Football Dispatch

Road to World Cup
08 September 2008
by Jerrad Peters

Almost two years after England’s EURO 2008 campaign was derailed by Croatia, the Three Lions will visit Zagreb for an uncomfortable 90 minutes of deja vu. Or so it would seem with less than 48 hours to go before kickoff at Zagreb’s Maksimir Stadium. With a lackluster 2-0 win over lowly Andorra just two days behind them, England’s standard of success has changed from “win at all costs” to “a draw will do just fine.” And indeed, a single point would be seen as something of a triumph for a nation that went nine months between competitive matches.

Having said that, Fabio Capello’s squad will be boosted by the return of Rio Ferdinand. After missing the Andorra match with a sore neck, the Manchester United defender trained with his teammates on Monday morning and will accompany them to the Croatian capital. If he is at least relatively pain-free on Wednesday, he will replace Joleon Lescott alongside captain John Terry in the center of defense.

Joe Cole will be expecting a place in the starting lineup as well. The Chelsea midfielder scored both goals in Barcelona and was England’s most dangerous player after replacing the ineffective Stewart Downing at half-time. Downing will be likely to start Wednesday’s match on the bench after a forgettable 45 minutes against the Andorran part-timers, although Capello will consider his options before opting for Cole.

“I was not happy with Joe and Wayne Rooney,” the England manager commented after his squad opened their 2010 World Cup qualification schedule on Saturday. “I was asking them to go forward again because Emile Heskey was all on his own.” He continued, “I tried to transmit something to them but I was too far from the pitch.”

What Capello saw was that both Cole and Wayne Rooney were drifting too deep behind Heskey and minimizing their effectiveness. And while Cole struck twice in six minutes, his creativity was otherwise limited. That he was England’s most enterprising attacker speaks volumes as to the usefulness of his teammates.

“I have got to think about Joe,” mulled Capello. “He is very good for himself at the moment and very good for us. Cole at this moment is scoring goals for fun.”

If he comes into the squad, the 26-year-old will likely start to the left of Rooney and in support of Jermaine Defoe in a 4-3-2-1 formation. Ferdinand will be the lone change in defense while Theo Walcott, Frank Lampard, and Gareth Barry will form the midfield.

Of course, all of that could change ahead of Wednesday night. There is no shortage of assessment and evaluation ahead an England match. For once, however, some of the criticism has come from within the ranks. Steven Gerrard, absent from the squad through a groin injury, has voiced his displeasure with the England setup in the wake of another disappointing result.

In an interview with the Sunday Times, the Liverpool midfielder admitted to being exasperated that he was rarely used in the center of the park. “I’ve played in my favorite position for England 5 times in 68 games,” he stated. “I’ve paid the price for being able to do a decent job in other positions.”

Against the Czech Republic in August, Gerrard was deployed on the left flank and has frequently featured on the right wing as well. Although he understands that he is the most adaptable player in the squad, he is frustrated at being continually used out of position.

“Other players don’t get shunted around because they can’t do it,” said the 28-year-old. “I can’t go and play out on the right or the left and become Kaka or Robinho. I just go out there, give 100%, and do a steady job.” Gerrard also noted that he is at his best when “playing with a disciplined midfielder who gives me that freedom to play box-to-box.” The statement is almost certainly a shot over the bow at Lampard, who plays in a style similar to his own.

Rather than being construed as divisive, however, Gerrard’s remarks may have been the spark that he and his teammates have long required. For a squad so often accused of lacking passion, his comments reveal a vexation that England fans and many of his teammates will surely find refreshing. And as the team arrives in Croatia for a crucial Group 6 encounter, any measure of refreshment and revitalization will be gratefully accepted.

UEFA results

Albania 0-0 Sweden
Hungary 0-0 Denmark
Malta 0-4 Portugal
Moldova 1-2 Latvia
Luxembourg 0-3 Greece
Israel 2-2 Switzerland
Poland 1-1 Slovenia
Slovakia 2-1 Northern Ireland
Wales 1-0 Azerbaijan
Liechtenstein 0-6 Germany
Armenia 0-2 Turkey
Belgium 3-2 Estonia
Spain 1-0 Bosnia & Herzegovina
Ukraine 1-0 Belarus
Andorra 0-2 England
Croatia 3-0 Kazakhstan
Romania 0-3 Lithuania
Serbia 2-0 Faroe Islands
Austria 3-1 France
Georgia 1-2 Republic of Ireland
Montenegro 2-2 Bulgaria
Cyprus 1-2 Italy
Macedonia 1-0 Scotland
Norway 2-2 Iceland

UEFA Gameball: Marc Janko. Towering Red Bull Salzburg striker got the ball rolling against France.

CONCACAF

Canada’s dream of a second World Cup appearance was dealt a severe blow, Saturday, as Honduras fought from behind to claim a 2-1 win over their hosts at Montreal’s Stade Saputo. Canadian defender Adrian Serioux opened the scoring for Canada after just four minutes when he turned a Patrice Bernier corner behind Hunduran goalkeeper Noel Valladares. And while they took the narrow lead into the interval, the Canadians were quickly undone by a pair of Ramon Nunez goals just moments after the restart. With just one point from two matches, Canada will be hard-pressed to advance into the final round of CONCACAF qualifying. They will travel to Estadio Victor Manuel Reyna for a match against Mexico in Tuxtla, Chiapas on Wednesday.

