Three Lions take pussycat point

Capello's England struggle dearly against Algeria

By James Dall   Last updated: 19th June 2010   Subscribe to RSS Feed

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Man of the match: Madjid Bougherra was commanding throughout the game for Algeria.

Moment of the match: Emile Heskey produced an awful cross when in space during the second half to illustrate England's lack of composure.

Attempt of the match: Never really looked like a goal was coming, but Karim Ziani went close with a long-range effort for Algeria in the first half.

Save of the match: Rais M'Bohli looked shaky, but easily collected Steven Gerrard's header from just inside the Algeria box.

Talking point: Can England now beat Slovenia to reach the last 16 of the World Cup?

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An unimaginative and nervy performance from England saw Fabio Capello's side pick up just a point against Algeria to leave them third in Group C.

Having drawn their opening game of the 2010 World Cup against the United States of America, the Three Lions were expected to respond versus the Algerians on Friday night in Cape Town.

But Capello's men struggled to impose themselves on allegedly inferior opposition, with a first win of the tournament in their final game against Slovenia a likely must if they are to reach the last 16.

England manager Fabio Capello made the speculated call of dropping goalkeeper Robert Green, infamous for his error versus the United States, in favour of the experienced David James.

In defence, as expected, the injured Ledley King was replaced by Liverpool centre-back Jamie Carragher. Algeria, meanwhile, also opted for a change in shot-stopper, bringing in Rais M'bohli for Faouzi Chaouchi.

After two wasteful long balls aimed at Emile Heskey came to nothing, England's first half-chances came via uncertainty from goalkeeper M'bohli. First, the Algerian made a meal of a Steven Gerrard cross before a very poor kick fell to Wayne Rooney, whose ball to the captain petered to nothing.

Tepid

The Three Lions again threatened on six minutes, Gerrard's ranging pass finding Ashley Cole down the left flank, but the Chelsea full-back was squeezed out of possession. And then England were given a fright when after James unconvincingly punched a cross high, Glen Johnson's sloppy clearance risked danger.

England's passing game continued to desert them in the opening exchanges, with Algeria looking the most accomplished with the ball at their feet. Indeed, the tricky Karim Ziani whipped in two tantalising crosses, the second of which was headed goalwards by Hassan Yebda but was easily dealt with by James.

Then, twice in the space of five minutes, the defensive-minded Barry made two vital clearances following tricky deliveries. Capello looked an angry customer on the touchline, barking out orders. And the Italian's instructions, almost paid dividends as the tempo quickened and Gerrard and Frank Lampard had efforts on goal, the latter well saved by M'bohli.

Ziani was undoubtedly Algeria's best outlet in the first period as he struck a shot wide. England lacked sustained pressure, with their better moments coming in fits and starts. Indeed, just prior to 40 minutes, a Wayne Rooney surge got fans of their feet before a tame Barry shot was routine for the Algerian keeper.

England trudged off at the break to a likely Capello scorning, with the country struggling for a foothold in a game they needed to perform and win, not fade. Their last real say of the final period was a limp, long-range strike from Rooney, such was the frustration of a period that panged a lack of confidence.

Capello made no changes to his side for the second half, despite the frustration of the first. England put together a combination between Heskey, Rooney and Gerrard, but the move was hooked clear. It was, though, a rare flicker of expression from Rooney, who struggled to impose the form that landed him the PFA Player of the Year award.

Troubled

England were gifted a rare surge at the Algerian defence in the 55th minute when Barry intercepted. Gerrard led the charge but his cutback was tepid as Algeria mopped up. At the other end, England appeared troubled by their opponents, while a booking for Carragher ensures he will miss the final game versus Slovenia.

Capello's first shuffle of the pack was to bring on Shaun Wright-Phillips for Aaron Lennon, whose last contribution was a teasing cross that was nipped away by Rafik Halliche as Rooney lurked. And seconds later, England had a heart-in-mouth moment when a short back-pass had to be swept up by James.

Wright-Phillips tried to inject some spark into England, but their next attacking moment came courtesy of Gerrard's through ball to Heskey, who neither shot nor crossed as Halliche got across to block impressively, before Gerrard's header from a corner was straight at M'bohli.

Jermain Defoe entered the fray in place of the workmanlike Heskey in the 74th minute, and he almost made an instant impact when some rare bright combination play from England nearly sent the Tottenham striker clean in on goal.

