England: Playmaker wanted!

Now we all know why Fabio Capello begged Paul Scholes to come out of retirement. But for the fact it is not already too late, I’d reckon the whole of England, and I, would be outside Scholesy’s door begging him to come back.

England will not make it past the second round if they don’t find someone to plug what is a crater-sized hole in midfield.

England don’t have (or have chosen not to use) a playmaker and without a playmaker you don’t win a World Cup.

Yesterday’s game against the USA was not about Robert Green’s howler. It was about Capello’s tactics, or lack of them.

There is a 60-yard space in the centre of the field where England does not exist. Capello’s attack comes from the wings, and long punts forward, where Heskey or Crouch are supposed to hold up the ball and play Rooney in (same old, same old).

Failing this, Lampard and Gerard come into play feeding off one-twos with Aaron Lenon, or Wright-Philips. Glen Johnson and Ashley Cole come in on the overlap.

That is the sum total of England’s tactics. And the opposition will be loving it. It makes it easy to plan a defence against. I’m not going to legislate for the individual genius of Rooney, Stevie G or Lamps, just like you can’t legislate for a mistake like Green’s.

At this, the highest level of football, the World Cup, you cannot go in with gaping holes in your system. All the favourites – Brazil, Argentina, Spain and Holland have at the heart of their systems a playmaker: Kaka, Mascherano, Xavi or Iniesta and Wesley Sneijder. Playmakers of the highest order, all.

And then, they have the rest of the package as well.

Capello has to play Michael Carrick or Gareth Barry in that holding midfield role, and hope they click. Or, he has to risk giving Lampard or Gerard that responsibility.

Otherwise, Wayne Rooney will continue to cut a lonely, frustrated figure; representative of every person supporting England at this World Cup.

Tailpiece

Diego Maradona has not lost his flair for the theatrical. In an ill-fitting suit, jumping up and down the sidelines, gesturing incessantly, arguing with the fourth official for every call, and then, over-doing the emotion in what was a routine and quite un-emphatic win for Argentina, Maradona has his own show going that if anything, leaves an on-field genius looking like an off-field buffoon. God help Argentina!

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