Steve McClaren suffered his first setback in international management last night when England were held to a disappointing and damaging goalless draw against Macedonia. The concession of two points at home jeopardises England’s position at the top of their European Championship qualifying group, and leaves them under pressure to gain a better result in Croatia on Wednesday.
The difficulty of that task will be exacerbated by the loss of Steven Gerrard, who is suspended after his second caution in Group E. The Liverpool captain was also booked when England won 1-0 in Skopje last month.
McClaren’s team were disappointing throughout, but were tantalisingly close to gaining a winner they scarcely deserved when Gerrard rattled the crossbar in the 85th minute. Even after that England might have salvaged all three points but for a horrible headed miss by Peter Crouch.
The poverty of England’s attacking play was such that Ledley King, the Tottenham defender who was called into the team when Rio Ferdinand dropped out after a back spasm, was the man of the match.
Without Gerrard, England are likely to change their formation against the Croats, with 4-5-1 and 3-5-2 under consideration. Even if they don’t there is unlikely to be another reprieve for Stewart Downing, who was again disappointing. Macedonia caused Sven-Göran Eriksson, and David Seaman, acute embarrassment at Southampton on their last visit four years ago, and the away game between the two sides, less than five weeks ago, was tight enough to banish any tendency towards English complacency. Accordingly, England set about their work at full throttle, asserting themselves in pursuit of the early goal they needed to set the tone.
At the outset Wayne Rooney, in particular, was eagerness personified, fashioning an early heading opportunity for Crouch, which came to naught. When Macedonia worked their way into the game, Paul Robinson was relieved when Goran Pandev took the wrong option, moving from the inside-left channel outwards and in the process complicating the angle, which resulted in his shot ripping into the side netting.
England were on the front foot, and dominant territorially, but their opponents had created the first chance, which clearly boosted their confidence. McClaren’s team needed to translate possession into goals, but for that to happen their work in the final third of the pitch needed to be sharper and more accurate. They found acres of space on the flanks, but there were not enough decent crosses to capitalise. Gerrard is no right-winger, and Downing, on the left, was playing on borrowed time. In midfield, Michael Carrick’s measured style contrasted sharply with Owen Hargreaves’ dynamism. Manchester United’s expensive acquisition from Tottenham has many admirable attributes, and one or two of his passes were exquisite, but he doesn’t cover the ground like Hargreaves, nor is he “in your face”. In short, Action Man he isn’t. Gerrard, who is, tried his luck on the left after half an hour, but his delivery of the ball from the “wrong” flank left something to be desired, and he quickly returned to his normal station. Unusually, he was largely ineffective there, too.
The longer the game wore on, the more Macedonia came into it, and there was concern for England when Vlade Lazarevski crossed from the left for Robert Petrov to let fly with a volley Robinson was glad to see fly wide. Just before half-time Downing came to the party, releasing Frank Lampard, who evaded Igor Mitreski in the D, only to be denied a shot by Nikolce Noveski’s attentions and Jane Nikoloski’s advance from his line. Disappointment hung in the air, as black as the Mancunian clouds, as the players trooped off at half-time.
On the resumption, Downing’s free kick was met by Lampard, whose header brought a flying save from Nikoloski, but animation turned to deflation within a minute when Gerrard’s tackle from behind brought the caution that puts him out of the Croatia game. That
blow was still sinking in when, after 54 minutes, Macedonia were desperately close to taking the lead. Vlade Lazarevski’s corner from the right allowed Aleksandar Mitreski to rise above the England defence and get in a solid header which was only inches over.
Reprieved, England hit back and should have scored three minutes later. Downing’s cross brought a flying header from Crouch which Nikoloski, plunging to his left, could only palm away. The ball fell invitingly for Gary Neville, who ought to have done better than blaze over at close range. Crouch, under pressure from Noveski, headed wide from nine yards, then Carrick and Crouch, with two good, progressive passes, set up Rooney, but the young striker’s first touch was not of the best, his shot momentarily delayed and beaten out. When Gerrard put in a penetrative cross from the right, it found its way via Mitreski’s head to Downing, whose response was woeful — a hurried shot, horribly off target.
It was Downing’s last chance — maybe in more ways than one.
After 70 minutes he gave way to Shaun Wright-Phillips, to roars of approval, and with his first touch the Chelsea livewire wriggled into a shooting position. On for barely a minute, his strike, excusably, was straight at the keeper.
With England needing fresh impetus, Jermain Defoe entered the fray in place of Rooney. Macedonia defended assiduously, and deserved their point, but it might have been denied them twice in the last seven minutes. First Gerrard rattled the crossbar from distance then, two minutes into stoppage time, King picked out Crouch with a cross of which any winger would have been proud, only for the striker renowned for his prowess in the air to head weakly wide from six yards. For England, it was that sort of game and, rubbing salt into their wounds, Macedonia’s coach, Srecko Katanec, decried their efforts as “lacking aggression”, and warned them that Croatia would provide “an even tougher test”.
