England and Italy… Rooney and Balotelli

Hello, I’m Callum Rivett, and welcome to my latest blog for The Football Front. This week it's the turn of the quarter finals to capture my fleeting glances, and what a quarter final it looks to be. 

            England.

            Who thought England would finish top of the group with two wins and a draw against France? I certainly didn’t, and I think this is because the expectations had been lowered to the point that we thought we may not even get out of the group.

            We have avoided world champions Spain, which is welcome news to every English fan, but unfortunately face a tie with favourites Germany in the semi-final if we beat Italy. The Germans are, unsurprisingly, an efficient bunch, and have proved so by winning four out of four matches. Their only weakness could be their defence - an average Greek side scored two, albeit one from a penalty. 

            Roy Hodgson has built up a fantastic team spirit within the camp, and that can only have a positive effect. The Italians are nothing special, but then neither are we. Both sides are defensively minded, and will sit back and look to hit the opposition on the counter. 

            Those techniques are fine against opposition that like to attack and are a better side than yourself. But what we could be looking at is a match where the two sides are waiting for the other to attack, both sitting back, both scared of going forwards. 

            Then again, since it’s a quarter final and winner-takes-all match, we could have the most exciting and enthralling match of the tournament on our hands. Two very evenly matched sides, no big expectations, but with a team full of hard-working, classy players. We have Rooney; they have Balotelli. We have Hart; they have Buffon. 

            Both us and Italy boast world-class talents, but both have a loose fuse. Rooney and Balotelli can be either heroes or villains. Both have been sent off numerous times, but they have both scored numerous times. Balotelli is effectively the Italian Wayne Rooney. You can see the raw talent, the enthusiasm, but there is something else, something dark. A violent, idiotic side: Rooney’s kick against Montenegro, Balotelli’s sending off versus Arsenal, Rooney’s stamp on Carvalho, Balotelli and the bib. 

            Ultimately Balotelli is more idiotic than aggressive, and Rooney vice versa, but the talent there is undeniable. Under the guidance of Roberto Mancini, Super Mario can flourish to become a world-class talent, but only if Man City can control his wild side. He’s arrogant, but not in a moronic way. He gives 60% of his wages to charity, so it is obvious he is actually not as stupid as he makes out. 

            There is only one word that fully describes Mario Balotelli: entertaining. 

            These two will be the focal points for the media come Sunday, and they could hold the key to their country’s success. England will have to dominate Italy’s defence - which is weak - to win, and I believe that if we get to half-time at 0-0 then we have a superb chance to get to a semi-final, something that doesn’t come along that often. In fact, I wasn’t even born when England last got to the semis, but I know the story of that 1990 game against Germany. Gazza’s tears, Pearce’s penalty, Lineker’s 80th minute equaliser… 

            We have a real chance of making a semi-final. We are on the same level as Italy, and it should be a balanced match which whets the neutrals appetite, and drives both country’s supporters to the brink of despair and back again. 

            It’s tiring being an England fan: the heart-aches, the quarter final exits, the constant underachievement. 

            But now it’s different. Now there are no expectations. The nation believes, not expects.

Follow Callum on twitter: @CJRivett12. You can find more of Callum's work here.

Why England don’t need Rooney

The Football Front's Christian Brown gives view on why England dont actually need Wayne Rooney.

If you were to say to most people following the Euros, ‘who would you hinge England’s hopes on?’ there is a very strong chance that the reply would be ‘Wayne Rooney’. I beg to differ. As controversial as it possibly sounds, I don’t even think Rooney should be there full stop, and there are several reasons to suggest this as well. 

Let’s start with the basics. His job, as a centre forward, is to score goals – correct? For Manchester United this is seemingly no problem at all. He finished the 2011/12 season with 27 league goals, which is a very impressive tally, regardless of which team you play for. For the national team however, his last goal was against Bulgaria in September 2011. That was some 10 months ago. For someone whose job it is to stick the ball in the back of the net, that is frankly appalling – especially for a striker who scores for fun for his club and receives 250 grand a week for his troubles.

Then there are his performances in the white shirt of England. Well, I use the term ‘performances’ very loosely. Watching Wayne Rooney play for England is like watching a seven year old who hasn’t yet learnt his positional sense. The seven year old can get away with it, as he is after all, only seven. Rooney’s 26. I’ve never seen such brainless running from any international player, ever. For some reason, he feels the need to be everywhere – including the left wing, right back and centre midfield. This is despite the fact his job is to be up front feeding off the service he will receive.

It causes numerous problems for the rest of the team, as suddenly when there is a chance to counter, Rooney’s beside the ball in his own half as opposed to being on the centre back’s shoulder and the attack swiftly breaks down. It also allows him to get angry, which is stupid given the high profile errors he’s made due to a lack of temperament. One low key example was against Montenegro at Wembley. Rooney inexplicably ‘tracked back’ 50 yards before clattering a Montenegrin from behind – and received a yellow card for his ‘team game’.

Say what you like about ‘oh it’s passion for the team’ or ‘oh it’s part of his game’ – no, it’s neither. It’s pathetic and stupid. It makes him a liability, and makes him suspect to do something ridiculous and get a card for it. Such as his most recent incident wearing the Three Lions, in which he booted Montenegrin defender Miodrag Dzudovic from behind in an apparent attempt to send him into orbit. Do that on the street and you’re looking at about 3 years in prison for assault.

 

There’s also the other red card incident which people seem only too happy to forget about, the 2006 World Cup quarter final against Portugal. You know the one, the game where he attempted to circumcise Ricardo Carvalho. A sending off which cost England massively, had they gone to extra time with 11 men there may not have even been the need to have a penalty shootout. But no, it’s all alright because it’s just passion and part of his game, isn’t it? Playing for Manchester United, he should know full well no-one remembers quarter finalists, only winners – and he put an end to any chances of us winning.

The Dzudvic incident showed how much of a farce UEFA are, as they decided to reduce his ban. Why they didn’t extend it is beyond me, and just about everyone else in the footballing world. They basically said assaulting someone is acceptable. What was even more of a farce is that Roy Hodgson still decided to take a player who may only play one game. England are in a very difficult group, and could well be booking flights to Gatwick by the time he is eligible to play – yet he goes anyway? Why?

What if Welbeck does well? Say he gets three goals in two games, and then all of a sudden he’s dropped for Rooney, and then like usual Rooney underperforms. How is that going to create a positive vibe in the England camp? The strikers know that no matter how well they do, after two games they’re effectively redundant. Just because Rooney is allegedly the third most paid player in the world? Or because he plays for Manchester United? Or because he was good at a tournament for England, EIGHT years ago? That gives him the right to be an automatic starter? No.

The whole thing is a running joke, and if England do manage to get through to the latter stages, they will shortly be going out as there is no doubt that Rooney will be tricked into unleashing his ‘passion’, make a stupid tackle and then watch his team capitulate with 10 men. But it’s alright, because it’s all for the game, isn’t it? He’s a shadow of what he was in Euro 2004, and should be watching the football on a hot beach somewhere – not in the England camp with a chance to play.

 This piece was written by Christian Brown, you can follow him on his Twitter - @Chris78901, Chris also writes for The Sports Pallet too. All of Chris' work is on his blog, 1-chris78901.