Can England Ever Win The World Cup?
1966 was a long time ago but the legendary names of Gordon Banks, Bobby Moore, Bobby Charlton, Alan Ball, Martin Peters and Geoff Hurst remain etched in our memory. While Brazil was famed for their attacking play, the English were masters of defence.
I am writing this article because many of us in Singapore and other Asian countries were brought on English soccer since the good old days of "Star Soccer" from the old First Division and even more so now the huge following of the EPL. Besides, being a former colony, the love of the game and the familiarity of the names of players and how they play comes in a natural bias.
England have just recorded one of their worst World Cup results in 2014. What went wrong? Was Roy Hodgson the best coach? England were not wrong here but were wrong in many other areas and for a very long time now and in Roy Hodgson they have the right coach but not necessary the best one. Roy has been to many places and coached and managed successfully at club and international level, sat in FIFA's technical committee and is the English FA's man.
Changes And Learning
Changes And Learning
Confucius said that the best wisdom and the best way to learn is through self reflection. Otherwise, learn from others mistakes and the worst is to learn by making the mistakes yourself. Besides, learning, I feel it is equally important to unlearn certain bad habits and elements. Bruce Lee said ''Its not the daily increase but the daily decrease. Hack away the unessential". So in this train of thoughts, go through self reflection and have a thorough examination with sincerity and the courage to make changes including right at the top in the Football Association itself.
Nothing wrong with old people but we can't have some 80 year old people still running the show when 1966 and 2014 are eons apart. Have people with the right belief, attitude, aptitude, motivation and passion. Learn from Germany, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, whoever. Look at the lesser or smaller teams, how they have the team spirit and ability to rise to the occasion - Costa Rica, Algeria, the USA, etc. but before you could do that, learn humility. Be humble and disciplined like the Germans.
We have to take note that what could be learn are the virtues of others but these cannot be transplanted wholesale. England will probably never play samba or tiki taka soccer and never tikam tikam"" soccer. You have seen how Bayern Munich tore apart Barcelona when at one time Barcelona were like untouchable. Then Real Madrid thrashed Bayern Munich with counter attacking soccer. This means there is no such thing as a sure formula for success, no one size fits all solution. In the EPL, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool have their own DNA and philosophies influenced by Pelligrini, Wenger, Mourinho and Rodgers. So England must rediscover their DNA and philosophy.
Dunga - Brazil has named Dunga to be their next coach. Dunga was a captain during his playing days and could be a nice guy but its seems the Brazilian football federation are not making any real changes. Like many other organisations, they are like family. Dunga was coach before and when he was the coach I did not remember Brazil to be exciting or all conquering. He was pragmatic if not negative. This is not a brave decision. May be Brazil will become a sleeping giant.
Philipp Lahm -The Germany Captain announced his retirement from international soccer a day after he won the World Cup. It was not an easy but very good decision because it is best to retire when you are at the top. Very few people could do that and usually ended up dragging themselves longer than necessary through rather unsuccessfully. This will give the Germans a new captain and new right back. Lahm's departure was typically German without too much fanfare and humbly so. Lahm made the most passes in this World Cup and has been at the very top for so long. His consistency is legendary. He could just walk into any world XI anytime. With Lahm on your side, your chances of wining increases. At only 1.70m, he is a giant!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3GaUVJOprM
The last time where one such right full back was that good was a Scotsman called Danny McGrain. I have watched him played for Glasgow Celtic and Scotland and saw him play in Singapore at Kallang. He was unbelievably good! He was another guy during that time where he could walk into any world XI!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EetwFCFWTa4 (Danny McGrain)
Nothing wrong with old people but we can't have some 80 year old people still running the show when 1966 and 2014 are eons apart. Have people with the right belief, attitude, aptitude, motivation and passion. Learn from Germany, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, whoever. Look at the lesser or smaller teams, how they have the team spirit and ability to rise to the occasion - Costa Rica, Algeria, the USA, etc. but before you could do that, learn humility. Be humble and disciplined like the Germans.
We have to take note that what could be learn are the virtues of others but these cannot be transplanted wholesale. England will probably never play samba or tiki taka soccer and never tikam tikam"" soccer. You have seen how Bayern Munich tore apart Barcelona when at one time Barcelona were like untouchable. Then Real Madrid thrashed Bayern Munich with counter attacking soccer. This means there is no such thing as a sure formula for success, no one size fits all solution. In the EPL, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool have their own DNA and philosophies influenced by Pelligrini, Wenger, Mourinho and Rodgers. So England must rediscover their DNA and philosophy.
