Lineker went to Spain to see how they had turned around their own misfortunes.  It’s difficult to see how, now they are currently European & World Champions but before this latest wave of success, Spain had an even worse record than England for underachieving in the big competitions.

Comparisons were drawn to the way La Liga attracted some of the best players in the world in the 1980’s while ignoring the importance of nurturing home-grown Spanish talent.  Gary Lineker himself was a success at Barcelona, as was English manager Terry Venables; and though Spain have only conquered Europe and the rest of the world in the past four years, it was a revolution that allegedly started when Dutch maestro and former player, Johan Cruyff, returned to manage Barcelona in 1988.

Cruyff stated that the national side would be perennial underachievers if the top teams in La Liga continued looking to foreign players for short-term success. Cruyff’s model was to produce better quality indigenous players by a matter of inclusion and focus on a longer term strategy that started at grassroots and ended with national success.  This coupled with the fact that when boys are coached to play football at an early age, they should be learning the skill of playing with the ball, not simply competing to win.  A criticism levelled at English football.

Jurgen Klinsmann kick-started a German revolution after replacing Rudi Voller as manager of Germany in 2004.  Klinsmann initially attracted criticism from some quarters with some poor results leading up to the 2006 World Cup.  He had axed many aging stars and attempted to change the way Germany play.  He wanted Germany to be less rigid, offensive and less constrictive in their play.  For change to take place Klinsmann, like Cruyff at Barcelona, needed to think long term and have the backing of the German FA to see it through.

England wasn’t the only nation to have a poor World Cup in South Africa.  Italy and France had shockers too.  But England’s last and only glory was 44 years ago now; and the England crisis is far deeper than other nations.

While English Premier League teams continue to enjoy European Champions League success the England national team have become worse.  So, as Jose Mourinho said, look at the clubs that have done well in Europe over the past few years (Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool & Manchester United) and count their English players.  That is definitely a factor in England’s demise.  But England was failing to qualify for the World Cup and European Championship finals long before the Premier League and English football was filled with top foreign players.

Another cause for England’s poor standing in European and world football is a more entrenched problem.  Boys are told to compete and win over learning to be skilful. I left secondary education in 1981 and I remember way back then we were being told the reason every Dutch football player looks so comfortable and skilful on the ball, is because he is; and England players hoof the ball around and get the ball into the opponents’ penalty area as quickly as possible because that’s what they are taught to do from an early age.

Italy and France relied on past glory and older players, and England juggled unrealistic hope and expectation once again.  All were found out in South Africa, while Spain and Germany, along with Holland, were the best and most exciting teams in the World Cup finals.

Tonight England host Montenegro in a Euro 2012 qualifying game at Wembley.  Look at their squad and ask yourself, how many of those players would get into the Spanish or German starting eleven?

Will England win the next World Cup?

The short answer to ‘will England win the next World Cup?’ is definitely not. Furthermore, they won’t win it again until these deep-rooted problems are addressed; and that can only be achieved with a long term plan and strategy in place. By appointing Sven Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello, the English FA has put its head in the sand and attempted to buy the World Cup in the same way as the Premier League buy the best players in the world. So, the only thing England fans can do right now is be grateful they’re not Scotland!

Goalkeeper

Manuel Neuer, Germany
Invaluable in Germany’s third place finish, Neuer made 22 saves during the tournament, at a rate of nearly four per game. Only Ghana’s Richard Kingson made more saves (24). He only conceded three goals in six games, and never more than one per game. When Joachim Löw left him out of the third place final to give Hans-Jorg Butt a chance, the Germans conceded twice.

Defenders
The whole Spanish back-four makes the Castrol Index team of the tournament. Mainly, this is because Spain became the first World Cup winners not to concede a single goal in the knockout stages of the competition. Overall, La Roja only conceded two goals in seven games, equalling the best defensive performance by a World Cup winner (France 1998 & Italy 2006).

Sergio Ramos, Spain
Spain’s right-back topped the Castrol Index with a series of commanding performances. By far the most trigger happy of Spain’s backline, he had 11 shots in total, including four on target. One of the most enterprising defenders in world football, he embarked on 31 solo runs, the most by any player at the 2010 FIFA World CupTM. He also completed an impressive 80% of passes

Carles Puyol, Spain
Puyol scored one of the key goals for Spain at this World Cup when his header broke the deadlock against Germany in the semi-finals. It was his only shot on target of the tournament. The Catalan central defender made more clearances than any other Spanish player (11) and also rarely gave the ball away, completing 88% of passes.

