England 0 Italy 0 aet (Italy win 4-2 on penalties Euro 2012 Match Report

           “Those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it” so the saying goes and ignoring its wisdom has led to some of the greatest calamaties in history. If you are French or German do not invade Russia in the winter. If you are Spanish do not send your Armadas out when the weather forecast is unfavourable. And if you are an English football team never play decent opposition in the knockout rounds of an international tournament away from Wembley. This is where the wheels always come off, the house of cards collapses and my stock of rubbish cliches is exhausted.       

       But, though neither France nor Germany have invaded Russia for ages and Spain have given up launching armadas, England still stubbornly refuse to stop banging their heads against their own footballing brick wall (turns out my stock of cliches wasn't quite exhausted after all). And so Steven Gerrard led England out to face Italy in Kiev hoping his team wouldn't find themselves ninety minutes later metaphorically washed up on the West Coast of Ireland with a broken mast and a soggy Spanish/Gaelic dictionary.

          The build-up had featured very little of consequence. Wayne Rooney had attempted to distract everyone from mocking his hair by skillfully revealing his appalling taste in music and getting them to mock that instead. Roy Hodgson had told the English players who were on yellow cards to play without thinking about them which as managerial advice goes ranks one rung above “Try not to score too many own goals!” or “Remember to wear shorts!” And Steven Gerrard had come over all Carpe Diem and urged his teammates to Seize the Moment. Which is admittedly somewhat less ambitious than seizing a whole day but perhaps he perhaps he knows something we don't about their attention spans.

          The Italian build-up meanwhile seemed to have mainly concentrated on speculating about what goes on in Mario Ballotelli's head. Hodgson had expressly denied that anyone from England would try and deliberately wind the combustible young Italian up and was immediately followed by James Milner telling the media that Mario sulked when it got cold and was lazy in training. So no contradiction there then.

          Nevertheless as the teams walked out many an English chap and, in the interests of sexual equality, many an English chick in Kiev (BOOM!) couldn't help but cast their dusty history tomes to one side and wonder if this could be the dawning of a brave new world...

          For the first five minutes it didn’t look that way. Italy took early control and camped out in the English half. Memories of their earlier performances in the tournament meant England watchers feared that ceding the initiative time after time was going to get you into trouble sooner or later. This was almost confirmed when the ball broke to De Rossi outside the penalty area and he hit a volley with his outside foot so sweetly that no goalkeeper on earth could have stopped it. Fortunately, the post did.

          This early shock seemed to shake England out of their defensive mindset and the next ten minutes witnessed their best play of the tournament. Glen Johnson was the suprising catalyst surging down the right, laying off the ball and continuing his run. The resulting cross fell to him perfectly in the centre-forward position and his shot though too close to Buffon nevertheless required an outstanding save from the Italian goalkeeper.

          England continued to surge forward. Johnson again made ground and put in an excellent cross which Rooney should have done better with. Crucially, England had finally found the rapid tempo that they needed if they were to be successful and the Italians were stretched and rattled as England strived for a breakthrough/

          Unfortunately this brief excellent spell didn’t yield a goal and Italy gradually began to reassert control over the match. England allowed the dangerous Pirlo far too much space and he responded by picking out a superb pass for Baliotelli who dithered just long enough before shooting to allow John Terry to block.

          But it was a harbinger of things to come. With Cassano picking up the ball in the inside left channel and prepared to shoot from distance and Baliotelli constantly trying and often succeeding to get behind the defence it was England who were now under sustained pressure. With a little luck they made it to half-time level but there was no question as the referees whistle blew for the interval who was the most likely winner.

          If there was any doubt who the better team was it disappeared in the opening minutes of the second half when Italy created a number of good chances. First after a corner was half-cleared Lescott was slow to clear the six yard area and a looping ball from the edge of the 18 yard box found De Rossi in on goal with only Hart to beat. Luckily his rushed shot went wide. Next a fierce Italian shot from outside the area could only be parried forward by Hart. Baliotelli brilliantly controlled the rebound and fired on goal. Hart parried but the ball bounced invitingly from his save only for the next Italian to hook it over the bar with the goal at his mercy.

          Hodgson reacted to the pressure by sending on Carroll and Walcott when an extra midfielder and leaving Rooney alone up front seemed a better option from where I was sitting as England were still giving Pirlo far too much time and space. In fact, proving me completely wrong, Carroll had an immediate impact winning balls in the air and giving the beleagured English defence a target to hit and some relief from the relentless Italian pressure.

