this is a very interesting article in goal.com
Comment: Football Propaganda Goal.com correspondent argues that England’s problem is that the players start to believe the hype of their blinkered media…
Did you think England could win the World Cup? Was it because the Premiership is 'the best league in the world'?
Sky Sports have a lot to answer for. While they provide coverage that is visually excellent and technically superb, they are responsible consciously or perhaps unconsciously for shaping the views of the young football fan and the general football viewing public. Hear and see something said enough times, and the chances are you will start to beleive it!
Since the conception of the Andy Gray and Richard Keyes combination the viewer has been told the Premier League is the best in the World. Initially this was a marketing plan but now they even believe it themselves. Now, and all through the tournament they - and not just Keyes and Gray - but almost every English media pundit out there, has been looking for someone to blame. Instead of realising that their own views are in fact wrong, they turn and turned on the easy targets: the foreigner Sven, and the man who plays his football abroad, Beckham.
The majority of the media would have us believe that Steven 'Hollywood' Gerrard is the best midfield player in the world. There is no doubt the man can play, but surely a player who misplaces so many passes can't be considered truly great? Without the footballing brain to know when to keep it simple, Gerrard can never be ranked among the world’s best. Time and time again he tries the game-breaking pass, which throughout the World Cup resulted in a mere 50/50 ball. In the Premier League Gerrard looks superb; this is because he has a magnificent shooting ability and a great engine. Put the Liverpool captain in Spain or Italy and his technique would fall short.
Frank Lampard, the other player the media would have us believe is world class, is another midfielder who lacks technique on the world stage. With Claude Makelele sitting behind him he can rove around the midfield for Chelsea and this is the reason he gets so many goals. In a nuts and bolts league he will shine because his technique is not called upon aside from when he shoots. Because these two players score so many goals they are lauded as the best, but they are not complete and it has been shown in this World Cup. When teams like Ecuador can hold the ball better than an English midfield what is the overriding message?
Frank Lampard thinks he deserves more respect then he's been given after he missed his penalty. He obviously thinks very highly of himself considering he showed himself up in every single game that he played. Perhaps it’s time viewers analysed him and Gerrard? They never seem to take any criticism. Steven Gerrard can get away with knee high challenges and giving the ball away 20 times in a single game, but no one dares breathe a word of criticism. David Beckham has been abused by press all over England, Ireland and everywhere else despite being the only player other than Owen Hargreaves who really contributed to the results of the games. While he was far from outstanding in the tournament, without his dead balls England would not have gotten out of their group.
The fact is that the English Premier League has pace and aggression but it falls short technically. In the aftermath Keyes asks Gray would there be any players you would swap from the English team with the teams still in the tournament? Gray reluctantly responds 'Maybe Buffon, Henry maybe?' The Premiership is that good Andy? A fit Rooney and Ashley Cole are the only two players that could stay in the England side.
Of course Terry is a far better player then Cannavaro, as is Ferdinand over Thuram. Terry has won two Premier League titles, and don’t forget it’s the best league in the world. Also it's not necessary to mention how Makelele was sitting in front of him all that time. Neville is far superior in every way to Zambrotta and Sagnol.
Vieira according to the media is past it and had a poor season for those who don't watch Italian football, that is why Fabio Capello signed him and Juve won the inferior Serie A title. Makelele doesn't get a mention, and well Ballack is German. Why even discuss Zidane, Pirlo, Totti, Deco, Figo......none of them could get into the England team.
The point is not that the English players are poor footballers, far from it. It's just they are not as good as we are led to believe. Mentally England buckle under the pressure, there is no need to develop that theory. Technically, they cannot match the other nations. Players can run around the park until the cows come home but if they can't pass and keep the ball, winning and playing attractive football is never going to happen. It doesn’t matter who the manager is, England have not been attractive for the last few generations and they won't be for the next.
Gavin Dunne
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