Gerard Pique, Spain
Pique was a rock at centre-half for Spain. One of three players to play the entire campaign in South Africa (alongside Casillas and Capdevila), he was the most prolific defender in the passing department, completing 506 deliveries, including the most long passes (74).

Joan Capdevila, Spain
Tireless in the left-back position for Spain, Capdevila whipped in 26 crosses during the tournament. Only Xavi did better. Effective in the play going forward, he was also spotless when it came to challenging opponents: he only conceded six fouls in 660 minutes of play, that’s one every 110 minutes !

Midfielders

Thomas Müller, Germany
The new star of German football was the most clinical player of the 2010 FIFA World CupTM, converting all five of his shots on target. With five goals and three assists, he was also directly involved in more goals than any other player.

Sergio Busquets, Spain
The Spanish midfielder ran himself into the ground for Spain: he completed more short passes than any other player at the 2010 FIFA World CupTM (119). A no-nonsense approach to his general distribution was also near perfect: no other Spanish midfielder was as effective in his passing (88% success rate).

Mark van Bommel, Netherlands
Van Bommel completed more passes than any other Dutch player (291). Handy at winning free-kicks, he was fouled 22 times, more than any other player in Bert van Maarwijk’s side. The 33-year-old also proved to be tidy in possession, completing 76% of his passes overall.

Wesley Sneijder, Netherlands
Sneijder scored five goals in South Africa, equalling the most prolific showing by a Dutch player at a FIFA World CupTM (Johan Neeskens in 1974 and Rob Rensenbrink in 1978). He also delivered one assist and covered more ground than any other player in Bert van Maarwijk’s side (73.3 kms).

Strikers

David Villa, Spain
David Villa was involved in 75% of Spain’s goals at the 2010 FIFA World CupTM, scoring five times and delivering one assist. He has now become the all-time leading scorer for Spain with eight goals. His eye for the net meant he also had the most shots on target at the 2010 FIFA World CupTM (17).

Luis Suarez, Uruguay
Involved in nearly half of Uruguay’s goals – scoring three times and making two assists – Suarez built on his outstanding campaign with Ajax Amsterdam. Only David Villa had more shots on target than the Uruguayan striker, who could have bridged the gap had he not been sent-off in the quarter-final against Ghana for his goal line “save”.

The likes of Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Fernando Torres and Lionel Messi failed to deliver on the biggest stage of all, though it’s worth noting the close attention Messi received that stopped him and that Torres was not match fit.  France, Italy and England above all other nations had a shocking World Cup and should all learn from Germany who gambled with a more youthful team.

The final was not a goal fest but I personally really enjoyed it.  Yes 4-3 would have been more exciting but apart from Holland’s bully-boy tactics, the match was brimming with attacking world class talent. Snyder, Robben and Van Persie for the Netherlands and Iniesta, Xavi and Villa for Spain.  The match was like a game of chess, each team attempting to outwit the opponent and building up play rather than toe-punting the ball around like headless English chickens.

As with each major football tournament where some players fail to deliver, a star or two are born.  Mezut Ouzil who apparently was courted by Manchester United before he signed to German club Werder Bremen in 2008 was as good as anyone in the 2010 World Cup and was unheard of outside Germany before the tournament began.  They will be lucky to hold on to him and resist the big money offers.  By contrast, David Villa had been touted as a world class striker for the past few seasons but he chose the World Cup stage to deliver.  No doubt Barcelona was very pleased to complete the signing before he scored five goals to share the Golden Boot.

I was surprised to see both Argentina and Brazil lose to Germany and Holland respectively at the quarter-final stage and am sure both countries will do better and be led by new managers at the next World Cup which is to be held in Brazil.

So by way of a 2010 South Africa World Cup roundup, here are a few awards:

My favourite goal of the World Cup was Giovanni Van Bronckhorst long range thunderbolt for Holland against Uruguay.

