Same Old England?

After watching a new look England against Holland last night, I believe there are a few problems that need to be addressed aside from the obvious ones of a new manager and permanent captain.

Although it was a spirited England performance, there were only a couple of positives to take from the match. Number one is that Scott Parker seems the perfect fit for captain; he will keep the team grounded and will always give 110%. The second is that Daniel Sturridge injected some much needed flair and excitement into a workman-like England side. The third is that both full-backs looked very strong both Baines and Richards who are both relatively new to the full international scene had good games and they could be nailed on for the next 5 or so years, especially with Ashley Cole advancing in years.

Parker Really Stepped Up To The Plate

The problem of England strikers will always be around unless they can score at least one every game. Aside from Wayne Rooney, not one forward of English nationality will scare opponents. People like Darren Bent, Jermaine Defoe and Andy Carroll are good enough in the Premier League were only a handful of teams are decent. With the European Championships coming up were much will be expected of England but it will probably be met with disappointment yet again (I would however like to be pleasantly surprised). England will not have enough to get past Cristiano Ronaldo, Spain, Germany or Holland and therefore will not progress far enough to please fans.

Only four players deserve a mention in a positive light , this is not good for an England team that will always be under pressure to succeed, but sadly may never do that. Spain, Holland and Germany are in a completely different league. With England playing people like Gareth Barry, Chris Smalling and Danny Welbeck there is an obvious need for higher quality players. Granted it was a friendly and Wayne Rooney is out of the picture for a while, but Barry has been a main stay for a couple of years now. Robin Van Persie, Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder are clearly world –class players and once Robben decided to make something happen he won the game for the Dutch. The Spanish are easily the best team in the world and can put out 11 players who will man to man beat England in every position. With the Germans they do not have the star quality of the Dutch and Spain but have can come together and work around players like Mesut Ozil, Thomas Muller and Schweinsteiger. England are just not up to scratch.

I could just be being pessimistic but I am just not pleased with how this England team is looking at the moment. The Ox, Sturridge and Wilshere will provide a backbone for the future, but will England step up to the challenge?