I accept Capello’s aim is to qualify for the European Championships but his tenancy to revert back to the same players which have so tried and failed for England in recent years is bewildering. The national team should be evolving rather than going backwards in its development. Are the likes of Carlton Cole, Zamora, Baines, Carrick, Wright-Phillips, Parker, Barry etc really that much better than some of their younger counterparts who, for many are playing at a similar level in the same division? Against the might of Montenegro, Wales and Bulgaria, are these players really that much more adept to getting the results than some of the younger players?
Capello’s persistent reliance on an ageing core of players in their thirties doesn’t really suggest a great deal of forward planning and it is this short-sightedness which will ultimately be the downfall of the England team come 2014 in Brazil. In recent years national teams in other countries have not necessarily been built around the best players available but on a blend of the best available and the best of who is likely to be available come the next big tournament. The Swiss, Belgians, Dutch and the Brazilians to an extent have all done this recently but the best example is undoubtedly our great rivals the Germans. Much of the old guard which have served them so well in the past couple of tournaments have been abandoned and the younger generation are being ushered in on mass.
The likes of Hummels, Badstuber, Ozil, Schurrle, Muller, Kroos, Gotze, Holtby, and Marin who were all recently in U21 squads have been given the chance on a regular basis to turn out for the senior side and to grow together as a team and gain vital international experience. Come the next European Championship and World Cup you can bet your gentleman’s vegetables that they will be there or there abouts and we should be following their example rather than being left behind with the Italians.
Stuart Pearce has unquestionably done a fantastic job since taking over the U21s in 2007 and when Capello’s reign ends after the European Championships in Poland and Ukraine next summer he should be looking to step into the job and usher in a new exciting dawn for the England team. Hopefully a good showing in Denmark will see some of the lads force themselves into Capello’s reckoning for the long term and be given a fair chance to stay there rather than a token cap in the last ten-minutes of a game then sent on their way until the next meaningless friendly.
Disillusioned Boro’ Fan or Championship follower? this article might interest you >>> https://thisisfutbol.com/2011/06/blogs/what-does-the-future-hold-for-this-former-premiership-side
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