Best players of the tournament: David Villa, Diego Forlan, Wes Snyder, Mezut Ouzil & Andres Iniesta

Most surprising team performance: Ghana & Germany

Most underused commentary: “that was a great touch by Wayne Rooney”

Best team: Spain

And finally, here’s my 2010 World Cup XI

Goalkeeper: Castillas (Spain)

Defenders: Lahm (Germany), Lucio (Brazil), Puyol (Spain), Van Bronckhorst (Holland)

Midfield: Van Bommel (Holland), Ouzil (Germany), Iniesta (Spain), Snyder (Holland)

Forwards: Villa (Spain), Suarez (Uruguay), Robben (Holland)

World Cup 2010

According the the Castrol Performance data, Spain should take their chances at goal from distance in the World Cup 2010 final in South Africa, as the stats show that Holland goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg has been guilty of conceding most goals (3) in the finals from shots taken from outside the box.

Stekelenburg has conceded five goals in total in his six World Cup appearances, compared to just two conceded in the same number of games by Spain’s Iker Casillas.

Casillas appears to be a more reliable goalkeeper than Maarten Stekelenburg, having saved a higher proportion of shots than his Dutch counterpart.

The Real Madrid player has so far kept more clean sheets than any other goalkeeper at the 2010 FIFA World Cup (four) and proven decisive on many occasions including a penalty saved in the quarter final against Paraguay, despite UK TV commentators constantly telling viewers how shaky he looks!

In defence Carles Puyol’s headed goal against Germany has powered Spain to their first ever World Cup final, the Catalan centre half has won a greater proportion of aerial duels than Johnny Heitinga and his passing accuracy has also been superior. However the Everton defender has displayed great fighting spirit, making more defensive actions than Puyol.

Many of us expect the game will be decided in midfield where many key battles will take place on Sunday. Castrol Performance data suggests that midfield general Mark van Bommel has made more tackles (31) than Xabi Alonso (18) but the Real Madrid schemer has shown more attacking intentions with 14 shots, compared to just two for the 2010 Bundesliga champion.

Despite playing in midfield, Wesley Sneijder is the joint top scorer at the FIFA World CupTM with five goals, the Inter Milan playmaker has attempted 22 shots, compared to just five for Xavi.

However the Barcelona player has created far more goalscoring chances for his team mates, setting up 25 shots, a tournament record so far. Xavi has also delivered more passes than any other player at the 2010 World Cup (509).

The new Barcelona signing David Villa has become the all time Spanish top scorer in World Cup history with eight goals, five of these coming this summer.

Having recovered in time from an injury, Arjen Robben has managed to score three goals and assist another in just four appearances at this summer’s finals. The Bayern Munich winger has been more clinical in front of goal than his Spanish counterpart and has completed a higher proportion of his dribbles.

According to Castrol Performance data, central to the Netherlands’ path to the 2010 World Cup final has been their accuracy in front of goal, with the Dutch posting a competition-high 58.2% accuracy rate while only Germany can better their conversion rate of 17.9% (both including only quarter-finalists).

But the Dutch midfielders will need to stamp their authority early in the game if they don’t want Spain’s midfield to dictate the game, as they did in their semi-final win over Germany.

The Spanish midfielders completed 131 more passes than their German counterparts in Durban on Wednesday. On average, Spain’s midfield were distributing the ball to one of their teammates every 16 seconds compared to one pass every 27 seconds for Germany.

Unsurprisingly, Spain also dominate the possession ranking at the World Cup with a 67% average, a full 11 percentage points better than the Netherlands (56%).

Xavi, who teed up Carles Puyol’s goal, was the second player to complete more than 100 passes in a game at the 2010 FIFA World Cup after Argentina’s Juan Sebastian Veron. Interestingly, the Catalan schemer comfortably leads the tournament for successful passes, with over 200 completed deliveries more than the most prolific Dutch player, Mark van Bommel.

As a neutral fan watching the first African World Cup it is impossible not to be delighted with Ghana’s progress through to the last eight. Coming in to the tournament it was the Ivory Coast most people tipped as Africa’s strongest nation, with Didier Drogba, Salamon Kalou and the Toure brothers all filling their line-up with European club pedigree.

However Ghana, without their own superstar in the injured Michael Essien, have played attractive football and backed it up with solidity in defence.

Individually, there have been players such as Anthony Annan, who has been outstanding in shielding the back line and breaking up play, and Gyan Asamoah, whose industrious efforts up front have been rewarded with three goals, in particular that memorable effort to clinch the tie against South Korea.