Now having drawn and lost at home to Jamaica and Honduras, respectively, Canada will be forced to take at least six points from their upcoming away matches. Easier said than done. The Canucks are notoriously poor travelers and cannot anticipate a result in either Mexico or Honduras.

This from a side which entered the current World Cup cycle as prohibitive favorites to advance from the confederation. At last summer’s Gold Cup, Canada defeated CONCACAF powerhouses Costa Rica and Guatemala. However, they also produced a disappointing loss to tiny Guadeloupe before bowing out of the competition at the hands of the United States. The tournament was a microcosm of Canada’s international record. Win one – lose one. Defeat a heavyweight – lose to a minnow.

The cycle was repeated over the past 12 months. Another decent performance against Costa Rica was followed by a 2-0 loss to South Africa in Durban. And in the buildup to a pair of dominating wins over St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Canada lost 2-0 to Estonia and drew Panama 2-2 in Ft. Lauderdale. Sandwiched between those results, however, was an impressive 3-2 loss to Brazil. Even when Canada was grouped with Jamaica, Honduras, and Mexico in the Group of Death, there was no reason to assume that they could not emerge from the bracket.

Two matches later, the team appears uninspired; they cannot find the back of the net; and a coaching change remains a very real possibility. And as they stand on the precipice of another failure, it won’t help to think that this is the best crop of Canadian players since 1986. A talented group which looks all but certain to pull off the most unlikely collapse in Canadian soccer history.

CONCACAF Results

Trinidad & Tobago 1-1 Guatemala
Cuba 0-1 United States
Mexico 3-0 Jamaica
Canada 1-2 Honduras
El Salvador 5-0 Haiti
Costa Rica 7-0 Suriname

CONCACAF Gameball: Ramon Nunez. First international goals for 22-year-old Olimpia midfielder.

CONMEBOL

Dunga saved his job and Brazil vaulted up the charts in World Cup qualifying by beating Chile 3-0 in Santiago, Sunday. In front of over 60,000 spectators at Estadio Nacional, Sevilla marksman Luis Fabiano scored twice and new Manchester City signing Robinho added a third as the Selecao trampled sixth-place Chile and pulled to within two points of leaders Paraguay. Brazil will have a chance to top the table when Bolivia visit the Engenhao on Wednesday.

How quickly things have changed since Dunga’s disillusioned squad prepared to face the Chileans. On the heels of a disappointing bronze medal result at the Olympic Games in Beijing, Brazil entered the match with just a single win from their past three outings in CONMEBOL World Cup qualification. At fifth-place in the standings, they faced the spectre of a humiliating play-off against the fourth-place side from the CONCACAF region.

Three goals and three points later, Brazil are level with Argentina on 12 points and have a pair of winnable matches on tap before Columbia visit the Maracana in mid-October. And the feel-good story doesn’t end there. For the first time since November, 2007, Ronaldinho participated in a competitive, non-Olympic match for his country. He made way for Juan in the 54th minute as Dunga moved to protect a two-goal lead; but he played well as part of an attacking trio alongside Fabiano and Robinho.

The pair of goals positions Fabiano atop the goal-scoring chart. He has tallied four times for Brazil in seven matches and has become Dunga’s go-to goal-scorer. In Ronaldinho and Robinho, he has a supporting cast which can provide the ball on a platter while Diego marshals the squad from the center of the park. The presence of Gilberto Silva in a defensive role remains a weakness for the side. But with everything else coming together so nicely, his shortcomings have been overlooked.

CONMEBOL Results

Argentina 1-1 Paraguay
Ecuador 3-1 Bolivia
Columbia 0-1 Uruguay
Peru 1-0 Venezuela
Chile 0-3 Brazil

CONMEBOL Gameball: Luis Fabiano. Sevilla forward has 11 goals in 21 matches for Brazil

CAF Results

Mauritius 1-4 Tanzania
Cape Verde 1-2 Cameroon
Kenya 1-0 Namibia
Zimbabwe 0-0 Guinea
Benin 3-2 Angola
Niger 3-1 Uganda
South Africa 0-1 Nigeria
Sierra Leone 2-1 Equatorial Guinea
Libya 1-0 Ghana
Lesotho 0-3 Gabon
Algeria 3-2 Senegal
Gambia 3-0 Liberia
Madagascar 1-0 Botswana
Mozambique 1-1 Cote d’Ivoire
Mauritaia 0-1 Rwanda
Seychelles 1-2 Burundi
Burkina Faso 0-0 Tunisia
Sudan 1-2 Chad
Congo 1-0 Mali
Djibouti 0-3 Malawi
Congo DR 0-1 Egypt

CAF Gameball: Razak Omotoyossi. Current Al Nasr and former Helsinborgs forward struck twice as Benin defeated favored Angola.

AFC Results

Bahrain 2-3 Japan
Qatar 3-0 Uzbekistan
United Arab Emirates 1-2 Korea DPR
Saudi Arabia 1-1 Iran

AFC Gameball: Shinsuke Nakamura. Celtic ace opens scoring with superb free-kick in 18th minute against Bahrain.

OCEANIA

New Zealand has already won the region and will play-off against the fifth-place qualifier from AFC.

Have a question about football? Email your query to jerradpeters@gmail.com.

Jerrad Peters covers football for the Winnipeg Free Press, Soccer Three-Sixty magazine, ESPN Soccernet, and Soccer365.com. His work has also appeared on TheMirror.co.uk, Canadian-soccer.com, Footy247.co.uk, Foot2ball.com, and Squadinfo.com.