Just as South Africa opened their World Cup with a goal that will be remembered forever, so England, as is their wont, contrived to open theirs with a goalkeeping blunder that will never be forgotten. No sooner had Fabio Capello placed his confidence in Robert Green than his judgment was mocked by the sort of bungle no professional footballer can comfortably watch, an unforced error that allowed the USA back into a game on which England appeared to have a comfortable grip after Steven Gerrard's early goal.
Although Green will inevitably carry the can for this disappointment, in truth it was not a great England performance, just a great start. The American goal may have been a fluke, yet it came about because England were defending too deep and allowing their opponents to take pot shots. Far too little was seen of England's attacking players - Capello even turned to Peter Crouch before the end – to place all the blame on the goalkeeper.
Capello, true to his word, had kept everyone guessing right up to the last minute with his line-up, though there were no real surprises once it was understood that the Italian was not about to mess around with the system and selections that had proved so successful in qualifying on the basis of late claims made in inconsequential friendlies. So Green retained his place as goalkeeper after all, just as Capello had promised. James Milner, who has consistently appeared in competitive games for Capello, was preferred on the left wing to Joe Cole, who has not. And Emile Heskey, on the back of three Premier League goals last season, was invited to resume as Wayne Rooney's gofer.
Capello is a systematic man, not one for whims or popular clamour. What has worked before could work again and should at least be given the opportunity before new designs are ushered in. It may well turn out to be the case that England's most dynamic attacking option is Gerrard playing just behind Rooney but it can wait until either desperation or occasion demands it. The plan half worked.
The wisdom of Capello's approach was amply demonstrated after a mere four minutes, which was all it took for Gerrard to celebrate his elevation to the captaincy with the opening goal. And the architect was none other than Heskey, who transformed a nondescript situation following a throw-in on the right with a decisive reverse pass into Gerrard's path, leaving his captain the relatively straightforward task of jabbing a low shot past the exposed Tim Howard with the outside of his right boot. So in effect England enjoyed the best of both worlds. Gerrard gets forward as a de facto second striker anyway and Heskey not only justified his inclusion but proved he is not there just for Rooney's benefit.
Sadly England seldom do things the easy way and all their initial promise was undone five minutes before the interval by a goalkeeping howler to end all howlers. Even Paul Robinson must have felt better watching it. England withdrew into their shell to an extent with the luxury of an early lead, allowing the Americans to pin them back in their own half for the next 20 minutes. Not too much harm came of it, the only real worry for Green was a Landon Donovan cross that the slightest touch from either Jozy Altidore or Clint Dempsey might have turned into a goal, though a timely interception by Ledley King was necessary a few moments later to prevent Altidore's pass reaching Robbie Findley.
If the USA were not producing too much to trouble the opposition defence, then neither, by the half-hour mark, were England. Rooney was conspicuously quiet, struggling to get into the game or even to get hold of the ball, and there were signs of an old problem returning with Gerrard and Frank Lampard being pushed back too deep and the front two becoming isolated as a result. Capello introduced Shaun Wright-Phillips at about this time, possibly to alleviate the problem but more likely because Milner, who had just been booked for a foul on Steve Cherundolo, was some way below his best after illness.
For all that, they should have been able to make it to half-time without mishap but, even though Dempsey's optimistic shot from the edge of the area resembled a backpass more than a threat, Green managed to wave it into the back of his net. He had the shot covered, one knee on the floor and body behind the ball in textbook fashion, yet he simply allowed it to bounce off his gloves and spin over the line. It was a horribly embarrassing moment and Green looked horribly embarrassed. Capello just looked horrified.
England's problems worsened at half- time when King failed to reappear for the second half, meaning a second of Capello's judgment calls may have gone wrong. At least he was brave enough to leave Green on, though at the rate his players were dropping out he probably wished to keep a substitute in reserve. The coach must have been hardly able to watch when Carragher was booked after 13 minutes on the pitch for catching Findley late, closely followed by Gerrard for a foul on Dempsey.
Aaron Lennon and Rooney briefly threatened in the second half, though when the former's pass produced a clear chance for Heskey, he shot straight at the goalkeeper. Suddenly England were looking at the worst of all worlds and were distinctly lucky to survive when Altidore saw a shot pushed on to a post after his pace had exposed Carragher. The defender would have been dismissed had he fouled his man and was relieved to see Green make a decent save. When Rooney failed to climb high enough to reach Gerrard's promising cross England must have felt it was not going to be their day, more so when Wright-Phillips then Rooney hit shots straight at Howard. Shooting at the goalkeeper is a policy that only ever seems to pay off for England's opponents.
© Guardian News and Media 2010
