The Inventors

England finally got back to playing decent football during their game against Sweden. If it weren’t for a horrible defending/goalkeeping error in the last minute they would have got away with the win they deserved. That mishap aside, here’s my analysis…

Joe Cole! This guy was amazing, and not just for the goal he scored. I found it fascinating that an outside midfielder could so dominate his teams possession and dictate their attacks, generally something the inside backs would do (see Zidane and Riquelme). But, if you watch carefully, every time England win the ball they swing it out to the left to Cole and he begins their advance – almost like clockwork! Either this is because he really defines their attacks, or it’s simply a result of the other players trying to keep the ball as far away from Beckham on the right as they can…which is also a good plan. It’s to bad England can’t keep him on the bench and just bring him on for moments at a time to take corners and free kicks, because at all other times he’s useless. But back to Cole. He works tirelessly, passes intelligently, and dribbles creatively. By far he’s the closest they have come in midfield to Gascoigne in years!

Along with Cole, Rooney really makes a difference. There is a clear distinction between Rooney and Owen – sorry Owen. Where Owen hangs deep for service, thus encouraging long ball play to release him behind the defense, Rooney comes back and gets involved in midfield play, wins the ball, works in combination with other players to create chances, and generally wreaks havoc for a defense. England will be at their best when he is paired with Owen OR Crouch, but Owen AND Crouch will not see them vary far.

The fact that England won twice with Owen and Crouch and tied with Rooney is an illusion…don’t be fooled. They will need Rooney to win against Ecuador and certainly if they have any chance against the Portugal/Holland winner!

Oh, and a special treat for those of you who haven’t seen it yet…check out this Pele video. He really was phenomenal!
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=15723128746091112&q=pele