We have also seen Kevin Prince Boetang flourish in Essien’s absence, driving from midfield and always looking for the ball and his efforts fully deserved that excellent opener against South Korea. Yet, much as there were excellent individual performances, it is collectively that Ghana shone.

Despite their cruel defeat to Uruguay, tarnished in part by Luis Suarez’s cynical hand ball and Gyan’s subsequent penalty miss, they have been an excellent part of this World Cup.

The way that the Ghana Football Association has placed an emphasis on youth can be seen as an example to some of the failing nations in this tournament, notably England, France and Italy, all of whom have either left young players unused or simply not included them in the squad.

As an English fan, I would like to see the national team overhauled in the aftermath of this tournament and the older players who will be in their mid-30’s by the next World Cup dropped altogether. This would mean Gerrard and Lampard, good as they are, no longer have a place on the international platform.

Bringing in youngsters such as Adam Johnson, Jack Rodwell, Theo Walcott, Lee Cattermole, Tom Huddlestone, Jack Wilshere, Joe Hart and Kieran Gibbs is a controversial option and could even hamper our chances at the European Championships in 2 years, but it would certainly be for the long term benefit of English football.

Ghana have taken this option and it has paid dividends for them, as it has for Germany who, without their high profile name in Ballack, have brought through some excellent young players in Muller and Ozil as well as the more household names such as Schweinsteiger and Lahm.

Much has been said about England’s inability to bring through players from successful youth teams and transpose this form into the senior team. The argument always goes back to the fundamental problems within the FA and our youth system.

We are not allowing young players to express themselves or enjoy the game, right through from Sunday youth-leagues to the academies at professional clubs. On top of this we have such a lack of faith in young players.

Looking at the Germany team again, one will see that some of their stars of the tournament were almost untried at this level. Thomas Muller, who has been outstanding, only had 2 caps to his name, both in friendlies, and yet the faith shown in him has reaped huge rewards for Joachim Low and his team.

Likewise, Mesut Ozil has just earned only his fifteenth cap and has received plaudits from all corners for his performances to date.

We will never know whether youngsters such as Adam Johnson would have made a difference to England’s catastrophically bad World Cup but maybe it is about time we found out. By putting faith in those who will be in their prime in 4 years we are allowing a team to start playing together from a young age and maturing as a unit.

This can only benefit England’s chances at the next World Cup.

World Cup 2010

The Castrol Performance analysis suggests that we are in for a fantastic World Cup quater final game between Brazil and Holland, with the South Americans posing most threat from their attacking defenders and the Europeans relying on pacey counter attacking football.

So far in the World Cup 2010 finals, Brazil’s defenders have been attacking more than those of any other side, with full-back Maicon making more touches in the opposition half than any other defender.

Indeed, the Internazionale defender has made an impressive 59% of his touches in the opponent’s half. Joining Maicon in the top five in this ranking is team-mate and fellow full-back Michel Bastos while Spain’s Gerard Pique (69) is the only centre-half in the tournament to make more touches in the opposition half than Brazil’s captain Lucio (65).

Maicon has also created nine goal-scoring chances so far, a tournament-high for a defender and with he and fellow centre-half Juan both scoring in the tournament already,  the Dutch midfielders and indeed forwards will need to do their fair share of tracking back if they are to make it to the last four.

On the other hand Holland have been the most dangerous counter-attacking side in the 2010 FIFA World Cup so far, netting a joint-high two goals from fast breaks while also firing in a tournament-high seven shots following fast breaks.

While it is a far cry from the total football demonstrated by the Dutch in the seventies this ability to turn defence into attack led to goals against Cameroon, courtesy of substitute Klaas Jan Huntelaar’s second-half strike and Arjen Robben’s superb strike against Slovakia.

Robben’s goal came after a Slovakia attack was nullified by the Dutch defence before playmaker Wesley Sneijder played a superb long ball to the Bayern winger who cut inside before firing home past Ján Mucha in the Slovakian goal.

With the likes of Maicon, Lucio and Bastos all enjoying regular excursions forward, counter-attacking play may well be the Netherlands’ best hope of success against the South American giants.

The table below compares the two playmakers in midfield, Kaka and Sneijder showing their contribution to their relative teams so far in the competition.

Data supplied by Castrol Performance.