          There was still no question who the better team were and eventually a clever run around the English defence by Nocerino was picked out by the peerless Pirlo. The Italian left back’s control and shot were perfect but Glen Johnson who has had a sensational tournament had tracked him every step of the way and produced a crucial block.

          As the clock ticked into injury time, England even had the opportunity to nick it. Cole was picked out by Young on an overlapping run, his cross was headed back across the goal by Carroll only for Rooney to send his attempted bicycle kick over the bar.

          Extra time was one way traffic. Henderson replaced Parker and with his introduction England ceased entirely to compete in midfield. Wave after wave of Italian attacks followed but somehow the amazingly resolute English defence held. The Italians finally breached it only for the goal to be rightly ruled offside. The referee blew for penalties.

          England! A penalty shootout in a knockout round of a tournament against a top team away from Wembley. There could only be one result.

          And sadly there was as England’s luck eventually ran out and the two Ashelys joined Gareth Southgate and Chris Waddle in the growing pantheon of famous English penalty missers and the Italians delightedly and deservedly advanced to the semi-finals to face the Germany.

          England head home outplayed but not outfought. One day they will have to learn to keep the ball and not to rely on defensive grit and determination to see them through because when the opposition gets too good it never will. Nevertheless for a tournament that promised so little they had acquitted themselves much better than anyone expected and could leave with their heads held high.  

England 1 Ukraine 0 Euro 2012 Match Report

England 1 Ukraine 0 Eur0 2012 Match Report

          “Take care of Wayne Rooney,” was Sven Goran Eriksson's last piece of advice as England manager before he headed off on a journey that would eventually lead to the giddy football heights of Notts County. Up until now in Euro 2012, England had not had a choice about it as Wayne's wallop against Montenegro meant he had been forcibly removed from the action. But now with his two game ban served (comically reduced from three because he didn't argue about being sent off for gratuitously kicking an opponent) Rooney was ready to be unleashed on the tournament.  Thoughts drifted back to his first European Championship when his bullish attacking threatened to sweep England to success only for an unfortunate injury to take him out and England's hopes with him. Rooney never completely recaptured the swaggering menace of those early powerhouse displays but he remains unquestionably England's most important player.

          Whether he's England's most astute interviewee is less sure. In the run up to this game Wayne finally said what everybody in the entire camp had been desperately avoiding saying, England could win the tournament! I suppose waking up and looking at his new haircut had made him believe anything is possible. Nevertheless it was probably unwise. England had been second best against France and a mess for the start of the second half against Sweden. They hadn't exactly laid down a marker in the manner of Germany. But the words were out and they couldn't be swallowed. True the team had overall been organised, disciplined and resolute. They had showed unsuspected character to fight back after the Swede's turned the game around in Kiev. But win the tournament? They still seemed too predictable and lacking in creativity.  And it was not yet even certain they would get out of the group. The result against Sweden had given them a slight advantage over Ukraine but they still had to face the home nation in front of a fiercely partisan crowd. Watching England emerge I felt they would just about squeak through but it wouldn't be easy. This was the first tiny optimistic thought I've had about the team. Being an England watcher of many years I knew what optimism leads to and immediately regretted it.

          From the kick off it was apparent that if England were going to win the tournament they were going to defend their way to success. Frustratingly, the first ten minutes saw them completely cede the initiative to the home side. Hodgson’s unadventurous two lines of four were very much in evidence. Approaching the game with the idea of taking as little risk as possible was of course defensible with England only requiring a draw to qualify. But it allowed the Ukraine to come forward and they didn’t need to be asked twice showing a willingness to combine shooting from distance with some more intricate passing to get them closer to goal. Some of these shots went very wide and some of them were a little closer. None really troubled Joe Hart but it gave the crowd something to latch onto. For what was obviously a risk-free approach that was a risk.

          However, as the half wore on England established some kind of rhythm. Ashley Young showed flashes of talent on the left wing finally producing the clearest chance of the half with an excellent centre for the unmarked Rooney.  Sadly, he mis-timed his leap so was unable to generate any power and the ball skidded harmlessly off his new haircut which is incidentally making him look increasingly like an early 90s Paul Gascgoine – I’m not the only one who thinks it.

