Well here we are again. It’s like Christmas but every four years and always expecting to end up with a fake Action Man with no moving body parts, instead of the genuine article with gripping hands and eagle eyes. England are at the World Cup with media full of hype and expectation and we are being told we can win. But are we really expecting much? Are we destined for another series of limp displays and another sacked manager? Do we have the players with enough skill to bring the cup home?
The scenario this time around is that on paper England look capable of achieving the equivalent of their FIFA ranking, eighth, suggesting a quarter final place. Yet the media is maintaining its usual over-expectation with hyperbole in over-rating good but not excellent players. However, many fans on websites across the land are expecting much less. Is it the case this time of the fans having been in this situation so many times before that they finally no longer believe the hype? Maybe.Every newspaper is treating the England players as though they are world class. The TV channels are giving us updates to the extent of telling us who ran out to a training session first. Every other advertisement on television has England players appearing on it. Most articles on the Internet are perpetuating the momentum of expectation. All testament to the fact that their Agents and the players image rights continually up-sell their clients . It is overkill but at least it seems the fans are reacting with a sense of perspective and realism this time around.
There is the possibility that the realisation that so few is our number of decent players that the loss of Rio Ferdinand was a blow but not one which is insurmountable because he maybe isn’t as good as he is depicted ? Just because we see him play regularly in the Premier League or his image rights splatter him across all the other media, that does not make him or any other England player World Class. Within the first 2 weeks of the competition we will quickly see for ourselves the skills of the players in the other teams and realise our true status. To be World Class is not simply to be appearing in the World Cup, it is to compare English players with players in every league in the world.
Foreign players do not play in the Premier League simply because of being cheaper to acquire than English players, it is because the vast majority are better than English players. On top of that is the fact there is a wealth of decent foreign players of similar skill playing around the rest of the world who we have never seen. Its a bit depressing to think about but for every decent Brazilian, there several of similar skill in Brazil and all better than an English player playing in the same position. Just because scouts have not caught up with them and we don’t watch them playing in Europe does not mean they don’t exist.
Yes we see many of them but are still fairly blinkered in our view of world football. Who had heard of the two Argentinians Tevez and Mascherano before West Ham brought them to their club under dubious circumstances? But they have both proved their worth since.
However, in a bizarre twist of fate, recent negative events may conspire to work in England’s and Fabio Capello’s favour. After the excellent run of results in qualifying there was a genuine feeling of hope about our chances. There was some sporadic excellent play, occasionally some good passing, goals were being scored and a genuine feeling of motivation seemed to have been acquired by the squad. For once, the management looked right, the team looked right and the belief was there from both players and fans alike.
But along with the expectation comes complacency and the belief that the team can operate happily in third gear in order to sweep aside the “minnows” below that FIFA eighth spot ranking. The USA, Slovenia and Algeria are not there to make up the numbers and are certainly capable of matching most teams in the competition. We have been here before and England could easily find themselves dumped out in the group stage.
So those two most recent games for England and the loss of Captain - and former Hammer - Rio Ferdinand, could turn out to be blessings in disguise. The English mentality dictates that we operate better as underdogs and in the face of adversity and having seen the dubious and abject displays in the friendlies against Mexico and Japan, lets hope that Capello really was using those matches for testing players and formations and the fact we somehow won those matches was pure luck rather than intent. You only have to look at the results of the Italian national team before each World Cup to see that these games are not games necessary for bolstering confidence. They don’t need to be won and that is quite reassuring.
If England – hopefully including our very own Rob Green and Matthew Upson - get past the group stage we should be very happy. Capello should stay and the team should be congratulated, not pilloried. But the media hype dictates that we will all feel let down with anything less than bringing the cup back. There may well be flacid displays of poor passing, a lack of energy, invention and goals but I believe that with a great manager or not, we are closer to realising that English players are simply not as skillful as we are being led to believe.
Just as in 1966, luck may see us get to and past the quarter finals but don’t expect it to happen, just cross your fingers.
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