World Cup Betting: Why England must get real

120 Team England / Feizal Rahman / 20 June 2010 / Leave a comment Free £25 Bet

Wayne Rooney vents his frustration

Feizal Rahman discusses England's dismal World Cup performance, deluded fans and a manager who has failed to provide solutions to long term problems.

"Under the pressure of expectation, Capello's decision-making is being exposed."

It was an all too familiar scene; the England team trudging off the pitch having turned in another wretched performance against supposedly inferior opposition. The boos drowned out the vuvuzelas, incurring the wrath of Wayne Rooney who showed more passion reacting to the fans displeasure than in 90 minutes of football.

But no matter how many thousands of pounds they spend on following their team to South Africa, the fever that seems to take a hold of these supporters every two years is mystifying. The same players let them down time after time and genuinely great England performances come around with the regularity of Halley's comet. Yet, the team is expected to defy logic and beat all before them simply because it's a major tournament. As it is, England out to [13.0] to win World Cup.

England fans are the equivalent of an abused wife who keeps returning to the husband who beats her because she convinces herself 'it'll be ok this time'. The players probably want to scream out, "Look, we're just not that bloody good!" but like the crowd in The Life of Brian, the blind faith of the followers would no doubt also deafen them to what they were being told.

There seems to be no way of making these players function as a cohesive unit. We know that for their clubs they can be great footballers who win trophies but they do that alongside the cream of the crop from other nations. Why should it equate that two or three individuals from each of the top clubs will automatically perform wonders when thrown together in an England shirt?

As a club side, England would not finish in the top four of the Premier League as the best teams are balanced out with players complimenting one another, each playing to their strengths. But just in terms of motivation, the key men for England have little to lose by not performing for their national side. They'll soon return to the clubs that made them millionaires and prepare to be revered by the same fans that scorned them just a few weeks before.

Thanks to the Champions League and Bosman ruling, international football is dying a slow and painful death. Now, Wayne Rooney will have more of a connection with Antonio Valencia than with Aaron Lennon. Steven Gerrard can bond better with Javier Mascherano than Frank Lampard, while the Chelsea midfielder is clearly more comfortably playing behind Didier Drogba than Emile Heskey. Can we really expect players who compete against one another intensely for 10 months of the year to click together for just a few weeks?

Fabio Capello was supposed to be the man capable of doing this but not even £6m a year is enough to solve this conundrum and under the pressure of expectation, his decision-making is being exposed. He picked a squad with no
left winger, two right wingers who cannot cross, two central midfielders incapable of playing together and a crocked backline with no pace. Then he decided to partner his jewel in the crown with a bull in a china shop.

As if sacking his captain over tabloid allegations wasn't bad enough, Capello's handling of Robert Green following the USA game should have set alarm bells ringing. Having finally chosen to start with the West Ham goalkeeper, what does it say about the Italian's belief in his own judgement if he drops him like a used tissue because of one mistake?

Desperate to add stability to his midfield, he recalled Gareth Barry for the Algeria game but suddenly hailed as some sort of messiah, fit or unfit, the player is only as good as Gareth Barry. And now he'll turn to Joe Cole, surplus to requirements at Chelsea but now expected to win England the game against Slovenia. England are, by the way, [2.2] to win Group C.

It's time for everyone involved with England to get real. Only once the circus leaves town, and the tamers put down their whips, will the three lions ever truly roar.

Tags: England World Cup betting, Fabio Capello, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, World Cup betting