to Andy Carroll, who glanced it down to James Milner, who in turn shot wide. The idea was there, but the practice was flawed by the disappointing finish.
The French, continually attacking down the left, played some neat passes between themselves throughout the first half and they looked by far the more composed and comfortable of the two teams. Every attack was struck through fluid passing and great link-up play from defence to midfield to attack.
England finally had another attempt, this time from a Keiran Gibbs free kick. The target-man Carroll heading it down to Gerrard who then sliced over from inside the area. A wasted opportunity that Gerrard would likely blame on the slippery surface.
The partisan crowd expressed their dissatisfaction, performing perhaps the world's first ironic Mexican wave before showering the team with boos as the half was brought to a close.
England started the second half by mixing things up. Micah Richards replaced Rio Ferdinand, moving Jagielka to centre-half, and Walcott and Gareth Barry made way for Ashley Young and Adam Johnson. The moves failed to have any immediate impact, and the French continued to attack.
It was France who struck next, of course, doubling their lead through Mathieu Valbuena. Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna charged down the right wing before crossing into the middle where Nasri completely missed the ball, but right next to him was Valbuena, who slotted home past the on-looking Foster.
Now 2-0 down, England seemed to actually pick up the pace. Gibbs became more involved going forward, showing promise and ease against Sagna. Once again, England's next chance would come through Gerrard, who hid at the back post on a Johnson free-kick. French players left the ball, thinking it would go straight out of play, but Gerrard's header looped up and fell onto the bar, much to their surprise.
Wasted chances highlighted England's second half. Be it a shot or soft header straight at goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, or a strong effort gone wide or over, it just wasn't their day. Nasri cracked the post after making Stephen Warnock look silly, and in the build-up Gerrard injured himself trying to tackle Gourcuff.
Peter Crouch replaced Gerrard, and he scored with his first touch, jostling with Diarra on a corner before side-footing a volley at the back post into the goal. It was Crouch's 22nd goal in 42 international games, and while many champion his great England form, you can't help but think, when has he ever scored a goal that meant anything? He has an impressive record for England, but the majority of his goals have come against international minnows like Jamaica, or in friendlies like this one.
With barely five minutes to go, it was a matter of too little, too late as débutante Jay Bothroyd wasted his only chance – a soft header straight at Lloris. Milner skied over the bar, before England's last chance at producing anything was killed by Ben Foster, whose long ball went sailing out of play for a throw-in. The punt forward summed up England's play – a mix of sloppy passing and wasted opportunities and a general lack of consistency. Danish Referee Claus Bo Larsen blew the full time whistle as the Wembley crowd voiced their disapproval once again.
Speaking after the match to ITV, Rio Ferdinand told Gabriel Clarke: “We didn't really pass the ball. We didn't get going until the last 20 minutes. We didn't play to our strengths.” I found the last comment interesting, as I thought France simply denied England the chance to play to their strengths. Clarke then added a typical inane ITV question: “Is there room for improvement?” Ferdinand's reply was “definitely.” Well of course there is room for improvement, if it was a draw there would be room for improvement, and I'm sure Ferdinand would have said the same had it been a narrow victory.
Fabio Capello praised his younger players, specifically singling out Andy Carroll. “He's a fighter, but he has quality. He has an England future for sure, and he's one of the most interesting young players in Europe.” Capello described how his younger players dealt with playing at International level, highlighting the faster pace of the senior game. “The speed is difficult, and when you play with a lot of young players, there's a lot of pressure too.”
Florent Malouda kept his side grounded after the victory, he said: “It's a great result, and it's great to turn the page and look forward. You have to be positive. [The win] was nice, but it doesn't mean anything until you win the big game.”
Man of the Match
Florent Malouda
It has to be Malouda. An ever-present in France's attacks, every positive action seemed to move through him. His link-up play with Nasri and Benzema was pivotal to their success and his hand in the first goal showed his creativity and vision to play Benzema in.
Final Thoughts
England have a long way to go. Of course, this was just a friendly, and it featured new players getting their first shot at senior level. The likes of Wayne Rooney, Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard, Joe Hart and Glen Johnson were missing, and it looks like their presence was sorely missed.
This shouldn't be the last time we see Andy Carroll in an England shirt. He played as the lone-striker and the Newcastle forward performed well in the difficult role, winning every ball that came to him, and forcing Lloris into a few saves. Jordan Henderson however did not impress me. He was invisible as Nasri, Gourcuff and Malouda passed circles around him and Barry. Jay Bothroyd didn't provide the spark that I thought he might, either.
Despite conceding, England looked a lot better defensively in the second half. It's obvious that Jagielka's true position is at centre-half, and Gibbs became a lot more active with Ashley Young in front of him. Walcott showed me nothing, but his replacement Adam Johnson played very well, as he always seems to do in an England shirt. If I had to give Johnson some advice, it would be to get out of Manchester. A growing talent like Johnson needs to be getting first team action, something he isn't getting at Eastlands. The boy could do wonders at Arsenal.
Teams
England: Foster, Jagielka, Ferdinand (Richards 45), Lescott, Gibbs (Warnock 72), Henderson, Barry (Young 45), Walcott (Johnson 45), Gerrard (Crouch 85), Milner, Carroll (Bothroyd 72).
Unused subs: Green, Cahill, Smalling.
France: Lloris, Sagna (Reveillere 87), Rami, Mexes (Sakho 45), Abidal, M'Vila, Valbuena (Diarra 67), Nasri, Gourcuff (Hoarau 85), Malouda (Payet 77), Benzema (Remy 67).
Unused subs: Mandanda, Carrasso, Clichy, Cabaye, Gameiro,
Attendance
85,495
1 comment:
Good blog. I definitely agree with you about Jagielka. you could see capellos thinking. walcott - an attacker, - lets play a defender at right back. I think this is an intelligent contortion of formation against say estonia - with all due respect. but France, let the media say what they want, France are a good team that had a bad attitude. I think we should have respected them more.
I thought gibbs played well considering the opposition and his short career internationally. But its the same old story like you say - inconsistency. no midfield. hoof the ball tactics. you can't out muscle internationally - refereeing is different. So I felt sorry for Caroll and Bothroyd - for general poor service and a terrible and slow midfield. Gerrard had it typical bursting runs over the pitch but there was very little build up play.
I think you're right about Malouda playing well as well - but then it was there midfield eclipsing ours completely. This should be a humiliation to the England team but with the media focus on the manager and there seems very unlikely that any drastic changes will come soon. we need to catch up with europe - our standard isn't good enough.
I'm sure its got nothing to do with "the influx of foreigners in the premierleague" but more to do with how we teach our kids at a young age. 'get stuck' in' tactics are fun but times have changed.
looking forward to your next blog.
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