Capello threw caution to the wind with six minutes remaining when he brought on beanpole striker Peter Crouch in place of holding player Barry. But it affected little for England, who toiled throughout the remainder of the encounter, with Algeria largely, and worryingly for the Three Lions, untroubled.

EnglandTeam StatisticsAlgeria
0Goals0
01st Half Goals0
5Shots on Target1
6Shots off Target5
4Blocked Shots7
10Corners3
14Fouls13
1Offsides3
1Yellow Cards1
0Red Cards0
82Passing Success78.1
21Tackles26
81Tackles Success92.3
54.6Possession45.4
51.8Territorial Advantage48.2
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Comments (193)

Bill Abernethy says...

Did I detect what I already suspected, that there is turmoil in the England dressing room? John Terry's statement seems very similar to the Chelsea situation that made Mourinhio leave. "i'm bigger than any club or even my country" comes to mind. NO manager will tell me what to do.

Posted 18:55 20th June 2010

Sean Inman (Leeds United fan) says...

Comfortably the most pathetic, incompetent, sluggish, lethargic, ponderous, boring, frustrating, demoralising and confusing England performance I can remember. You can often accept the ¿a bad day at the office¿ argument but describing the staggering distance between previous qualifying games and yesterday¿s performance as a ¿bad day¿ is like the office worker describing his decision to turn up at lunchtime, pissed out of his head, head butt the boss and throw his computer out of the window as just a ¿bad day¿. Clearly, psychological issues must exist to explain such bizarre displays, so out of character and so distant from our normal expectations. Rooney¿s performance, littered with the most basic of technical errors, can only be explained via psychology. No player as technically competent as he is can play that poorly without having ¿serious issues¿. To suggest such a fall from technical grace is due to a slight ankle injury, is laughable. Anyone who has played the game knows that ankles can be strapped to provide total stability and that even when in a bit of pain, your 1st touch does not totally desert you. No, Rooney¿s woeful display was symptomatic of an England camp which is seriously unhappy, perhaps clinically depressed. This is when Dr. Capello must earn his millions by diagnosing and curing the problem quickly. The problem is, the doctor may be the very cause of the depression and his stubborn refusal to accept that could be England¿s downfall. By putting players in positions they enjoy playing, spirits can be immediately lifted. Inspiration can also be derived from a dose of the optimism and creativity which a Joe Cole might bring to the current group of sad and tired zombies. Team to play Slovenia David James (whatever we think, we cannot chnge this position again) Johnson Terry Dawson (untainted by current malaise and desperate to show his worth) A cole (only competent performer thus fa

Posted 02:22 20th June 2010

Gary Marsden says...

unbievable ! the average working man has known that heskey is embarassingly rubbish yet a man on £6 a year cant see that. lampard , rooney , gerard ect , world class ! iv watched players iv never off from countries iv never heard of and all off them can control. think,move and pass better than any of our so called superstars. the golder rule of football is surely not to give the ball away,yet all our players do it regular. why the rush and panic to get gareth barry fit to play. he is an average premier player. lets wake up and smell the coffee. we a million light years away from winning a major tournament. im sure there will be an inquiry from the f.a. when its all over as to why we are rubbish. more money needlassly spent by the f.a. any one got the answer please notify the f.a. coz they not got a clue. all the acadamys in the world wont stop it. because we dont coach pass and move , difference between good players and great players is one second,how fast players think . our players are about1 minute bhind ! am i wrong ?rant over.

Posted 20:00 19th June 2010

Kimball Toderian (Tottenham Hotspur fan) says...

Well one good thing that has come out of this...hopefully none of these losers with maybe the exception of Rooney should ever be picked for the national team again. Yet again Lampard did nothing as did the entire midfield. This was just a pathetic display by the English team.

Posted 18:05 19th June 2010

Justin Smith (Manchester United fan) says...

Why doesn't Capello play 4-5-1 ????? We all know whta Rooney is capable of and he announced that he can can get goals if he plays as a lone striker. Let's admit we played horribly in these last 2 games but why doesn't the formation look something like this (I'm definite that we could reach the final with this lineup) HEY I'VE GOT AN IDEA WE THE FANS ARE UNITED SO FANS HERE ON THE BLOG AND AT SOUTH AFRICA SHOUT 4-5-1 ENGOURAGE ALL OTHER SITES LIKE DAILY MAIL,SKY SPORTS C'MON PEOPLE I DIDN'T BUY A 52" INCH LED TV JUST FOR NOTHING !!!!?!?!!! - C"MON SHOIT 4-5-1 (Encourage all other Sites) David James Glen Johnson Terry Upson Ashley Cole Joe Cole Gerrard Milner Lampard Shaun Wright Phillips OUR WONDER BOY -~-~-~ Wayne Rooney

Posted 07:58 19th June 2010

Mark Samples (Liverpool fan) says...