          Ukraine were in no way cowed by the English improvement testing the higher rated team with fast wide balls out to the wings one moment and passing and dribbling through the middle the next. England were no doubt relieved Shevchenko was sitting on the bench as he has or least had the class to take produce the finishing touches to some excellent approach work.

          As the half-time whistle blew it felt as though England should just hold out but it wasn’t going to be easy.

          Straight after the re-start it got a lot easier. From an unsuccessful corner the ball came back to Gerrard who beat his marker comprehensively before curling in a dangerous cross. The ball took a couple of tiny yet significant deflections from Ukranian defenders on the way which took it past their despairing keeper and bounced up invitingly for Rooney – it needed only the tiniest of touches to be knocked in in. Rooney duly added the nod and England were 1-0 up and on the way to the last eight.

          In front of their home crowd Ukraine rallied forcing a couple of corners and firing in a couple of long range shots which swerved and dipped on their way and forced impressive saves from Joe Hart.

          Minutes later they broke out of defence with a long ball. Good control and a short pass later and a Ukranian attacker was bearing down on the England goal. Hart managed to partially block the resulting shot but the ball was unable to stop the ball looping agonizingly into the net. Not even the desperate hooked beyond-the-goal-line clearance of John Terry could save it. Amazingly, however, the appalling judgement of the penalty area official could. Despite having a perfect view he waved the Ukraine’s justified claims away and England kept their lead.

          That was the last key moment. Ukraine threw on Shevchenko for one last hurrah but it proved a sentimental rather than an inspired substitution. England, for once, played out a game in relative comfort – even the news that Sweden were beating France didn’t rouse the Ukraine to meaningfully threaten the England goal in the last ten minutes. They had given it a go and they were shot.

          But England were far from shot. Top of the group they avoided Spain in the next round. And with every game they are getting ever so slightly better. The question is almost too dangerous to ask but ask it I shall - could Wayne Rooney be right after all?

          You get that I’m not talking about the hair transplant, right?

              

England 3 Sweden 2 Euro 2012 Match Report

         Not since 1968 had England beaten Sweden in a competitive game. Sadly, in the intervening forty odd years the Swedes had not been as generous, breezily beating England on a number of occasions - most gallingly when Thomas Brolin twirled like a tubby Scandanavian dervish after consigning England to a comprehensive defeat in Euro 1992. Following this setback The Sun gleefully placed a turnip on Graham Taylor's head. And it became an iron law of football that no England manager can recover from being depicted beneath a root vegetable.

     Roy Hodgson was doubtless aware of that Fleet Street's finest had their photoshops primed and ready for action so defeat was not an option especially with newly sacked 'Arry ready to wind down his car window to tell any passing hack he was available and ready to take the FA's money all the way to Monaco and forget about it if asked. Indeed the general feeling amongst...er...me... was England really needed to win this game to avoid, if possible, having to defeat the Ukraine in front of their own crowd for a place in the last eight.

       Hodgson therefore had decided to tinker with his tactics and his line-up. Patrice Evra had remarked after the France game that England had played like Chelsea and he made a fair point. England's two narrow disciplined lines denying Ribery et al any hint of space was reminiscent of Chelsea long rearguard action in the Nou Camp which eventually saw them reach the Champions League Final. Unfortunately, while England can seemingly manage the tight defensive banks of four, where the Chelsea model falls down is the absence of any striker anywhere near as potent as Didier Drogba - Wellbeck was peripheral against France and Young's influence was at best sporadic.

       The obvious solution to this attacking conundrum was currently spending the tournament experimenting with ever more ludicrous hairstyles, having kicked himself out of contention in Montenegro and so Hodgson was forced to turn to Andy Carroll – a man who has already demonstrated that he is more than Rooney's match when it comes to silly haircuts. Sadly, this is the only area in which he is Rooney's match. There have, in some quarters, been an attempt to rehabilitate Carroll after a couple of non-terrible performances towards the end of the season but he remains as far from an international class striker as a minority of the Ukraine's fans do from running one day training courses on the value of diversity in the workplace.

        Carroll started “enthusiastically” clattering two Swedes within three or four minutes. Guy Mowbray told Mark Lawrenson how pleased he was to see it. We all like the commentators to be patriotic but praising England's fouls is a little too zealous.

        Soon the game settled down to a bit of a shapeless stodge familiar to all regular England watchers. Neither team was allowing the other any space and both teams lacked the guile to create much. But slowly England began to impose themselves a little. Scott Parker hit a stinging shot from the edge of the penalty area which the Swedish keeper did well to palm away.