Dunga - Brazil has named Dunga to be their next coach. Dunga was a captain during his playing days and could be a nice guy but its seems the Brazilian football federation are not making any real changes. Like many other organisations, they are like family. Dunga was coach before and when he was the coach I did not remember Brazil to be exciting or all conquering. He was pragmatic if not negative. This is not a brave decision. May be Brazil will become a sleeping giant.
Philipp Lahm -The Germany Captain announced his retirement from international soccer a day after he won the World Cup. It was not an easy but very good decision because it is best to retire when you are at the top. Very few people could do that and usually ended up dragging themselves longer than necessary through rather unsuccessfully. This will give the Germans a new captain and new right back. Lahm's departure was typically German without too much fanfare and humbly so. Lahm made the most passes in this World Cup and has been at the very top for so long. His consistency is legendary. He could just walk into any world XI anytime. With Lahm on your side, your chances of wining increases. At only 1.70m, he is a giant!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3GaUVJOprM
The last time where one such right full back was that good was a Scotsman called Danny McGrain. I have watched him played for Glasgow Celtic and Scotland and saw him play in Singapore at Kallang. He was unbelievably good! He was another guy during that time where he could walk into any world XI!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EetwFCFWTa4 (Danny McGrain)
Coaches
For a start, he is the reason why England need to beef up their coaching set up because there is a real need for top level coaching. There have been a scarcity of English coaches. There is a big need to have more English coaches and you should begin with the EPL. More encouragement should be given for ex footballers or trainers, etc. to get involved. These coaches and or managers should strive to gain more experience by coaching overseas - think Bobby Robson and Terry Venables both of whom brought England to the semi-finals of the World Cup and European Championship. Can you imagine if you have young managers like Roberto Martinez and Brendan Rodgers and if only they were English.
England World Cup 2014 Team
Joe Hart was a talented and fine goalkeeper but why was he so easily beaten? Remember David James who was nicknamed calamity? He was a very good keeper but was playing too much computer games. What has Hart been doing? Drinking? Or was it that he hasn't the confidence in his own back line? Perhaps he lacks competition. Glen Johnson can be good going forward at times but he often left a big gap at the back that can be easily exploited. Leighton Baines have been excellent for Everton and the best left back in the EPL for the last couple of years. He may be well supported by his midfield but he was not the same for England because England was not sure who was the best to play on their left side and did not offer enough support there.
You will remember Gary Cahill excelling for Chelsea in the EPL and the Champions League but again why was he so easily beaten by Suarez and Balotelli? Should Phil Jagielka be playing in the first place since he has been injured during the later part of the season. Would a younger, less experience centre half who is match fit offer better promise?
Captain Steven Gerrard who is a great player so well respected made the right decision to retire from international duty. His slip against Chelsea was monumental and then he headed the ball for Suarez to score may be forgetting that Suarez was only a team mate at Liverpool not at the World Cup. After coming back to equalize they gave away goals too easily. Jordan Henderson was outstanding for Liverpool but did little to bring that form to Brazil. Raheem Stirling has a bright future but he will need to be guided if he were to reach a higher plain. Danny Welbeck was okay but he need to bring more into the game at the highest level. Rooney had his best World Cup and actually scored but this was the best that he could do. Sturridge showed that he could be and should be around to lead the forward line to qualify for the European Championship.
Others like Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana and Ross Barkley can still have a bright future if they keep the hard work and discipline and no think that they have arrived. Jack Wilshere, highly touted to be a future great player has remained stagnant for the last two years. I share Paul Scholes' observation that he has not improved.
England World Cup 2014 Team
Joe Hart was a talented and fine goalkeeper but why was he so easily beaten? Remember David James who was nicknamed calamity? He was a very good keeper but was playing too much computer games. What has Hart been doing? Drinking? Or was it that he hasn't the confidence in his own back line? Perhaps he lacks competition. Glen Johnson can be good going forward at times but he often left a big gap at the back that can be easily exploited. Leighton Baines have been excellent for Everton and the best left back in the EPL for the last couple of years. He may be well supported by his midfield but he was not the same for England because England was not sure who was the best to play on their left side and did not offer enough support there.
You will remember Gary Cahill excelling for Chelsea in the EPL and the Champions League but again why was he so easily beaten by Suarez and Balotelli? Should Phil Jagielka be playing in the first place since he has been injured during the later part of the season. Would a younger, less experience centre half who is match fit offer better promise?
