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9:52 PM
artci
England have been notoriously mediocre in the last few tournaments they have qualified for; this is partially down to having a lack of team spirit and to poor coaching. Finally it looks like England have a decent coach and for once England seem to be playing as a team rather than a bunch of prima-donnas.
The British press have always hyped up the team, and perhaps added a lot of pressure for the team to perform. However, this time the hype may be justified. With a superb qualifying tournament, and a team spirit that sees them coming back from losing positions, this England team may just have the best chance of lifting the trophy since 1966.
Fabio Capello is a masterful coach, who has taken the English team from an also-ran team to a contending team – with the tournament being played in South Africa in conditions that will suit them, it will be interesting to see if they can really produce the goods for once.
Their qualifying tournament was spectacular; they scored the most goals in the European Zone and always looked in control and dangerous. They won nine out of their ten qualifying games, and only lost to Ukraine after securing a place in the FIFA 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.
With Wayne Rooney leading the team in goals, he has matured from the player who got sent off in previous finals, and has become one of the World’s best strikers –his commitment to the team and his skill has certainly elevated him to England’s best hope. Add to this the strength in the midfield with Lampard and Gerrard, and the addition of Peter Crouch who always seems to score when needed to and England pose one of the best attacking threats in the tournament.
One worry for England fans will be the form of the back four who really have not performed to their usual standards – this could be the weak link for England; but if the back four pull it together then there are not many sides that will want to face England in the knockout competitions.
With Capello’s pedigree of winning major trophies as a club coach, he will be no stranger to the pressures of a tournament like the FIFA 2010 World Cup. His coaching style has bought a new vigor to the team and dispelled the reliance on superstars – he perhaps has the greatest influence on whether England will progress to the final stages of the tournament.