     Nevertheless although England were marginally better there was no suggestion that they were on the point of making a breakthrough. However, an intervention from Gerrard was to change all that. Picking the ball up in the middle of the Swedish half he allowed himself a swift look and curled in a perfect cross. Carroll met it with an equally good header. 1 – 0 England. I looked back three paragraphs and felt my potential career as a incisive football pundit slipping away.

      In truth that was the only moment of real quality in the entire half. England failed to build on their lead and as the interval approached Sweden were beginning to exert a little pressure themselves. However, as the players left the pitch at half-time the feeling in my living room was that England were looking solid and would be able to see out the game.

         My potential career as a football pundit took another knock when Sweden  equalised within three minutes of the re-start. Carroll who seems to be alllowed to wander out of position more than is wise turned up in front of his own penalty area to give away a needless free kick. So determined was he to do it that he kicked the Swede twice. The resulting free kick from Ibrahimovic ricocheted to Olaf Mellberg unmarked in the penalty area. He beat Joe Hart and though Glen Johnson made a desperate attempt at a goal line clearance the ball flew in off the post.

          Five minutes later, the Swedes were in the lead. Knowing their opponents were reputed to be weak in the air England generously decided not to mark them at all at a dangerous free kick. Oleg Mellberg did not spurn the open invitation. Sweden 2 England 1. If England kept defending like this you felt Olaf could have the Golden Boot wrapped up by full time. Fleeting images of opposing fans taunting Cristiano Ronaldo with cries of “Melberg! Melberg! Melberg!” when he next missed a sitter flashed through my mind. Admittedly, I had been drinking.

           But I, at least, knew the rest of my football punditry was going to be easy. England never fight back from situations like this. They huff and puff and hoof to no avail. The hopeless nature of the cause was confirmed by the immediate introduction of Theo Walcott. If anybody was guaranteed to lead England down a hopeless cul-de-sac it was him.

         The world began to stop making sense when Walcott scored almost instantly with a shot from outside the area. Admittedly the Swedish goalkeeper's attempt to save his effort was so weak that it would have sparked a match fixing scandal had he been Italian.

        I had barely had time to check that I hadn't slipped through a portal into an alternative universe when Walcott charged through the Swedish defence again. His cross was behind Wellbeck but the Manchester United striker somehow manufactured a delicate reverse clipped backheel straight into the bottom left hand corner of the net. I decided football punditry was harder than it looked.

        The remainder of the match was incredibly tense. Well, I say that. It was probably incredibly tense for those of you who didn't have your sister-in-law appear uninvited to watch the last ten minutes with you. I bet Lineker and Hansen don't have to put up with listening to someone tell you in detail how “hot” they think Glen Johnson is when trying to compose their post-match analysis.

      But “hot” or not, Johnson had an excellent game. As did Gerard. As did Carroll. As did Walcott. The only thing that didn't have an excellent game was my self-appointed punditry. Oh and Ashley Young who was shocking. But when England are beating Sweden for the first time since 1968 I am prepared to let it go.

England 1 France 1 Euro 2012 Match Report

England 1 France 1 Euro 2012 Match Report

          Yesterday the fans of Spain and Italy switched on their TVs looking forward to finding out how good their teams were going to be in Euro 2012. Today, England fans switched on theirs. But the adjective going through their minds wasn’t how good.

          To be fair, the preparations on the field had gone reasonably well (if you accept that winning football matches is more important than actually playing football). Off the field, things had been not been so good. Plagued by a series of injuries which suggested even God had got fed up of watching the Gerrard/Lampard midfield partnership fail and had decided to intervene England had been forced to draft in a number of replacements. Bafflingly amongst them were Jordan Henderson and Martin Kelly but not Rio Ferdinand. Originally Ferdinand was left out for “footballing reasons” but Hodgson, realising that with Martin Kelly picked ahead of him this explanation wasn’t going to fly anymore, now explained that Ferdinand had too much “stature”. Which I think translates as he has too much experience and ability to play for his country. Perhaps Hodgson feared he would make the ranks of journeymen in the squad feel inadequate. Who knows? The upshot was that Hodgson effectively retired Ferdinand from international football because he wasn’t going to pick him and he was too good to not be picked. Instead he drafted in players who are blatantly not good enough to be picked and so can’t really complain when they aren’t. I’m all for harmony in the squad but you can take things too far.

