The same old new England

Another new manager. Another major tournament. More expectations. More disappointments ’round the corner.

That’s the story of English football, in a nutshell.

After the game yesterday, one thing is evident: this England side is well-drilled. Credit to Roy Hodgson for that. For a majority of the match, England were pinned in their own half and what was very clear was the ‘two lines of four’ that made it very very difficult for France to find a way through.

This England team seems different, yet the same. Defensively, the Rio episode notwithstanding, they look quite alright. France, with their pseudo tiki-taka, looked threatening around the box. But in the box, there was hardly too much that England could not cope with.

Cole looked solid as ever with the Terry-Lescott partnership shaping up quite well. Glen Johnson is still very suspect at right back and was found out many a time by Ribery, Malouda and Evra. Perhaps time for Phil Jones? Hart seems composed, though purists will argue that he should never have let the goal in at his near post.

What is interesting is the midfield. For much of the game, it was Milner on the right, Oxlade-Chamberlain drifting in from the left, Scotty Parker and Gerrard through the middle. What was interesting, however, was that Gerrard was playing a much more deep-lying role and was playing behind Parker most of the time. The ideology is clear for all to see; Gerrard, the quarterback, dictating the pace of the play and sending out those heat-seeking missiles to the flanks or up the field. The pitch, however, is not theory.

The result was that Scott Parker was, for most parts of the game, running about like a headless chicken; getting some tackles in, breaking up play but for large parts of the game pretty much ineffective. Milner seemed quite isolated on the right, but the fact that he had to help Johnson out contributed to his curbed attacking threat. Alex Chamberalin showed flashes of what he could do but, in spite of all the hoopla, was just about average, all things considered.

Danny Welbeck, as usual, ran his socks off but as a result dropped so deep that Ashley Young often ended up in the position that a striker would find himself in. When he did get the ball in from the industrious Welbeck, found himself surrounded by blue shirts and could hardly do anything.

Running plays

Wayne Rooney will not play the next game. That is a given. The thing is that this England side, the one that took to the field yesterday is not as bad as they were made to look. Admittedly, France were a fantastic passing team but the personnel on the pitch donning the whites are capable of better.

I think a minor tweak in the system would work wonders. The system of using Gerrard as a quarterback will work brilliantly if England have a lion’s share of the possession, and more importantly, have Rooney on the pitch. That luxury, England do not have at the moment.

So, here’s what Roy ought to do. Simple. Swap Parker and Gerrard. Parker could never play those Gerrard-like long sweeping passes but England does not need that. Parker mopping up in front of the defence will allow Gerrard and Young to play off Welbeck in an attacking triangle that is brilliantly fluid. Oxlade-Chamberlain and Milner from the wings will provide the width and indeed cut in from the wings when necessary. Once Rooney is back, Gerrard could well be employed as the quarterback with perhaps Young going back wide in place of Alex.

To even contemplate that, however, England must win the next game. And to win the next game, they have to show more attacking intent. Go for it, Roy. You’ve got pretty much nothing to lose.

For the time being though, Roy’s new England are the same old England. Boring.