complacency.
Last post about an England friendly I asked if Fabio had leaned from the two halves of the game and then asked if those that had performed in the game would have a chance to get in front of those that have repeatedly underperformed but were Fab’s Favs?
Well what happened? Fabio started with his favourites, well colour me surprised 🙄
Rooney and Heskey were up front, Gerrard was crow barred into that floating left hand position and what happened but a lacking performance against a limited side. Heskey did a reasonable job when he came back into the side but of late he’s been back to his lacking worst. Oh the great link work with Rooney, well it’s great if you think that just flicking the ball off the top of your head to anywhere is “great”. He doesn’t hold up the ball or even try and control it, just flick on, flick on, possession lost, chances created slim to nil. He’s struggling to get into, an under performing, Villa side, whereas Cole is on the up, full of confidence, holds the ball up well, keeps possession and has a real goal threat the latter being something Emile hasn’t ever had in an England shirt.
But Heskey is a Fab Fav. So who will play on Wednesday?
Defoe came off the bench and again made a difference. Rooney previously had had three gilt edged chances from a couple of yards out, one a real tap in job, all missed. Defoe two chances one taken, one should have been but wasn’t. Which front pair look a good partnership, which will start on Wednesday? Yes it does seem very strange to call for Rooney to be dropped but isn’t it meant to be about the team and not individuals, Greavsie was the best striker England had in ’66, Sir Alf took the hard choice to not recall him after his injury the replacement took his chance.
Milner looked the part on the left in the last game but what happened yesterday? Gerrard again straight back into the side and put in his usual performance, nothing, mincing about the odd over hit glory ball. Oh but he put in the cross for the penalty, made it, yeah that cross that was so far from Rooney he was hurling himself to get withing five yards of the ball – bizarrely winning a pen in the process, they wonder why players dive, inept refs help. Gerrard taken off at half time to save him for Wednesday, so he’s guaranteed his spot.
Complacency. What does it create but a soft team who don’t play to their potential, just like we’ve seen through the last nearly 40 years of England sides. The players mates in the media kept claiming they crumbled on the big occasion because of fear but what did they have to fear when like Gerrard you have 74 caps the vast majority of which he’s put in a useless performance, where does fear come into it, you still get picked no mater how bad you play what have you to fear?
So Fab’s Favs don’t have to bother, they can put in a performance like the first half against Holland and what went on against Slovenia with the knowledge that they can play as bad as possible, while the understudies can really perform and the status quo will stay rocking on. It’s all what we were promised wouldn’t happen under Fabio the way it did under Svennis but guess what…
…complacency.