4
David James
After a faultless display against Switzerland, the Portsmouth goalkeeper was
less impressive last night, with poor positional sense again his undoing as
he conceded the penalty from which Franck Ribéry gave France the lead.
James’s ungainly charge from his line to bring down Nicolas Anelka was
almost an exact replica of the penalty he conceded in the 2-1 defeat by
France at Euro 2004.
3
Wes Brown
Is in the form of his life in the best defence of the country at Manchester
United, but out of his depth at the highest level, as is shown by the club’s
refusal to accede to his wage demands. Given a torrid time by Florent
Malouda and offered little going forward to compensate for his defensive
deficiencies, lacking the pace to get beyond Beckham.
6
Rio Ferdinand
Given that he spent much of the night babysitting Brown, the acting captain
performed well, making several important tackles on Malouda as he advanced
into dangerous positions in the penalty area. The paucity of England’s
display, however, makes it difficult to argue that Ferdinand enhanced his
leadership credentials, although he will remain a fixture, whoever takes the
armband.
5
John Terry
The former captain’s fortunes continue to plummet, with a disappointing
display culminating in him being substituted at half-time for Lescott, a
player whose international credentials are in question after his role in
last year’s defeats by Russia and Croatia. Terry was caught out for the
goal, but has recovered from more serious setbacks. What he needs is the
public support of Capello.
5
Ashley Cole
Unlike many of his teammates, did little wrong, which made him stand out as
one of England’s most accomplished performers. The Chelsea defender appears
to be winning the battle for the left-back spot with Wayne Bridge, who must
wonder when he will be given an opportunity. Cole was even responsible for a
notable attack, a cross from the left that just eluded Beckham at the far
post.
5
Owen Hargreaves
God loves a trier, which may explain the devout Capello’s admiration for
Hargreaves. The Manchester United midfield player’s display typified his
efforts during a disappointing first season at Old Trafford, in that he
scrapped without coming close to reproducing his form of the 2006 World Cup.
Given the importance placed on holding players, he will get several more
chances.
5
Gareth Barry Began disastrously with an aimless long ball vaguely in
the direction of Rooney, and sacrificed possession again shortly afterwards,
although he recovered his composure to help to stabilise a struggling side.
The suspicion persists that he lacks the dynamism to become a world-class
midfield player, being short of pace and the ability to find a killer pass,
but Capello respects his intelligence.
5
David Beckham
Received a standing ovation for his efforts over a remarkable career after
being substituted in the 63rd minute, but may not get many more
opportunities to add to the 100 caps he craved. Unfair to make the former
captain the scapegoat for England’s poor performance but he did encapsulate
many of their shortcomings, lacking pace, giving the ball away and dropping
far too deep.
4
Steven Gerrard
Given the free role he craves, and fulfils admirably with Liverpool, but
failed to take advantage on this occasion, looking unsure when to drop deep
or to push forward in support of Rooney. Gerrard is at his best when he can
dictate the pace of the game but was a passenger before being removed at
half-time. A first-half header over the bar from Brown’s cross was his only
meaningful contribution.
4
Joe Cole
The Chelsea midfield player has been one of England’s most consistent
performers recently, but his form deserted him as he contributed to the
alarmingly unbalanced shape and was removed at half-time. Cole is used to
operating in a tight front three at Chelsea and continued his usual practice
of cutting inside on to his favoured right foot, leaving England completely
lacking width on the left.
5
Wayne Rooney
Capello has privately expressed doubts about Rooney’s finishing ability, and
this performance answered the question of whether he is capable of leading
the line on his own: an empathic no. Rooney is most threatening when
attacking from deep with the ball at his feet, and that did not happen once.
He resorted to jumping forlornly at long balls and chasing lost causes. He
needs a strike partner.
Substitutions
5 Peter Crouch (for Gerrard, 46): Made little impact alongside Owen
5 Michael Owen (for Rooney, 46): Failed to take a half-chance in
57th minute
5 Stewart Downing (for Joe Cole, 46): Offered greater balance
with his left foot
6 David Bentley (for Beckham, 63): Did little to suggest he is
Beckham’s successor
4 Glen Johnson (for Brown, 63): Deserves chance to prove himself
from start
Discipline watch
England’s performance may have been poor, but the FA could take some
consolation from the players’ behaviour, with little of the histrionics and
referee-baiting that has marred recent Barclays Premier League matches.
Florian Meyer, the German referee, had a relatively quiet evening other than
a few conversations with David Beckham, with the former captain having a
word in his ear after the penalty and collecting a yellow card for a tug on
Franck Ribéry’s shirt.
Tactics
After experimenting with only one holding midfield player against Switzerland,
Fabio Capello reverted to type by picking two last night, unfortunately
leaving England’s front six as one-paced as New Zealand’s seam attack. There
are snails blessed with greater acceleration than many members of this
England team. That system is dependent upon retaining possession and England
were found wanting, often lumping long balls to the isolated Wayne Rooney.
Leadership
John Terry did his best to display his leadership credentials by blaring out
the national anthem with gusto, although he was less assured when the match
got under way, troubled by Nicolas Anelka’s pace and partly culpable for
France’s opening goal. Rio Ferdinand’s performance was more assured, sparing
Wes Brown’s blushes on several occasions, although it says little for his
powers of inspiration that he presided over such an insipid display.
Capello
The Italian stood impassive on the sidelines and looked stern throughout,
perhaps for the first time appreciating the size of his task. England’s fans
and players have expectations of winning World Cups and European
Championships, though they often lack the ability to stick to a basic game
plan. Capello showed his ruthless streak by making four changes at
half-time, with Michael Owen and Stewart Downing introduced to give them
more pace.
Commitment
England’s application was not in question and they did not treat this as a
meaningless friendly. The players huffed and puffed as they always do when
pulling on the Three Lions shirt, though their execution was generally
appalling. France could hardly be accused of lacking motivation as, unlike
England, they have a tournament to win this summer and have the ability to
do so, particularly if they keep the ball and attack with the incision they
mustered here.
Crowd
The home fans were in a subdued mood before kick-off as they mourned the death
of Thierry Gilardi, the French commentator, with England supporters
respecting the minute’s silence. France’s controlled performance
perked the home fans up, although there were several thousand empty seats,
with the most notable absentee Nicolas Sarkozy. The French President, on a
visit to Britain, and Gordon Brown will be at the Emirates Stadium this
afternoon.
How France rated
6 Grégory Coupet
6 François Clerc
6 Lilian Thuram
8 William Gallas
7 Eric Abidal
7 Franck Ribéry
8 Jérémy Toulalan
7 Claude Makelele
6 Florent Malouda
6 Nicolas Anelka
7 David Trézéguet
5 Substitutions Sidney Govou (for Trézéguet, 64min) Djibril Cissé (for
Anelka, 80) Substitutes not used Mickaël Landreau, Philippe Mexès,
Sebastien Squillaci, Patrice Evra, Alou Diarra, Mathieu Flamini Booked
Ribéry 4-1-3-2
