Eighty six days is a long time in football, and a lot can happen in this time span. For England, since a balmy, boiling, sweaty Saturday evening way back in mid-June, a hell of a lot has happened to the fortunes of the Three Lions.
The World Cup disaster bred mass, internal ridicule, which in turn led the nation down an angry path. Brief respite from the barrage of abuse arrived in the form of a dull, tedious 1-0 win over Norway last week – but the knives were well and truly out for Roy Hodgson and his young lions prior to Monday night’s game in Basel.
English Hope Springs Eternal
However, a stirring, reassuring performance from the boys in white has seen the “English fickleness” re-arise to the surface in certain quarters. And whilst there is cause for optimism, a cautious approach must surely be the only way ahead. Switzerland are a very decent side. Only defeated very late on by an Angel Di Maria-inspired Argentina in the World Cup this summer only goes to show the levels of quality shown by the Swiss in recent times, so the task facing England on Monday night was by no means an easy one. Yet they made it look very straight forward, and hopefully, the shoots of recovery on the back of a very damaging summer are now beginning to blossom.
Playing with an unorthodox 4-4-2 diamond system, Hodgson demonstrated his coaching abilities and versatility, by deploying the immensely talented Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere at the bottom of the diamond – protecting the back four, whilst also being able to make full use of his long distance passing ability, in a quarter-back style role.
The introduction of Aston Villa schemer Fabian Delph added steel and aggression to the midfield, and for what he lacks in natural flair or skill is certainly compensated by his “presence” in the middle of the park. Delph certainly put himself around, got stuck in, and was even the victim of quite a cynical Johan Djourou foul, which only went unpunished due to the latter’s self-harm and injury from the late challenge. For a relatively international novice, Delph certainly played with a maturity and style that would normally be associated to a seasoned international campaigner – but perhaps he is playing with the freedom of a player with no “baggage”, something that certainly couldn’t be said of his midfield predecessors, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard. Jordan Henderson had his best game for England, and the Liverpool midfielder certainly seemed to play with a smile on his face.
The main question still really remains this though. How do England extract the best out of skipper, and talisman, Wayne Rooney? Well, for a start, awarding him the captain’s armband could be a decision that ultimately bites Hodgson on the backside. Yes, England are short of genuine leaders, strong voices in the dressing room. But there are two main reasons why strikers don’t always make the best captains – and both of these could easily apply to Rooney. Firstly, his initial job is to score the goals. Being the chief provider of goals immediately requires a selfish streak to his game, and also means that Rooney could well be dragged down by the extra “weight of responsibility” now hanging on his shoulders.
Secondly, there is a strong school of thought that the best captains are defenders or midfielders – i.e. players with the whole of the game in front of them, not to their rear. Yes, Rooney operates well with his back to goal, but he can’t always be relied upon to play like that. On the plus side, it has been said today that Rooney is organising “meetings” with the players, without the knowledge of Hodgson. This could either be seen as a tactic of Rooney “undermining” his boss, or purely be seen as it is – the skipper showing some initiative and taking responsibility – as the national captain should. Once the players have crossed that white line, Rooney is in the man in charge after all.
The icing on the cake of the win was the brace of goals scored by striker Danny Welbeck. Much maligned by all for a lack of goals, this unselfish striker showed excellent predatory instincts in converting both goals. Welbeck is a man with a massive point to prove now that he is free of the shackles of being a “bit part player” in the new era at Manchester United, and Arsenal fans will be licking their lips at seeing their new man in action now – confident, sharp and on the goal trail. If Welbeck can find some selfishness and real consistency in his play, he could well go all the way and become an Arsenal and England great for years to come.
No, one win does not make a great side, and we will only know how good this current crop of players is when they go to Euro 2016 in France, and take on the big boys. A qualifying group containing Lithuania, Estonia, Slovenia, San Marino and the Swiss is, with all due respects, not the toughest test for Hodgson. But perhaps Monday night in Basel was one step towards the genuine rehabilitation of the broken relationship between England and its’ people.
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