Captain Steven Gerrard who is a great player so well respected made the right decision to retire from international duty. His slip against Chelsea was monumental and then he headed the ball for Suarez to score may be forgetting that Suarez was only a team mate at Liverpool not at the World Cup. After coming back to equalize they gave away goals too easily. Jordan Henderson was outstanding for Liverpool but did little to bring that form to Brazil. Raheem Stirling has a bright future but he will need to be guided if he were to reach a higher plain. Danny Welbeck was okay but he need to bring more into the game at the highest level. Rooney had his best World Cup and actually scored but this was the best that he could do. Sturridge showed that he could be and should be around to lead the forward line to qualify for the European Championship.
Others like Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana and Ross Barkley can still have a bright future if they keep the hard work and discipline and no think that they have arrived. Jack Wilshere, highly touted to be a future great player has remained stagnant for the last two years. I share Paul Scholes' observation that he has not improved.
League
English Premier League is the only league in Europe that plays through winter, Christmas and the New Year. These should change because it would be too taxing on the players. Young English players are overpriced such such that club managers tended to buy cheaper players from overseas. Were other youngsters from the club's development scheme not making it to the top and fell by the wayside before they become good?
When young English players have a successful season for smaller clubs, they would rather join a bigger club for more money but sit on a bench than to stay while earning less and learn their trade and grow as a player. Who can blame them as a footballer's life span is short. If you are very good and excelled by 18-20, you could be among the big clubs by 22-24, peak from 26-28 and by 30-32 could be a spent force. Can you blame them?
Are young English players as disciplined as their counterparts in say Germany, the Netherlands, Spain or anywhere else? Most could easily be earning 50,000 pounds a week and double that amount at a big club and instead of going home like Paul Scholes they tended to be drinking, gambling and womanising. Take a look at David Beckham, he lasted as he was the first at training and the last to leave. Cristiano Ronaldo may have shown petulance on a pitch but he works so hard for his game and not had a single tattoo on his body because he regularly donates blood for good causes. No sportsman could excel at his very highest standard without hard work no matter your gifts and no sports persons could maintain that standard they set without discipline. Period.
Just think of Pele. Have a look at Germany. The English have to dig deep within themselves to make real changes within their set up for a future shot at stardom.They have to ask themselves questions? Have they been as hard working individually, culturally? Do they think the world of themselves just because they have starred and think that they have arrived in one season? German players know how good they are but remain humble and continues to work hard and for the team. There are no fanfare and fireworks of narcissism.
When Manchester City played in the under-21 Champions League, they fielded 7 foreign players and 3 English lads. Bayern Munich fielded 7 Germans and 3 foreign players. You don not need a rocket scientist to figure things out.
When young English players have a successful season for smaller clubs, they would rather join a bigger club for more money but sit on a bench than to stay while earning less and learn their trade and grow as a player. Who can blame them as a footballer's life span is short. If you are very good and excelled by 18-20, you could be among the big clubs by 22-24, peak from 26-28 and by 30-32 could be a spent force. Can you blame them?
Are young English players as disciplined as their counterparts in say Germany, the Netherlands, Spain or anywhere else? Most could easily be earning 50,000 pounds a week and double that amount at a big club and instead of going home like Paul Scholes they tended to be drinking, gambling and womanising. Take a look at David Beckham, he lasted as he was the first at training and the last to leave. Cristiano Ronaldo may have shown petulance on a pitch but he works so hard for his game and not had a single tattoo on his body because he regularly donates blood for good causes. No sportsman could excel at his very highest standard without hard work no matter your gifts and no sports persons could maintain that standard they set without discipline. Period.
Just think of Pele. Have a look at Germany. The English have to dig deep within themselves to make real changes within their set up for a future shot at stardom.They have to ask themselves questions? Have they been as hard working individually, culturally? Do they think the world of themselves just because they have starred and think that they have arrived in one season? German players know how good they are but remain humble and continues to work hard and for the team. There are no fanfare and fireworks of narcissism.
When Manchester City played in the under-21 Champions League, they fielded 7 foreign players and 3 English lads. Bayern Munich fielded 7 Germans and 3 foreign players. You don not need a rocket scientist to figure things out.
England always play with trepidation. There is a certain expectation, a certain fear of losing and they do not know how to win. It seems that they do not enjoy going onto the pitch to play. You have to remove this fear and you must learn to enjoy playing. Frankly, to me there is no better time for England to be brave than now since they have a young squad and have been to the worst World Cup. There is nothing to lose.
As a manager, do you pick the stars first? Do you select who you think are the best individuals and then you decide later how to form a team based on the selection? Or should you have a firm idea of a team first and who you select to compliment the team. The latter means that you must have the balls to drop some top players who may not be fully fit, out of form or not a team player or someone who could compliment the team. Didier Deschamps of France dropped Samir Nasri. Juergen Klinsmann of USA dropped Landon Donovan at the World Cup.
