FIX ENGLAND, SHE’S BROKEN
by Clinton Ooi

Chris Martin, lead singer of Coldplay once indicated in an interview that his band were a bunch of lads who were not at their best individually, but each brought an element to make them the champion band that they are.

Well, who would have thought at the completion of the second round of the 2006 World Cup, we would see England, one of the pre-tournament favourites, scrape through with a poor team performance saved by a moment of individual brilliance that has echoed their entire Group B campaign.

If not for David Beckham’s superb free kick, the Ecuadorians could and just might have run down Sven Goran Eriksson’s men and nick a goal in the looming extra time. Beckham himself had a dour game(apart from the goal) and would likely be one of those who would not survive extra time in the energy sapping conditions in Stuttgart.

This has the story of the three lions - playing badly and owing their progress to individual moments of solo brilliance.

· v Ecuador: Beckham’s mercurial free kick
· v Sweden: Joe Cole’s audacious strike & Steven Gerrard’s super sub strike
· v Trinidad & Tobago: Peter Crouch’s bullet header & Gerrard’s scorcher
· v Paraguay: Carlos Gamarra - albeit he scored at the wrong end

After the Ecuador game a defiant Eriksson said, 'You try to play good football but the most important thing is to win. I am sure we are going to play better because in every game we have taken a little step in the right direction. Point is England and Sven won’t be in Berlin come July 9th if he does not see the light. England are not playing improving, they are not playing to their strength and their personnel and formation like their manager are both bullish and ineffective.

A brave manager would make some drastic but necessary changes.

All of England if not the world would realize that Gerrard and Frank Lampard have and will not function together in the current formations, not during this tournament at least. To form a good partnership you need time – a commodity that is currently not in England’s disposal. Owen Hargreaves and Michael Carrick have been effective in their cameos in the Claude Makelele role, enough to warrant further starts perhaps.

Beckham is not going to make runs to the byline and swing in as many crosses as he used to because he just does not have the pace in him anymore. The only things keeping him in the first team right now are his deadly free kick ability (or England’s lack of another capable free kick taker), the armband and that he is married to Sven. Aaron Lennon has shown the threat he poses every time he has come on so far.

Wayne Rooney though not fully fit has done extremely well in his gradual return into the first team while Peter Crouch has England’s first goal of the competition and has been causing opposition players an uncomfortable time in his appearances. Arguably neither has excelled until the presence of a partner in attack.

The center backs have not brought much certainty in the back as well. Ironically before the competition began, it seemed to be the department where England had an abundance of resources. Rio Ferdinand has not been assuring, Gary Neville is recovering from injury while his deputies Jamie Carragher has been deemed too defensive and Hargreaves did not fare much better. John Terry has easily been the stand out in defence.

The issue is who should be in and who should be left out. Millions of armchair managers around the globe will already have their own view but this is my two pence worth.

Paul Robinson’s position in goal is a certainty, so is Terry’s and Ashley Cole’s. Ferdinand should start, but I would like to see the no nonsense Carragher get the nod in his favoured position and make sure those opportunities against Sweden would not exist in the first place. Neville should start if fit because of his good understanding with Beckham and overlapping runs down the right flank. If not fit, Hargreaves would be an able replacement.

In midfield Joe Cole should get the green light, even though he cuts in too much, with Carrick in the holding role in front of the defenders and Beckham will start no matter what is said or written. In that case Lennon should come on earlier that usual, if England continue to be ineffective down the right, shifting Beckham to right back as he did against T & T.

Lampard and Gerrard are both revered at club level but have yet to fully convince for England. On form, Lampard has at least over ten chances so far and failed to score while Gerrard is England’s top scorer. On skill, the versatile Gerrard can play on the left, right, defensive midfield, second striker as well as just behind the strikers to drive the team as we saw in the FA Cup Final for Liverpool to devastating effect. Lampard will always only be able to play in that position only.

Up front Rooney to partner Crouch should see Crouch drawing the extra defender to create space for Rooney to make his marauding runs and menacing strikes outside the box. If things still do not work out, maybe we will finally see Theo Walcott appear in his first World Cup game.

As I said, it will take a brave manager to make these changes. So the burning question will be: Is Sven that man? Will he select on form and stop relying on luck that might just about to be ready run out?

As the Coldplay song ends ‘I will try to fix you’, let’s hope Sven’s got the CD…