Tom Oldfield
As players prepared to take a break from club commitments, many will have looked ahead to the representing their country in key clashes. England travelled to Barcelona to take on Andorra then to Zagreb to face the vastly tougher task presented by Croatia. Scottish and Welsh internationals also focused on upcoming tests.
And, as the internationals return to their respective clubs, there is plenty to talk about after ten days that changed many people’s opinions on the contenders for the 2010 World Cup.
It is only fair to start with England. A 2-0 win over Andorra courtesy of a Joe Cole double hardly set the world alight. There were more questions about manager Fabio Capello’s impact. There were more questions about the formation. There were more questions about why the team was not gelling.
Then, in the cauldron of Zagreb, Capello’s side came up trumps. The Italian boldly kept Arsenal starlet Theo Walcott in the line-up and was duly rewarded as the winger opened the scoring in the first half. We learnt that the Italian would not shy away from the big decisions.
England matched Croatia and, despite some nervy moments in the first half, deserved to be in front at the break. The second half, though, was all about Capello’s new look team and the belief he has instilled in them. Walcott doubled the lead with another calm strike and Wayne Rooney then made it 3-0 as he enjoyed a fine second half – possibly his best display for several years.
Though Croatia, playing with ten men after Robert Kovac’s red card for an elbow on Joe Cole, pulled a goal back, Walcott settled the contest as he completed a magical hat-trick from Rooney’s pass. The home crowd were stunned. Capello was unmoved on the touchline but inside he must have been jubilant. This was the match in which he knew he would be judged – and his players had produced a football masterclass.
Inevitably, the unenthusiastic headlines after the Andorra fixture were replaced by ecstatic praise for England’s fabulous 4-1 victory. The performance showed several things. Firstly, Capello has got the team playing for each other again and has instilled more spirit and ambition. Frank Lampard was excellent in an unflashy midfield role, hitting back at his critics, and it was hard to find fault anywhere in the line-up.
Secondly, England have now jumped from perennial underachievers to possible World Cup contenders. They really played like they belonged alongside Europe’s elite. Croatia are among the top nations in world football but they were simply brushed aside. Clearly, this new-look England has more character, more belief and, crucially, less fear. With Steven Gerrard still to come back into the side, the future for the national team is suddenly very bright again.
It was the best night that an England side have produced since the 5-1 demolition of Germany in Munich in 2001. We all know that the success on German soil did not lead to a triumph at a major tournament. So now is not the time to get carried away. However, the result is undoubtedly a massive boost going into the rest of the qualifying campaign.
Elsewhere, we learnt more about how Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland might fare in their qualifying campaigns. And it was a real mixed bag of performances.
Scotland suffered a major qualification setback with a humbling 1-0 defeat against Macedonia. Admittedly, it was a fixture that England had stumbled over too in previous years but it was certainly a worrying result for the Scots. Better news came in midweek as George Burley’s side responded well to beat Iceland 2-1 and kick-start their bid for the 2010 World Cup. Yet there are plenty of issues that need addressing and these two results proved that Scotland have an uphill battle ahead if they want to be in South Africa in 2010.
Wales faced Azerbaijan at the Millennium Stadium and made very heavy weather of overcoming weak opposition. Jason Koumas’ missed penalty was almost costly but Wolves’ Sam Vokes came to the rescue to clinch a 1-0 victory.
The Welsh squad really raised their game when they travelled to Russia in midweek. However, their valiant efforts were to no avail as the home side bagged an 81st minute winner, capitalising on more penalty heartbreak for Wales – Gareth Bale on this occasion was the man to hang his head. It was a creditable display from John Toshack’s team but it confirmed the fact that the Welsh are a long way away from being genuine contenders for 2010 World Cup qualification.
Northern Ireland went down 2-1 against Slovakia but, like Wales, lifted their level of performance in midweek to earn a 0-0 draw with the Czech Republic. More big nights are required, though, if they are to push for qualification. Home form, it seems, will make or break their bid.
The Republic of Ireland managed the next best results after England. Goals from Kevin Doyle and Glenn Whelan clinched a 2-1 victory over Georgia in new boss Giovanni Trapattoni’s first game in charge. And a 0-0 draw with Montenegro suggested that Trapattoni’s side have the character to compete for a qualifying berth.
Lastly, we learnt that Italy and Spain remain among the best sides in the world. The Italians, who are in the same group as the Republic of Ireland, took six points from their two fixtures. Meanwhile, Spain notched up victories over Bosnia and then Armenia as David Villa continued his hot streak. Clearly, these two powerhouses are on course to book their places at the big party in 2010.
So this international break has revealed plenty about the likely qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup and, at long last, England fans are smiling again.