          Furthermore Hodgson’s final utterances had hardly promoted confidence climaxing in this bizarre nugget of advice to his players, “Don’t get suicidal if things don’t work out for you!” Admittedly, it was refreshing for once not to hear an English England manager invoking “grit, passion and the bulldog spirit” but you can go too far in the other direction. And removing all sharp objects from the team hotel is probably that step too far.

          Still there were causes for optimism. Mainly in the shape of the opposition. Whereas Spanish fans turn on TVs to see how good their team is and English fans turn on fearing how bad their team is French fans turn on wondering if their team will be there at all. Ever since Zinedine Zidane ended his glorious career with an inglorious headbutt the French national side have been tearing themselves apart at tournaments culminating in their infamous strike during the last world cup. It was sad to think but as the teams entered the stadium in Donetsk, expectation about England’s performance had fallen so low that our best hope seemed to rest on some Gallic Wildcat Industrial Action.

          However, Hodgson had a welcome surprise in store with the selection of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain over Stewart Downing (Downing, as all Liverpool fans would agree, does not suffer from possessing too much “stature” not to mention goals and assists and therefore, unlike Ferdinand, was allowed to sit on the bench). But whether the Ox would be enough to compensate for the highly dubious central midfield partnership of Gerrard and Parker and the general English inability to KEEP THE BALL was very much open to question.

          Mr Rizzoli blew the whistle. Was it time  to add another year of hurt to the last forty five? Those of us who have lived through them all but magically managed to be born just too late for the last success feared the worst.

          However, England started reasonably brightly. Oxlade-Chamberlain dispossessing his French counter-part and surging into the penalty area. Though this attack came to nothing England looked reasonably comfortable on the ball. For about three minutes. Soon, however, the all too familiar sight for England fans appeared: John Terry hoofing the ball aimlessly out of defence when under no pressure. Hodgson had described him as a warrior before the game not realising that England is probably the only team in the competition where this description of a football player would be seen as a compliment. Warriors don’t really do that much passing.

          Having been invited to attack the French promptly did so forcing a couple of corners one of which saw Joe Hart uncharacteristically flapping at a cross. Things were beginning to look ominous.

          However, ominous clouds sometimes clear without rain falling and England nudged back to get a toe-hold in the match. Scott Parker wisely decided to drop deep to collect the ball and deprive Mr Chelsea the opportunity for more trademark aimless hooves. It meant that England were outnumbered in midfield and generally playing deep and narrow but when opportunities arose they showed they could counter-attacked incisively. Milner timed an excellent diagonal run behind the French defence and was picked out by a precision pass from Young. He rounded the keeper and was, admittedly from a difficult angle, briefly given the sight of an open goal. His weak shot dribbled into the side-netting.

          The game lost a little shape and tempo. France were the more ambitious team but Hodgson had two disciplined lines of four very close together and they were not giving the French any space to create chances.

          It took a set-piece to break the deadlock. Milner was fouled on the right wing and Gerrard, who up to this point had been more invisible than a Higgs Boson, curled in a perfect cross. Lescott stole a metre on his marker and rose to power home an unstoppable header.

          France didn’t react immediately but as half-time approached they gradually ratcheted up the pressure. England’s two lines of four dropped deeper and deeper until they were one line of eight on the six yard line. Nasri was given too much time on the edge of the penalty area and he rifled in a fierce low shot that beat Hart at his near post.

          All square at the interval with France marginally the better team.

          The second half played out in a similar fashion. France had more possession, more corners and more shots on goal but England still sporadically showed the ability to threaten on the break even though Wellbeck never really managed to get into the game and eventually gave way to Defoe.

          What England did do was defend excellently as the French pressure mounted with Diarra dominating midfield and Ribery, Benzama and Nasri all inter-linking and finding ever more dangerous positions. But the resolve and discipline of the English rear guard held firm - they avoided giving away dangerous free kicks and the French never quite managed to establish the momentum required to overwhelm them. As the game petered out in the final minutes with the French monopolising the ball a draw felt like about the right result. Neither team will be too disappointed.

          Overall Hodgson can be pleased with the result. He has certainly made England difficult to beat and they’ve probably earned the right to have their razors back. They may not be very good but neither are they very bad. And for England in a tournament that represents progress.