Every manager knew it, even Fabio Capello when he was England manager that first of all England is no Spain or Brazil but they have different strengths. They have the physical strength, the bulldog spirit, power, pace and all the merits of the English game but the truth be told, England do not have ball players who are comfortable with the ball. They do not make as many passes as Germany or Spain, they do not control the pace of a game. Even the excellent Steven Gerrard who single-handedly led Liverpool to Champions League victory over AC Milan never produced the same form for his country. For him to pull the curtains down on his international career is a good move. I salute him. Even for a player in the class of Gerrard, he was never really as comfortable with the ball.
The English need to give their young boys a lot of the ball at training from a very young age. You need to develop techniques. Look at how the Latin teams play in tight spaces. They could just manoeuvre themselves out of a situation instinctively. Give them the ball and let them keep the ball as if they are soldiers with their rifles. The ball shall become the wife. It is not just about skills. You need imagination.
Finally, you need to remember that Barcelona and Spain did not succeed immediately. It took them many years. So too Germany. They were dismal in 2000. World Champions by 2014. This is Germany's "Golden Generation". Every team will have their golden generation but not every golden generation will succeed. The World Cup is a short tournament where if you get to the final, you would have played a total of only seven matches. It takes four years to get there but many more to prepare a future team.
Hunger
To succeed in anything, there must be a certain hunger to succeed. You must want something badly enough, desire it so strongly that you have that will to succeed. For example, one of Singapore's concern as a nation has been that are our younger generation hungry enough for success?
If you are hungry, there are many others who could be hungrier than you. They will work and fight harder. Work and fight harder if you must but you will also have to work and fight smarter. It is the same on a soccer pitch.
To begin with England must not be afraid of failure. Be brave and show it during the qualification for the European Championship in France in 2016. When you have done all the hard work, be humble and confident just like a very good martial artist. Find the DNA and philosophy and the most effective defence and attack.
When the time comes, deliver that knock out blow. This will be a good preparation and test for the 2018 World Cup. But remember, everyone else would be doing the same. If all else being equal, the hungrier team wins.
As a manager, do you pick the stars first? Do you select who you think are the best individuals and then you decide later how to form a team based on the selection? Or should you have a firm idea of a team first and who you select to compliment the team. The latter means that you must have the balls to drop some top players who may not be fully fit, out of form or not a team player or someone who could compliment the team. Didier Deschamps of France dropped Samir Nasri. Juergen Klinsmann of USA dropped Landon Donovan at the World Cup.
Every manager knew it, even Fabio Capello when he was England manager that first of all England is no Spain or Brazil but they have different strengths. They have the physical strength, the bulldog spirit, power, pace and all the merits of the English game but the truth be told, England do not have ball players who are comfortable with the ball. They do not make as many passes as Germany or Spain, they do not control the pace of a game. Even the excellent Steven Gerrard who single-handedly led Liverpool to Champions League victory over AC Milan never produced the same form for his country. For him to pull the curtains down on his international career is a good move. I salute him. Even for a player in the class of Gerrard, he was never really as comfortable with the ball.
The English need to give their young boys a lot of the ball at training from a very young age. You need to develop techniques. Look at how the Latin teams play in tight spaces. They could just manoeuvre themselves out of a situation instinctively. Give them the ball and let them keep the ball as if they are soldiers with their rifles. The ball shall become the wife. It is not just about skills. You need imagination.
Finally, you need to remember that Barcelona and Spain did not succeed immediately. It took them many years. So too Germany. They were dismal in 2000. World Champions by 2014. This is Germany's "Golden Generation". Every team will have their golden generation but not every golden generation will succeed. The World Cup is a short tournament where if you get to the final, you would have played a total of only seven matches. It takes four years to get there but many more to prepare a future team.
Hunger
To succeed in anything, there must be a certain hunger to succeed. You must want something badly enough, desire it so strongly that you have that will to succeed. For example, one of Singapore's concern as a nation has been that are our younger generation hungry enough for success?
If you are hungry, there are many others who could be hungrier than you. They will work and fight harder. Work and fight harder if you must but you will also have to work and fight smarter. It is the same on a soccer pitch.
To begin with England must not be afraid of failure. Be brave and show it during the qualification for the European Championship in France in 2016. When you have done all the hard work, be humble and confident just like a very good martial artist. Find the DNA and philosophy and the most effective defence and attack.
When the time comes, deliver that knock out blow. This will be a good preparation and test for the 2018 World Cup. But remember, everyone else would be doing the same. If all else being equal, the hungrier team wins.
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