Somewhere along the road from Andorra to Croatia, Ukraine and all places in between, Fabio Capello has lost the team that qualified for this World Cup in such decisive style and has in their place the insipid side of England past: the team of Euro 2008 failure, of big tournament paralysis and of the wasted golden generation.
Last night England were the nation’s collective worst nightmare, a sleepwalking shambles who are now third in group C and must face up to the prospect of World Cup elimination. They must beat Slovenia on Wednesday in Port Elizabeth to be sure of reaching the second round and to retain a chance of finishing top of the group. All we know of that is that nothing is certain any longer.
“A sleepwalking shambles…” There is something perversely inspiring about the capacity of english writers to express collective disappointment in such rich parlance.
I have not given up on them as of yet, just as I didn’t on the U.S. team after yesterday’s dismal first half.
I had such hope for the team that took the field against the U.S. and scored so quickly and enthusiastically. Gerrard seemed to relish his captaincy and take it seriously.
All of that changed after the Green error. They’ve turned timid and tentative. Having heart and resilience can’t be coached, so I hope they can find it within themselves and each other. If they can’t, they’ll be flying home on Tuesday.
New Zealand remains the Anglican Communion’s best hope in the World Cup now.