           

Norway 0 England 1 Match Report International Friendly

          You join me in Oslo (well, alright you actually join me in Scobie’s Irish Bar in Barcelona in front of the big screen with my laptop looking like a right twonk) where we are about to find out how England are going to play under new manager Roy Hodgson.

          The noises before the match had hardly been optimistic. Hodgson had claimed, “You’ve got to believe England have a future” which implies after the recent debacles the FA actually contemplated just jacking it in and stopping playing football altogether. Those of us who watched England’s performances in South Africa did fleetingly wonder if that had already happened. Steven Gerrard, the newly appointed captain, perhaps on the grounds that he has at least got his court case out of the way, admitted he’d heard whispers that people were saying this group of players was the weakest England had ever assembled. I don’t know what Gerrard’s definition of a whisper is because the things I’ve been hearing have been loud enough to start avalanches in the Austrian Tyrol.

          Not only that the team were below full strength with Rooney and the Chelsea players rested after efforts in the Champions League Final – what John Terry needed resting for remains a mystery – just how tiring can it be to put your shin pads on and shamelessly shove yourself in front of the cameras?

          Nevertheless there were causes for optimism. England always win the first game under a new manager. Obviously they only do this so they can let everybody down later but still. Furthermore, Norway were not the strongest opposition - unlike Spain and the like they can at least be relied upon to let England have a go of the ball every now and then. And last of all, in giving Stewart Downing a place in the squad, Hodgson had demonstrated he retains a sense of humour.

          The new manager had decided to go for a 4-4-1-1 system presumably to stop England getting overrun in midfield as has often happened in the past. But the risk was that alone up front the occasionally lumbering Carroll would get isolated and England would resort to hoofing aimless long balls up in his direction.

          In the run-up to the game Hodgson had stressed three things to his new charges – they should be difficult to beat, play at a fast tempo and keep possession better. The whistle blew and we were about to find out if they’d been listening.

          England started brightly. Inside five minutes no less a figure than Stewart Downing had created a very presentable chance for Andy Carroll. This will have come as some as a big surprise to all watching Liverpool  fans who didn't know he did stuff like that. Fortunately normality was restored when Carroll headed it decisively wide reassuring all watching Liverpool fans that the world hadn't gone totally crazy.

          However, a goal wasn't long in coming, The seemingly shambolic Norwegian defence allowed Ashley Young way too much space on the edge of the area. He feinted to shoot. Hangeland, the Norwegian centre half not only bought his dummy he bought the extended warranty as well.  Young was through on goal and he coolly slotted home.

          England had a platform to build on. Unsurprisingly they chose not to. Instead Norway nearly hit back direct from a corner striking a post with Rob Green hopelessly stranded in his six yard box.

          As the half developed most worrying for England was the performance of the central midfield partnership. Gerrard and Parker are both likely to be first choices and neither were particularly effective. It was Gerrard especially whose woeful performance most caught the eye – misplacing countless passes, miscontrolling balls and finally committing a foul that could well have got him sent off in a competitive game. England headed for the interval in the lead but they couldn't have been happy.

          Hodgson’s first team talk seemed to have an effect at the start of the second period. England forced a free kick on the edge of the penalty area from which Leighton Baines drew a sharp low save from the Norwegian goalkeeper. It proved to be a false dawn.

          Norway now took control of the game and though they lacked the cutting edge to fashion a clear goal-scoring opportunity they were clearly the better side throughout the second half. What was more worrying for England fans was that the Norwegians also seemed to have more desire even though they won’t be going to Poland or the Ukraine unless their travel agent messes up their holiday bookings. As the half wore on England just about held their shape but as so often they couldn’t hold on to the ball.

          An American in a loud shirt walking into the bar looked at the screen and claimed “This isn’t football!” He didn’t know how right he was.

          As so often with international friendlies the game had now become simply an opportunity for the man who holds substitutions board up to exercise his arm.

          However when Jordan Henderson was introduced it was hard not to suspect that Roy Hodgson was not now using the game as an opportunity for revenge on his previous employers in Liverpool by demonstrating to the world just how woeful his successor’s transfer market purchases have been. If Charlie Adam wasn’t Scottish I believe he’d have been on as well just to ram the point home.

          And so the game fizzled out to a 1-0 England win. And doubtless it will be claimed that it is “something to build on.” But it was awfully dispiriting to watch. England had yet again shown that magical ability to somehow make a victory feel like a defeat.