Not good enough! What an understatement. After watching Germany lose, the USA draw I was excited about the England game. These results would surely inspire England to put on a performance, sadly not. I feel sorry for all the diehard England fans who travelled to South Africa to watch our team play badly. If they boo because they are annoyed about the performance they have the right to they have paid a lot of money and have after all committed themselves to support England. We all should though continue to support England however hard it may be at times. I think everyone agrees that Capello picked the wrong team and had every opportunity to change things but didn't, why?? Let¿s hope he learns from his mistakes and does his job!! Change players (include Hart, Dawson, J.Cole, Barry), formation (4,5,1,) and motivate the players.

Posted 07:58 19th June 2010

Keith Allen (Liverpool fan) says...

Disapointed. could be the understatment of the tournament. Where is the heart, passion and drive of this England sqad. Not only do we need a win but some passion put back into the game, why are we leaving our most prolifice goal score on the bench, why when Gerrad and Lampard are playing poorly?????????? are we not bring on play makers like like Cole. come on let just play football like we can with passion desire and poace like the preimership. COME ON ENGLAND.

Posted 07:56 19th June 2010

Andrew Green (Everton fan) says...

I am so fed up of watching this England team. I have always been a fan of Capello he has been good everywhere he has been. I know managers like to play a certain formation but why stick to it if we dont have the players for it. In my eyes our 3 best players are Rooney, Lamps and Gerrard. Rooney is having to play up top with Heskey and he is feeling the burden of having to be our only goal threat. Lamps is playing with shackles on, worrying if he has to be covering, hence not doing what he does for Chelsea and making them dangerous runs in to the box. Gerrard was playing out of position last night and with the same shackles as lamps in the 1st game. You cant continue to put square pegs in round holes it doesn't work. In my eyes to get the best out of this team we need to play a 4-5-1 with Barry behind lamps and Gerrard to give them the freedom they need and either 2 of the 4 wide men we have, i would probably go for J Cole and Lennon. The back for with Dawson now as Carra has looked a poor foil for Terry. If your gonna win a major tounement you have to give you best players the chance to play well in positions they are used to. Right now them 3 players look frustrated and fed up. I honestly think we have the players to go a long way but not playing this formation. I know its easy for us to come on here and say all this but we need to do something.

Posted 07:56 19th June 2010

Nathalie Amurat (Manchester United fan) says...

Some of the comments we read here simply show us why England will NEVER win the World Cup again!!! The English supporters are not behind England but behind their individual team players. Most top Premier League clubs have top class foreign players!!! England don't have class players like Fabregas,Torres, Ronaldo and Messi...the only one that comes close is GERARD!!! Still the concern of Chelsea fans is why is Terry not captain!!!! Grow up England fans and get behind your country!!! We can still make a good WC. Enjoy it and support the team!!!

Posted 07:22 19th June 2010

Jamie Gardiner (Manchester United fan) says...

What an absolute disgrace . Get Joe cole out on the left an Gerrard in behind Rooney . A only wish Beckham was fit he would av come of the bench an brought them to life . As for Rooney critising the fans for booing the team . Ur lucky u didnt get linched its ok for you with ur 100 grand a week alot of those fans had 2 scrimp scrape an borrow to go out there 2 watch what can only be described as a shambolic display so instead of moaning about every 1 of u should get ur finger out an make it up to the tens of thousands of fans that have travelled out there 2 cheer u on

Posted 07:21 19th June 2010

Tom Bayliss (West Bromwich Albion fan) says...

True, it was an awful performance ... possibly the worst since Mr.Capello took over. And yes we were completely in our rights to boo them off the pitch. ... But slating them after the game and having fans run into the dressing room at half time is not what we want. Rooney clearly expressed his thoughts on the fans last night but this only shows that he is just as frustrated, if not more, than any other fan. We need to get behind our boys this coming Wednesday and show that we have just as much as a chance as spain or brazil. We're still unbeaten! Come on you lions!

Posted 07:16 19th June 2010

Tony Jain (Arsenal fan) says...

