By David Lee Wheatley
Three of the
biggest names in European football must go back to the drawing board following
a massively disappointing showing at the World Cup from the trio of Spain,
Italy and England, but what procedures can they install in an attempt to avoid
a repeat of this summer’s failures at the next major international tournament taking
place in 2016?
Spain’s stumbles
in Brazil created the strongest reverberations around the world when the defending
champions crashed spectacularly at the hands of Holland in their opening group
game. That 5-1 loss effectively signalled the end of an era for a side that had
dominated international football since 2008 and conjured serious doubts around
the Mediterranean nation’s ability to regain their place at the top of the pile
again in the foreseeable future.
Departing greats
such as David Villa, Xavi and Iker Casillas all appeared to be way past their
best, while long-term inspirational leader Carles Puyol didn’t even make the
squad due to injury and will retire from all football this summer. The
error-strewn displays of Real Madrid goalkeeping legend Casillas were
particularly shocking and contributed heavily to the downfall of Vicente Del
Bosque’s men.
Italy,
meanwhile, started brightly with an impressive 2-1 victory over England in
their first fixture, but faded badly afterwards when losing to both Costa Rica
and Uruguay without recording a goal. Their third-place finish in Group D
caused the emotional resignation of head coach Cesare Prandelli and indeed the
mourning of a nation at the death of their World Cup dreams.
Again, older
stars within the Azzurri ranks looked jaded and could not inspire their younger
colleagues to glory. Gianluigi Buffon, so long a talisman for the Italians
between the sticks, missed the win over England in the opening game due to
injury, but returned in place of Salvatore Sirigu to preside over two defeats
to teams they were initially expected to beat in order to progress.
The usually
outstanding Andrea Pirlo was peerless in Manaus against the English, yet largely
struggled to replicate that form thereafter. He may have signed another contract
at Juventus, but the ‘Player of the Tournament’ at Euro 2012 didn’t cope well
with the conditions over in South America and it seems unlikely that it’ll be
possible to rely on the talented playmaker two years from now.
Another whose
status at the highest level must be cast into doubt is rehabilitated ‘enfant
terrible’ Antonio Cassano, who looked out of his depth when utilised by
Prandelli at the World Cup. Italy were toothless going forward when in
opposition to the rough-house tactics of Uruguay and the well organised counter-attacking
style of surprise package Costa Rica, so will need to find a reliable
goalscorer to take the burden off the mercurial Mario Balotelli. Furthermore, highly-rated
holding midfielder Daniele De Rossi also failed to convince and must up his
game considerably if he wishes to stake a claim for a spot at Euro 2016.
Roy Hodgson
gave way to public pressure when choosing a youthful and vibrant squad
seemingly full of promise, but which ultimately failed to deliver. A large
proportion of England’s problems differ to both Spain and Italy in that they’ve
already embarked upon the process of renewing an ageing team, which is a task
that still looms large for the other two nations.
Wise old head
coach Hodgson must hope several of his newest charges blossom into top-level
operators, with at least one or two developing world-class pedigrees. The only
footballers within the 23-man World Cup outfit selected by Hodgson who were
performing at that exalted level previously were Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard
and Frank Lampard; the first one careered backwards hugely since his international
zenith at Euro 2004 and the other two now at an age when their best days are truly
behind them. That so-called ‘golden generation’ whom travelled to the World Cup
of 2002 didn’t come close to realising the lofty expectations placed upon them
and have since broken up to leave behind a relatively naïve bunch of players
who need to learn quickly.
The English require
an identity; Italy always look to field a tight, organised defence and use
their penchant for counter-attacking to take a lead which they can then defend,
Spain their possession play, pressing and two-touch passing. Hodgson must forge
ahead with his favoured strategy and select players who fit nicely into that
framework.
England’s
displays against Uruguay and especially Italy were generally well received by
fans and the media alike, but individual mistakes proved costly in both ties
and saw them bow out of proceedings meekly after a meagre two matches. It was a
chastening experience for the squad, but one which will hopefully toughen them
up for the significant challenges ahead.
Spain
probably have the greatest chance of bouncing back swiftly on the face of it,
given they have all the necessary processes in place which helped them to already
achieve so much from that breakthrough triumph at Euro 2008 onwards. Their
academies regularly produce footballers of the highest quality and undoubtedly will
continue to do so.
It is the
start of a turbulent transitional phase for the Spanish and the time is right
for a change of leadership, so elder statesman Del Bosque must step aside to
allow another man to take the team forward. However, the basic principles of
his reign must be carried through in terms of style and tactics and then built
upon for the overall set-up to flourish over the next few years. Pep Guardiola
would be the ideal solution, but he remains committed to Bayern Munich and therefore
La Roja’s search for a fresh custodian will go on for sometime yet.
Cesare
Prandelli’s decision to leave his post and seek pastures new in Turkey with
Galatasaray causes a void that will be difficult to fill with an adequate
replacement. The man who left Istanbul to create the vacancy at Gala, Roberto
Mancini, is the bookies’ favourite and certainly possesses the silverware in
his locker to suggest he’s ready for the call having won both the English
Premier League and Serie A titles during his time in club management. However,
he is a divisive figure who doesn’t always see eye-to-eye with his players,
including a certain Signor Balotelli during their time together at Manchester
City.
Alternative candidates
Francesco Guidolin and Massimiliano Allegri don’t exactly inspire great
excitement, as the former is mainly used to guiding unfashionable clubs to
higher heights than expected - but still not winning anything of note - and the
latter was unceremoniously sacked by Milan last winter with the San Siro giants
struggling in lower mid-table.
A bold choice
of manager by the Italian FA would be advisable, whilst the over-reliance on
master craftsman Pirlo must cease in order for the team to improve sufficiently.
The likes of Balotelli, Verratti, Immobile and Insigne have the opportunity to
take on the mantle from more established stars and thus drag the Azzurri back
to the pinnacle of world football once again. That crop of talent hold the tools
to become successful and now they have to use them effectively; whether there
are more like them waiting in the wings to beef up Italy’s options remains to
be seen.
Back with
England, the consensus appears to be to allow Hodgson a chance to continue the
work he began in rejuvenating the side, while looking towards Euro 2016 in
France as the potential tournament when that spadework will begin reaping
rewards.
There is a
fair degree of uncertainty surrounding the Three Lions’ future simply because
nobody can accurately predict how well this group of emerging players will
develop, both individually and collectively. However, Hodgson has put his faith
in those youngsters to bring smiles to English faces and he must stick wholeheartedly
by that philosophy; two vital ingredients that would assist markedly would be the
unearthing of a commanding central defender and also a striker who doesn’t
require five clear-cut chances to score a goal.
Should they seek
out and locate players of that ilk, while further enhancing the skills of those
already harnessed within the squad, then England could confidently believe that
a happier period lies just ahead of them.
Twitter: @davewh1980
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