James Lawton makes a spirited defence of Capello in the Independent today, but I fear that the tabloid/ TV narrative has already locked into the familiar pattern that can only end with Capello's sacking. As ever with these artifically-generated "clamours", there's plenty of bloodlust but little thought about who could do the job better. With Hodgson, the only English candidate with any international or European experience, looking as if he will take on the Liverpool job, the FA will have to look for another foreign coach (with an inferior record to Capello's) or turn to a manager with pretty modest record of domestic success like Redknapp, or, God forbid, back to the dark ages with the likes of Allardyce.
The statistics below, listed in Lawton's piece, tell their own story - confirming, for one thing, my long-held conviction that Gerrard is one of the most wasteful midfielders around. I doubt you will find another midfielder in international football so profligate with possession as Gerrard.
Rooney
3 Lost the ball in in tackles 32 times in the Germany game – more than anyone other player
55 Completed only 55 per cent of his passes against Germany, less than any other player
9 Failed to score in his last nine England games, his longest barren spell for the national team
Gerrard
10 Struck 10 shots from outside the penalty area, none of which went in
3 Only three of 16 crosses from Gerrard found another player in a red shirt
64 Gerrard's pass completion rate was the lowest amongst England's midfielders
Lampard
37 The free-kick that struck the bar in the crushing defeat against Germany was Lampard's 37th shot without scoring
16 Has the most shots in this World Cup without scoring
29 Of 197 completed passes, only 29 were to a forward
Terry
8 Was forced to make eight blocks over the course of the finals, more than any other player at the finals
39 Resorted to playing long balls from the back on 39 occasions
4 The defensive display against Germany was the worst since England conceded four against Uruguay in 1954
Capello
19 Fabio Capello has the highest win percentage ratio of any England manager, winning 19 of his 28 games in charge (67.9 per cent)
The free-kick that struck the bar in the crushing defeat against Germany was Lampard's 37th shot without scoring
ReplyDeleteOr, arguably, the first, since he had scored on the previous shot!