Kaka v Sneijder

This morning in stark contrast to the 1990 World Cup squad, the England team arrived at Heathrow and were taken away in blacked out taxis.  There was no fanfare, no flag waving, no vuvuzelas, and absolutely no cheering fans to welcome back our so-called ‘golden generation’.

England’s impeccable results in qualifying for the 2010 South Africa World Cup finals was impressive and heightened any expectations of how well England would fare.  And it wasn’t only madmen and their dogs that were blowing vuvuzela-style trumpets suggesting England could actually win the 2010 World Cup.  Respectable members of the media were serious in their support that England had a very good chance to show the world how to play football.

Not only did England fail to win the World Cup again, they were absolutely appalling in the process.  Four games, two goals and one player out of 23 that can honestly say he didn’t play shit!

Put it this way, if I had been asked as a Premier League football team scout to report on the England players I would have said only Ashley Cole was worth signing.  The others have absolutely no chance of making a dent in Blackpool’s squad.

So, what went wrong?  Whether it comes out that Fabio Capello’s strict regime that worked so well in the qualifying games and appeared to bring the superstars back down to earth, was not appropriate for a group of players on tour with egos as big and as soft as ostrich eggs; or the players are just not good enough will I’m sure be aired over the next few weeks.

What is clear is that when the pressure is on in a tournament situation, especially when England play teams with equal or better football ability they result to panicking, squabbling, selfish play and dysfunctional hoofing of the ball.

When Fabio Capello became England manager he inherited a squad of players that were picked on their names and reputations rather than their current form and ability.  Capello said no players were guaranteed a place in his England squad; and only fit players that were playing regularly and in form would be chosen to play for England.  Fabio Capello also put an end to sloppy dressing and bad manners.  Flip flops were banned, as were games consoles and leaving the dinner table before everyone had finished.

This, we all agreed was exactly what these overpaid prima donnas needed; and moreover it appeared to be working.  So why, just weeks before the 2010 South Africa World Cup did Fabio Capello coax Jamie Carragher out of international retirement after a poor season with Liverpool, and allegedly guarantee a place in the final 23 man squad to a virtual cripple, only for him to get injured after 30 minutes!?

Furthermore, why did he include three players in the initial 30 man squad that had an excellent Premier League season – Adam Johnson, Scott Parker and Michael Dawson – only to leave them out of the final squad, without even playing two of them?

I’m fully aware that England strikers praise Emille Heskey but hew-haw hee-haw hee always plays like a donkey; and Capello picked him even though Martin O’Neill doesn’t feel he’s good enough to be a first-team regular for Aston Villa.

The FA have said they will take two weeks to consider whether Fabio Capello should remain England manager or they should cut their losses and admit this was another expensive disaster.

So, if the FA sacked Fabio Capello who is there that is able to take England further than Capello and Sven Goran Erikkson before him? (Let’s just completely forget about the wally with a brolly!)

The usual suspects are going to line-up when the media backs the cry for an Englishman.  Harry Redknapp will allow the team to pick itself again and does anyone honestly want Sam Allardyce’s  toe-punting hit and run style of football?  I don’t think so.  So if not Capello, who is there?

Personally I would like Fabio Capello to continue at the helm unless the FA can lure the only man I think that could win the World Cup as England manager – Guus Hiddink.   If Hiddink doesn’t want the job then tell Capello to go for youth rather than celebrity status millionaires; and have a clause added to his contract – no invalids, no old has-beens, no playing players out of position, and no flare players without flare – all for one and one for all!

There wasn’t one specific reason for the change in attitude, but it was a culmination of many reasons. James Milner was included at the expense of the ineffective Aaron Lennon which showed that just having pace isn’t enough to succeed at this level.

Milner provided an outstanding assist for Jermain Defoe’s goal which was followed by another sumptuous cross which was inches away from going in. Milner persevered by giving 100% through tracking back and producing a series of outstanding long passes to provide Defoe and co the opportunities to attack. Despite Milner not being the most technically gifted in our squad, he is vital to our chance of winning.

Jermain Defoe’s inclusion over Emille Heskey was the correct decision without a doubt. He provided a different outlet for Wayne Rooney and most significantly injected some needed pace. It was well noted throughout the BBC’s commentary that Defoe didn’t have any touches of the ball before the goal.

