A thumping 8-0 victory can surely only serve to boost morale and confidence in the England camp, but yesterday’s demolition of a frankly pitiful San Marino side does little to indicate the current state of this England side. In fact it can be seen as a win which answers few questions, doubts which can only be quelled by beating Montenegro on Tuesday.
Indeed you can question whether it was actually a meaningful victory, as the result was all but ensured before a ball had been kicked. It was a matter of ‘how many’ and if England did allow San Marino to score it would have been embarrassing. In that respect it was meaningless, but on the other hand it was good preparation for the more challenging task that lies ahead.
England played some pleasing football, scored some excellent goals and demonstrated a potent edge going forward to disassemble any resistance from their opponents, but in truth that is barely an achievement when you consider their opponents. I’m confident that San Marino would be propping up the bottom tier of the football league, struggling to amass any points, and I’d even go as far as say that UYAFC’s 1st XI would give the San Marino national side a good game.
San Marino are the joint worst national side in the FIFA World Rankings along with the mighty football forces of Bhutan and the Turks and Caicos Islands, and last night they could barely string two passes together; to put it simply they were woeful. It’s no surprise though really since they’re just amateurs who hold other jobs, rather than professionals who earn millions a year.
In their history San Marino have only ever won one game, a 1-0 victory over Liechtenstein in a friendly in 2004, and have lost all but four of their matches throughout the past decades. A grand total of 19 goals have been scored by the side in their history, and in 2006 the Vatican City held San Marino to a 0-0 draw in an unofficial match.
So yes England did score eight goals for the first time since 1987, but in truth very little can be taken from the emphatic victory. As the old adage goes ‘you can only beat what is in front of you,’ and in yesterday’s case that was very true; however the win may only paper over the cracks of what can potentially be seen as difficult times for our mighty footballing nation.
Qualification from the group is far from ensured after draws against Ukraine and Poland, and indeed Montenegro who England face on Tuesday sit two points clear at the top. So far England have only beaten Moldova and San Marino in this qualifying campaign, and Montenegro are sure to pose a much stiffer challenge for a depleted England side.
With key players such as Arsenal duo Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott missing, England’s task has been made more challenging, but the biggest concern has to be the potential weakness at the heart of the defence.
Chris Smalling and Joleon Lescott are both good defenders, but there have to be doubts over their international pedigree. When you compare them to the great names that have led the England defence in recent years such as John Terry, Tony Adams, Sol Campbell and Rio Ferdinand, then the difference is stark.
As a central defensive partnership they are inexperienced, and in Steven Caulker and Steven Taylor there is little proven international class in reserve. Montenegro’s dangerous duo of Stevan Jovetic and Mirko Vucinic are likely to prove a stern test of the new-look England defence, and that will be a key battle in determining the fate of the contest.
Indeed the issue that has caused the most controversy over the past week is the saga surrounding Rio Ferdinand. Called up to the England squad for the first time in 20 months, Ferdinand then proceeded to drop out of the squad to protect his back problems, before deciding to jet halfway around the world to provide a radio commentary on the games.
Playing for one’s country is supposed to be a massive honour and the pinnacle of a player’s career, but seemingly not in Ferdinand’s case. Of course he may want to protect a long-standing injury which is fair enough, but his decision to jet out to the Far East to conduct a meaningless radio commentary is ludicrous. No doubt he will be paid well, and it’s a sad sign of the times when a player will place potential earnings over the glory of representing their nation.
The latest farce should be Ferdinand’s last chance to play for the country, and the right thing to do would be to announce his international retirement rather than playing when it suits him. Only players who are committed and dedicated are fit to wear the shirt. His absence has only compounded England’s defensive struggles caused by injuries to Gary Cahill, Phil Jones and Phil Jagielka, and has potentially created a weakness for the Montenegrins to exploit.
Yesterday’s 8-0 win may well have relieved the pressure on Roy Hodgson’s team for now, but on Tuesday they will once more be under the spotlight as they face a much more rigorous examination than they were subjected to last night. Failure to emerge victorious will only see more doubts and questions arise.