England are right to go on the defensive

11 April 2012

If England are indeed inferior in comparison to the main contenders for Euro 2012 then victory over Spain offered a possible template for a successful tournament against the odds.

The reigning world and European champions may not have performed as though either title was on the line at Wembley but they were stifled into submission by a committed display built on a platform of discipline and efficiency.

Although comparisons between competition and friendly football are flawed by the difference in intensity, England's pragmatism brought to mind Greece's dogmatic functionality that carried them to the most unlikely success in 2004.

They needed three 1-0 wins in the knock-out stages against France, Czech Republic and Portugal but achieved them with an obstinate attitude that England proved themselves capable of last weekend.

Luck was an important component of victory and there are those who will argue that England cannot expect to end their tournament drought by consistently surrendering so much territory and initiative.

England will indeed need to show more endeavour against less-vaunted foes - the three shots registered against Spain was their lowest in a match since the 1998-99 season - but their record against top opposition has been so poor to suggest a policy of containment is the most sensible course of action.

Spain play to their strengths and the result is an irresistible alchemy of aesthetics and effectiveness but just because their style is so admirable, it does not necessarily follow that England should attempt to mirror them to achieve success.

England should, of course, draw on elements of the coaching structure and working practices with youth players that Spain have implemented so effectively and the opening of St George's Park is a step towards that but the results will not be seen for years. Until then, a holding pattern is not a bad course of action. This is not to advocate such deference to all opponents as the de facto tactical plan but merely to promote it as an option.

If we accept that England cannot compete on an individual or technical level with the best sides in the world - and surely results and form suggest this is the case - then an overt focus on defensive resilience and a reliance on counter-attacking football with sporadic but effective raids is a plausible threat against such teams.

It may not be pretty and England will need other styles but it could prove hugely effective for while no one should get carried away with Saturday's win, a victory with a clean sheet against Spain is a hugely encouraging outcome for the team.

"I saw a lot of games that Spain played and Barcelona played," said Fabio Capello. "No one can play forward and win back the ball because of the style of their players. You try to come forward, it is impossible to win back the ball.

"You need to play this style. It is the style of this team that you need to play close to the box. I prepared good organisation and to play quickly when we win back the ball.

"When you think the opponent is better, you play at the top with concentration. It is difficult when other teams think you are better than them, you need to still play at the top. This is the change. Against Sweden, it will be a really difficult game. This was a real step to go forward and improve."

Capello deserves considerable credit for conjuring a plan to topple Spain. Derided as incompetent in some quarters because of his admittedly poor grasp of English, the 65-year-old clearly has no communication problems in conveying a detailed tactical plan to his team which they carried out.

As Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque noted, "England carried out their manager's orders to the letter" and now Capello must repeat the trick in tournament football to prove the World Cup debacle in South Africa was an anomaly and not the customary.

England's performance was all the more laudable given the absentees and it is heartening to think that those missing could inject an invention on the counter-attack they struggled to find against Spain without sacrificing any of the steel.

Wingers James Milner and Theo Walcott played so deep they were practically second full-backs and they looked to compress the space in which Spain could operate.

Ashley Young has proved able to perform defensive duties and launch counter-attacks with a pace Milner lacks, while Jack Wilshere has the considerable guile to add to the grit that makes him a more natural central midfielder then Phil Jones.

Wayne Rooney's talents as a lone forward are obvious, while if Steven Gerrard can prove he retains his ability to drive a team forward, England's striker may not feel so isolated as
Darren Bent looked for long spells on Saturday.

Phil Jagielka and Joleon Lescott excelled at centre-back while Jack Rodwell and Danny Welbeck produced encouraging cameos from the bench to seemingly answer several of Capello's questions regarding the composition of his 23-man squad for Poland and Ukraine.

"I told you that I needed to do some experiments and see some players," said Capelo. "I think we found good, young players and this is the most important thing.

"I remember in my career as a manager, I put a lot of young players in and you can see if one plays without fear and in the same style for their [club] team. This is important.

"The [young England players] played the same style at the academy and then with the seniors with the same style.

"I think in my experience that they are ready."

England are not ready yet but as preparations go, this was a pretty good start especially in light of the turbulent build-up that focused on poppies as much as performance Respect for Spain was in evidence but pessimism and fear was not. It bodes well for the future.

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