However as proven with Heskey, it’s not about how many touches you have, it’s what you do with it which matters. Sadly for Heskey, he hasn’t brought the best out of Rooney in this World Cup and Defoe has justified a starting place for the 2nd round tie. The 2nd round match wouldn’t be possible if it wouldn’t have been for the lion hearts who graced our defence.

David James wasn’t required to make any outstanding but kept his concentration with an album of routine saves which Robert Green may have let through. James has shown that it doesn’t matter how old you are, it’s the ability and the capabilities which you should be picked on and not their age. He should and will remain our number one for the continuation of our reign in this competition.

John Terry proved that even though you have indiscretions in your personal life, you can still perform to your top potential. He did this through placing his body, quite literally, on the line when needed.

Despite his controversial press conference on Sunday, he marshalled the defence brilliantly. He said what he said, Capello criticised him for it and you know what, he played like he does for Chelsea whilst posing a potent threat from set pieces. This was the theme throughout the game.

Every single player who is usually outstanding for their club, were outstanding for England. Players like John Terry, Ashley Cole, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, James Milner and Jermain Defoe all lived up to their potential.

The argument may rage on about John Terry being unfairly stripped of the captaincy but he is still our captain on the pitch, the difference is he isn’t wearing an armband.

The replacement for the suspended Jamie Carragher was a topic which wasn’t really discussed in much detail. Fabio Capello chose Matthew Upson over Michael Dawson which was a bold decision as Upson has no pace and is prone to a regular mistake. This was proven when he gave away a few sloppy passes in the first half. On the other hand, he justified his inclusion with a match saving tackle in the penalty area when Slovenia barricaded our penalty area with consecutive shots.

The midfield seemed to have a better balance to it thanks to the selection of the industrious and outstanding crosser of the ball, James Milner. This helped Wayne Rooney despite him still not being at his best.

There were glimpses of the Rooney that we have become used to with him running at defences but he still seemed reluctant to shoot from distance.

This should be put down to him not being match fit and not being outlandishly confident. Ironically this was his best performance and Capello took him off when he remained with him in the two previous dire showings.

The difference today was we were winning and he could take a risk. This showed Capello’s courage in taking one of our marquee players, the best is yet to come from him.

Capello silenced his critics and showed something more than passion on the sidelines. He showed his undeniable love for football and passion for our cause. His tactics were spot on in every department. He picked the correct players and let them express themselves. This is why the FA pay him £6million a year, to guide us through difficult stages of tournaments and to put some of the egos in the side in their place. I was wrong about what I said about him not being up to it. Four more gritty performances presided over by Capello would see him become a national treasure.

We’re through to the 2nd round, that’s good. We need to build on this now. Who cares whether we play Germany or not. We don’t fear them, we don’t fear anyone. We only beat them a year ago which shows our confidence against them. This is a different England.

We’ve struggled through the group stage, but the best teams usually start slowly. Under the passive Sven Goran Erikkson we always cruised through the group stages but that got us nowhere. Under Capello we’re different and we’ll grind out results if we have to.

One suggestion is that the England players have frozen and cannot perform because the expectancy is so high.  But watching England’s first two draws against USA and Algeria you would be forgiven for thinking they had been replaced by look-a-likes.

Wayne Rooney couldn’t control the ball, Steven Gerrard running round like a headless chicken and Emille Heskey??? Well, maybe all the players except Emille Heskey haven’t played as well as they can!

Of course, if England beat Slovenia with a hatful of goals then all this will be forgotten and instead the hype will swing completely the other way.  The media will once again be touting England as likely winners of the competition and the surviving members of the England 1966 team will be wheeled out to give their opinions on how Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and player manager John Terry will feel when they are crowned champions of the world!

The truth is that England are amongst the top eight best football playing nations in the world and are therefore expected to get to the quarter-finals in South Africa at the very least. Anything less and the trip to South Africa will be deemed a disaster.

While criticism for the England team performances, Fabio Capello’s strict regime, and debates on whether our footballers are even good enough continue Domino’s Pizza has launched a competition on Facebook to find the current squad’s best lookalikes. Maybe a look-a-like England team could play better than the real players!

To enter the Footballer Lookalike Competition, fans can upload a picture of themselves or their friends via the events tab of the Facebook fan page of Domino’s Pizza UK. Every week, Domino’s will hand out free pizza vouchers to the best Lampard lookalike, Defoe double or other imitation of one of Fabio Capello’s chosen 23. Meanwhile, Facebook users can vote for their favourite picture too by clicking ‘like’ under each picture. After four weeks, the public’s favourite will win a free pizza party (worth £100) for the final.

