England welcome mighty Kazakhstan to Wembley on Saturday. Apparently the only Englishman fired up for the showdown is Sacha Baron Cohen, who must see this as the perfect marketing opportunity to release Borat: The Sequel. Capello, on the other hand, will be hoping his charges avoid becoming the unwitting stars in what could turn out to be a completely different comedy.
In some respects, this match takes on an importance comparable to Zagreb, although for different reasons. With the 3-0 victory over Russia a possible exception, England have yet to register a convincing performance at Wembley. Capello believes the vociferous home support occasionally has a counter-productive effect on the players, particularly if they fail to score the early goal against supposedly inferior opposition. The argument is plausible, but the atmosphere in the stadium, even when England are displaying the worst elements of their game, is only one of pent-up frustration rather than nasty rancour. Compared to numerous stadia in South America, the most treacherous depths of hostility Wembley surely does not represent.
Furthermore, it is difficult to accept that the players are unaccustomed to playing under the most stressful of conditions. 7 of the 11 players in the probable starting line-up have played in a Champions League final. They are stalwarts for their clubs which are currently at the forefront of European football. The coach and his players must replicate the assurance displayed in Zagreb, heckling home support or not.
There is an interesting article by former England winger Chris Waddle in the Mail Online. He opines that Walcott will not be nearly as effective against the Kazakhs as he was in Croatia. Walcott, argues, possesses incredible pace but not much else.
”He’s very quick and beats players with his pace rather than tricks and cleverness. His ideal ball is not the one to his feet so he can take players on…But now for a note of caution. Although his acceleration is an obvious gift, maybe it’s covering cracks in his game which he will need to fix in time.”
Walcott thrives on space behind the full backs, against opponents playing a relatively high line. Unless Borat is appointed Head Coach before Saturday, the Kazakhs will fortify their goal, giving England about as much space behind their defence as have refugees on a boat. Walcott is not the most incisive passer of the ball, neither does England possess a distributor with the calibre of Fabregas at Arsenal.
Waddle feels Wright-Phillips, rejunvenated since his transfer from Chelsea, should supplant the Arsenal man against Kazakhstan and Belarus. While his contention is valid, it is unlikely that Capello will omit Walcott from the starting line-up come Saturday. Walcott is emblematic of Capello’s new England. Moreover the teenager did the Italian a great favour in Croatia. As a result of that perfomance, Capello has more time and greater leeway to implement his methods and ideas. He is probably inclined to return Walcott the favour by showing loyalty to him, at least for the immediate future.
This is still an experimental phase for Capello. Kazakhstan is a different animal from Billic’s Croatia and Capello has yet to prove that he has mastered a game plan when his team are the outright favourites. Comfortable three-nils over Kazakhstan and Belarus will not warm the heart of any English supporter, but will probably represent a safe bet that Capello is taking England in a positive direction.
