England v Slovenia 1 – 0
It was Capello’s face that gave the game away. At the final whistle, this normally exceptionally cool man looked on the verge of tears. Yes, England were through, but this is a manager with a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of what it takes to win, and this clearly meant more to him than simply qualifying from the group stages. Something is still awry in the England camp – we are unlikely to find out what until the team either win the World Cup (in which case it will all be forgotten) or they crash out ignominiously (England do not ‘do’ quiet exits) and Capello is giving the impression that he is right at the centre of it.
Still, the result was a good one, with England displaying the touch and poise of a team with the ability, if not consistency, of World Cup hopefuls. If the three lions lift the trophy in July it will be a triumphant and unlikely result, but at least this match gave us hope.
It started in ominous fashion, with countless long balls punted up field in the hope of somehow landing at the feet of Rooney or Defoe. With no Heskey to aim for, this was a hopeless tactic – even with Heskey it is a hopeless tactic. Things took a turn for the almost-catastrophic when Slovenia broke at a tremendous pace (if there is one thing England lack, it is pace among its centre-backs). Only a brilliant block from the captain-in-all-but-title John Terry prevented the opposition from taking the lead. Worse still, Rooney continued to drop deep, so deep in fact that several times I was worried he was going to drown. Having your best striker playing around the halfway line does not help the cause. Couple this with Slovenia’s game plan of having at least eight players behind the ball at all times and it had the hallmark of a scrappy affair.
Then, from nowhere, a sea change. Milner, by a long way England’s best player, fired in the kind of cross that made David Beckham a household name for Defoe to volley in with his shin from all of three yards. England came alive. Gerrard started to boss the midfield, popping up all over the shop, Terry made a couple of surging runs past the halfway line and Capello was able to take a seat for a while. Slovenia’s pace was threatening but ineffectual with the quality of their midfield passing letting them down. England took their foot off the accelerator towards the end of the first half and almost paid the price when David James had to make a decent punch to force a floated free kick away.
England started the second half with their best passage of play. Rooney, spotting the keeper out of position, took a corner quickly. Defoe tried to turn it into the corner of the net but missed by a fraction. Johnson was then booked for being fouled (the ref claimed it was a dive but TV replays clearly show contact). Rooney put the ball in the back of the net but was ruled offside. It was a display of true potential, fitting for a team counted among the top ten in the world. An hour in, Rooney hit the woodwork after a fantastic fingertip save from the consistently excellent Buffon-rated Slovenia keeper, and earned a chant from the crowd.
The last ten minutes saw more sloppiness from England, who should have had the game sewn up by that point. Capello was once again off his seat, and by the 85th minute almost every England player was content to stay deep and let Slovenia run at them. Against quality opposition that tactic is not going to work. Even against Slovenia they almost paid the price, with a formidable last-ditch tackle from Upson keeping them in the next round.
There were standout performances. Milner was exceptional throughout, Gerrard began to show some of his class and Terry looked rock solid in defence, impressive for someone who has had three defensive partners in as many games. However, there are still questions to be answered and tactics to be rethought. Gerrard needs to be allowed to play a more central role, Lampard is yet to play a telling role and Rooney desperately needs a goal. But there is progress, and for Capello, that must be encouraging.
Player ratings:
James (6)
Solid when anything was asked of him.
G Johnson (7) (Booked)
Hooked up well with the exceptional Milner.
A Cole (6)
A solid performance from England’s most consistent player.
Terry (8)
Threw himself in front of everything and made a number of surging runs in the first half.
Upson (7)
Solid performance save for a fantastic last-minute tackle which was arguably as important as the goal.
Gerrard [c] (8)
Ran his socks off, got into several dangerous positions and bossed the attack.
Lampard (6)
Unremarkable but decent enough performance. Needs to be allowed to roam forward more.
Barry (6)
A couple of sloppy passes, has yet to show why he justifies first team inclusion in this tournament.
Milner (9)
A near flawless performance, superb in both attack and defence. Crucial to England’s win.
Rooney (6)
Showed flashes of his class, but needs another half before his confidence matches his ability.
Defoe (6)
Cool finish for the first goal but mostly absent apart from that contribution.
Heskey, 86 min (no rating)
J Cole (6), 72 min
Needed longer to show his potential when the match was, from an attacking point of view, dead.