Football fans can also compete for the Domino’s Cup in the online football game On me ‘ead. Prizes include 25 Domino’s Pizza Parties, each worth £100, and various discount codes. Players have to head footballs from one side of the screen to the other, without letting them hit the ground.

So, will England turn it around?

C’mon England! Do it for Bobby Robson and do it for Frank Sidebottom!

Three Shirts on my Line! Home, Away and Goalie!!!

I’m not going to knock the players, because that would be the easy way out of it. What seems obvious to the viewing public is that there seems to be issues deeper than on the pitch, but politically and the way Fabio Capello is running our side.

The England players seemed completely and utterly despondent throughout the match. Some people may put this down to them not wanting to be there, but I put it down to the single minded, conservative style fashioned Fabio Capello who is putting fear into the players minds and is stopping them from expressing themselves on the pitch. What’s naming his side 2 hours before the game all about?  David James didn’t know he was even in the side for this evening until he got on the coach.

I mean look at Diego Maradona the Argentina manager, totally vilified throughout the world’s press but because of the laid back attitude style of his management, his players are able to perform to their capabilities and there is a fantastic team spirit as shown by the whole team and bench jumping, smiling and dancing together. Would you see Fabio Capello do this? No. Do we ever see our players enjoying themselves? No. Is there disharmony within the camp? Yes there is, and it isn’t helping our campaign to win the 2010 South Africa World Cup.

The tactically naive and negative Stuart Pierce is our under 21 coach and Fabio’s assistant. So having Pierce and Capello working together, what we can’t expect is our quality players to play free flowing football with the negativity coming from above. Overall this false dawn under Capello has been a total myth. When he was first appointed England Manager he needed to bring the players down to earth. But ever since then, we’ve played awful football with some of the best players in the world like Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney whose main forte is to play expansive football.

Every side needs organisation and the need to be humble, but Capello needs to work out a middle ground between organisation, fear and the ability to let his players express themselves. There is though something about his character that suggests and confirms that he is stubborn and won’t change his all out disciplinarian, mobile phones banned from dinner, bed by 11 and tailored suit wearing ways.

Am I saying he should go if we don’t win on Wednesday? Yes. With the FA appointing him as our manager was them confirming to us as a footballing nation that they were happy to maintain the image of English football being all about `gritty determination, hard working, technically limited but committed, strength over skill and kick and rush football.` This isn’t going to win us anything. Its all about the grassroots as well, the kids need to learn how to play attacking, free-flowing and flexible football.

The fact that Capello has left Joe Cole, the most creative player in the England squad on the bench for the first two games against USA and Algeria, shows his ignorance and shows he has a blind spot when it comes to attacking football that any team from any level needs to win games.

Furthermore, for Wayne Rooney to have the audacity to complain to the camera saying “nice for our home fans to boo us” is a total disgrace. Well Wayne, how dare you say that and degrade the passionate support of our England fans in South Africa currently. The fans over there have spent thousands of pounds flying to South Africa to support England and deserve better.

The players may not understand that our fantastic England fans could still be heard singing our national anthem over the noise of the great Vuvuzela, showing their sheer passion for the cause. Does he acknowledge this? No, because he is an out of touch, arrogant and an over commercialised spoilt child.

So, can on the basis of tonight, England win the World Cup? No we can’t.

Does that mean anything? No it doesn’t because we have another opportunity to win against Slovenia on Wednesday and finish top of the group.

We have got a lifeline, so the players need to grasp it with their manicured hands, otherwise its game and tournament over. Remember, Italy weren’t brilliant in 2006, but they dug in; and France were dreadful throughout the whole competition but still made the final. They achieved scrappy one nil’s here and there and most significantly, stuck together as a unified team unit.

England’s display against Algeria was worse than the French display against Mexico, but if the squad collectively confronted Capello last night with frank, open and honest opinions hopefully issues were resolved. Otherwise we should expect the same again, the same complaints and the same players underperforming.

So c’mon England. We know we put too much pressure on you, but that is because we believe in you as players and that belief is the reason why we’ll beat Slovenia on Wednesday and achieve top spot in the group irrespective of previous performances.