So: England have done it. They're through to the next round of 16. Did you ever doubt it?
England needed a performance yesterday. And a big one at that. Group C was wide open, with any of the 4 teams still able to qualify. There was pressure, and plenty of it, and England had to respond after their dire 0-0 draw against Algeria in the second game. England have been in this situation plenty of times before, with 1 do-or-die game and history has been on their side.
But, before the game got under way it looked like the pressure was getting to be far too much as JT let loose in a press conference. Terry decided to speak candidly and openly about what was going on inside the England camp, inferring that it was difficult for the players to speak their mind to Capello and that there were a few players unhappy with the tactics, and the players being selected. In fact Terry himself, suggested Capello pick Joe Cole, his Chelsea teammate, over the others. In the past, Terry has often been accused of not being honest enough, however this time he was perhaps taking the honesty thing too far, as it provoked a public reaction from the boss. What Terry forgot was that the press are like vultures, and they are ready to pounce on anything either openly stated or inferred, to grab the headlines. Our neighbours, the French, are testimony to that. It was down to Capello, Lampard and Gerrard for some damage limitation. After stating that Terry had made a "big mistake" by revealing the private happenings of the camp to the world's media, he reaffirmed that there weren't any cracks in the team, and that the boys were only focussed on the big match ahead. Luckily, Terry's honesty didn't quite reach the gastronomical proportions of the French fiasco and the team were able to put it behind them, and do their talking on the pitch.
And, they certainly did just that. From the off, England started with a high tempo, good pace, and bursting with energy to get going. You could tell that the players knew that they had to win this game and they responded. Straightaway, they were getting at the Slovenians, connecting well and eager to get forward. Jermain Defoe had been called up Capello in place of Heskey for this match, while James remained in goal. Upson took the suspended Carragher's place and Milner started in place of Carrick. Overall, these were positive changes by the manager, who retained England's standard 4-4-2 formation, with Gerrard playing on the right. For the best part of the first half, it was England that was superior in possession, chances, shots on target and playing attacking football. The ball was largely in the Slovenian half, and it didn't take long for their defence to crack to give Defoe his first goal of the tournament.
It was man-of-the-match James Milner's fabulous cross that was met by Defoe who slammed it in from close range. Milner was great all game long, especially out on the right with great balls in. The England forwards could not complain about the service they were getting this time around. What was also good about Milner's presence was that he was willing to stay back, which allowed Gerrard far more space to move forward, as we know he likes to do. The team was looking far more balanced and the players seemed to be enjoying themselves, despite the pressure. As England went closer for another goal, their chances increased with Lampard, Defoe and Gerrard all going close. Slovenia's highly rated goalkeeper, Handanovic was right in the heart of proceedings, but to his credit, made some superb saves to keep Slovenia in the game.
Slovenia didn't threaten James too much in the first half and England were able to get through to half-time with their heads held high. With the USA-Algeria game still stuck at 0-0, not only were England going through, as it stood, but they were going to top the group as well. Defoe almost had a chance to get himself a brace, straight after the restart but could only fire wide as England again pushed on to get another goal to make life more comfortable. Gerrard and Rooney worked well to create some good play between them, but it was a pass too much as yet another game went by without Rooney getting a goal. Terry also had a good chance, with a header from a corner, but unlike on so many previous occasions, he was unable to direct it into the back of the net.
There was always a danger that while the game stayed at 1-0, Slovenia could easily break and score. England's defenders had to be sharp and alert to the danger. I felt that Matt Upson started off a bit shakily, conceding possession in some dangerous areas and having to be helped out by his fellow teammates, but I suppose that is quite understandable. Luckily for England, he improved as the game went on and did enough to keep Slovenia out. Johnson and Terry were both great at blocking Novakovic who looked to shoot - the controversy of the week seemingly wiped from Terry's mind.
Rooney, who didn't look 100% fit, was substituted for Joe Cole, after limping quite heavily and being unable to continue. England managed to see out the game, having scored just the one goal, by being organised and defending well. It was certainly anxious times right up to the very end...but then England never do make it quite as easy as we want it to be, do they?! The closing stages of the game, saw some late Slovenian pressure but the England players did well in helping each other out, staying back and then keeping possession of the ball in the Slovenian half.
At the final whistle, we saw great emotion from the manager and from the players. They knew that it would have been inexplicable to have exited at this stage, as before this match they hadn't really turned up. Slovenia, on the other hand, were left in despair. At first, they thought that they had also gone through, but news slowly began filtering in that the USA had scored and beaten Algeria, courtesy of an injury time goal by Landon Donovan. It was really heart-wrenching to watch as Slovenia, despite being the smallest nation (in terms of population) represented at the World Cup finals, had done themselves really proud uptil now. The late US goal also meant that England finished second in the group, so would have to play whoever won in Group D. It was a great result for the Americans too, provoking joyous scenes of elation as they will now face the runner-up in Group D.
It was a great, positive performance from England: something that we've all been waiting for. There are still areas of improvement that they need to work on - for example, Rooney needs to get himself a goal or two to give him that confidence, England need to work on killing off the game - they could have made life far more comfortable for themselves had they been more clinical, and finally it's important not to get too carried away, as there are teams that are better than Slovenia in this competition. Still, what a difference a win makes. It will just give England and the fans that bit of much-needed confidence as they go into their tie against the Group D winners on Sunday. They will now have a base to build on and improve upon as we enter the knock-out stages. The players were smiling, the manager was smiling and the fans were smiling. England have always left it til late on plenty of previous occasions and this time was no exception. Still, the best teams or the ones that go on to win the competition, don't always have the best of starts do they?
"It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to"...
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