the requisite england bashing ahead of tonight's friendly

first things first: i clearly need to learn a new way to format my posts.

but yeah...

england

i'll be honest - i'm a big fan. i want them to do well. during the past 10 years i have been telling anyone who will listen (the dead, people trapped on tube carriages with me, animals) that england are brilliant. during world cup 06 i am pretty sure i made the claim that england had the most rounded, talented first xi of any of the nations.

you know what? i stand by that. man for man we had an excellent team, full of players that had impressed in a high-quality domestic league and in europe. its just lazy, cynical journalism that brands these players "not technically good enough" - if you've ever seen steven gerrard bang in a 30 yarder (FA Cup Final perhaps?), you know that takes supreme technique. if you witnessed joe cole score against sweden in that world cup, you know that took incredible ability. the same goes for every beckham cross, set-piece and 60 yard pass, for wayne rooney, for frank lampard, for michael carrick, for ashley cole...

it has never been a question of technique for this team, but of mentality, attitude, fitness and management. in 04 and 06 we saw ridiculously exhausted england sides play too defensively and squander great opportunities. the players never looked physically ready for the challenges ahead of them, the selection was uninspired and uncompetitive, and the objective for both players and coaching always missed the essential point: keep the fucking football.

today, i am a depressed england fan. i thought capello would change things. and he kinda did - he has broadened selection a bit, tinkered with formations and personnel at the right times (ie not euro qualifiers) and most importantly commanded respect.

but i'm worried.

the team selections are quickly returning to the mean. beckham, who should've been dropped FOREVER after 2004, is back. i have no idea why. all of the fatuous "he sets up goals" forgets a few things: one, a superior player changes the complexion of the team and allows them to play differently. two, his delivery and free-kick prowess has declined quite significantly since his heyday. three, he ruins our shape by ignoring his position and dropping inside, which is presumably caused by his desire to play central midfield and the disappearance of whatever pace he once possessed. four, england don't have the players to make the most of his supposed talents - our best attackers are smaller and work better with the ball to feet. we don't need high crosses and set-pieces being pumped into the box, we need to look to keep it on the ground.

lampard, a player i really like, shouldn't be anywhere near this team. he's a great player, but one who isn't fit for purpose. if we're playing an attacking midfielder, it has to be steven gerrard. if we're playing central midfielders, we need players more disposed to defensive work and maintaining possession. we need to give up attempting to shoe-horn lampard into the side. it hasn't ever worked.

we're also really thin in terms of striking options. michael owen is the shell of the player he once was. crouch hasn't ever quite engendered complete trust in his abilities, and defoe may be a good goalscorer but he is also a player who has never demonstrated any sort of true international class. emile heskey has scored 5 goals in 40-odd internationals. theo walcott is a midget. darren bent needs to play, and score, for spurs before getting into a squad.

obviously ignored is wayne rooney, a quality player who has lacked a proper partner at both club and international level too long. last season was perceived as a massive disappointment for him, but he spent most of it either playing alone or alongside carlos tevez, who, in the words of the guardian's paul doyle, is merely a "rich man's dirk kuyt" (i couldn't possibly produce anything more apt if i tried). he needs a player willing to lead the line and play to feet, allowing him to play facing the goal rather than with his back to it.

but the most disappointing thing is the lack of youth. i haven't a clue what more ashley young can offer - the man essentially scores or creates every single goal aston villa score. similarly, gabriel agbonlahor is the type of forward who would be very useful as a substitute if we're playing 4-2-3-1 , and i cannot understand why jermain defoe is being selected ahead of him, especially for a friendly. i fear the same for both stewart downing and jermaine jenas - good, hard-working, talented players, but ones that lack the top-level talent we need.

i would like to see england line up 4-2-3-1 with james/hart in goal, richards/ferdinand/terry/cole in defence, hargreaves/carrick holding (a very complementary, possession-oriented partnership), gerrard/rooney/cole in a fluid 3, with crouch or ashton upfront.

i am intrigued as to how it will go tonight. i don't hold out much hope.