I fully blame Capello...he is a bully who seems to have convinced himself that he is above everyone and doesnt seem to want to listen. It was obvious from the last 2 games that the players had fear of failure and uncertaintity of their role and tactics.....how can Capello expect team spirit when he only lets players know 2 hours before the game who is playing...If you wathed the bench, Capello was barking instructions to Stuart Pearce, but I didnt see anyone dare bark out their opinions back..even Becks....I know we will win against Slovinia, but Capello better realise we play with an England mentality, NOT try to make the team a Real Madrid..

Posted 07:02 19th June 2010

Mike Holmes (Newcastle United fan) says...

Totally wrong squad taken. Not on merit. Same old players. How does SWP & Lennon, get near that squad? Glen Johnson is useless too. All 3 Cant cross a ball. Adam Johnson should have been taken. Gerrard and Rooney are not left wingers. If were playing 442, be bold and drop Lamps, Gerrard & Barry in the middle. J.Cole on the left and Lennon on the right.. Or go back to 451. What a huge dissapointment so far. Stuart Parce, legend, have a word with Cappello. Rooney, give yourself a shake!

Posted 07:02 19th June 2010

Craig Oliver (Manchester United fan) says...

Very disappointing yet again , Changes need to be made. Most of the top English teams hardly ever play 4-4-2. Get gerrard back in the Middle behind Rooney. Drop Heskey and bring in Joe Cole on the Left. probably a saving carragher is out of the next game. Give Dawson a start. Waht has happened to lennon. is he turning into a John Barnes. great for his club, Rubbish for his country. Hes got pace to burn and should be getting crosss in not cutting inside everytime. COME ON FABIO its time to change

Posted 07:01 19th June 2010

Vincent Fogliati (Barcelona fan) says...

Another tournament, another false dawn for England, another opportunity for their fans to make a scapegoat out of the latest manager. England have made one semis appearance since 1966... their only appearance in the semis away from home. Why then do English fans get so shocked when they get knocked out in the quarters, and assume that it's because of the current manager's incompetence? It happened recently with Sven, then McLaren, now the once idolised Capello. Surely the common denominator is England's quality - compare their squad to, say, Spain's and there's a world of difference.

Posted 06:46 19th June 2010

Hamid Fan (Manchester United fan) says...

This is a lesson for you in the football, because we like to talk on the pitch Your media said you will win 7/0 against Algeria, your players under-estimated Algeria and were over-confident, but on the pitch you can see on their faces They were scared and nervous but Algeria players were enjoying the ball, That¿s unfortunate we don¿t have striker otherwise you end-up loosing as we did For Germany in 1982, we were unlucky in the first game against Slovenia where we Dominated the match but a small mistake cost us a lot after one player got set off So tell you media do not try to humiliate other countries before the match , please show respect to other countries team and than you will win , our players take the challenge and fight because you say a bad things about them in your media , Watch out Algeria Desert Fighters are coming !

Posted 06:38 19th June 2010

Stig Cobain says...

Apparently capello doesn't name his team until just before the game??? this is strange as how can the team practise formations, corners, teamwork etc if they don't know who is playing where until the last minute

Posted 05:57 19th June 2010

Stephen Griffiths (Middlesbrough fan) says...

I just don't get it... Why are we still playing a 4-4-2 when after the first game it just doesnt wash at this level?? How can the whole country see what is needed including my wife and yet the manager doesnt?? Rooney shouting off at the England fans!! Spoilt brat he is. Bring in 23 England players from the Championship and then see some passion in the game, I dont care to win but I want to see good football with passion by our team.

Posted 05:47 19th June 2010

Kevin Connor (Everton fan) says...

Wrong choice of players, wrong choice of tactics. Play Steven Gerrard off Wayne Rooney where he plays best. Play Joe Cole. Get rid of that useless plonker Aaron Lennon. Why did Capello select half fit players? With Carragher's disciplinary record and "expert" mistimed tackles, it was only a matter of time before he was suspended. I suppose we should be grateful that he wasn't sent off. Fortunately for me, I'm suffering this rubbish on TV at home. I have pity for the England fans who have spent good money following England to South Africa. We all deserve much better than this. So get a grip Capello. At least from next week, I can watch Tennis and Cricket as an alternative to these very low quality England performances

Posted 05:18 19th June 2010

Ahmed Khan (Chelsea fan) says...

One word i would like to describe the performance being cautious not making tackles i dont see England players playing to their full level they are all good players but i think they are trying to save themselves, but for what look at Algeria players always running for ball making good or bad tackles winning the ball England players must stop thinking themselves or treating themselves as star, Country is your honor in next match i hope and wish to see some fighting spirits in the players

Posted 05:13 19th June 2010

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