I think Beckham has been a great captain over the years. Being a captain isnt about how well you play! A lot of it is to do with motavating the team and a lot of work being done off the field as well as on which a lot of that we dont actually get to see. Beckham has been a great player and has given a lot to our team. He didnt play particually well during this world cup but i'm still trying to find a single player who actually did! (Only two that spring to mind are Lennon and Hargreaves)
Beckham is now 31 years old so he has now probably hit his peak in his career. You cant compare him to the young footballers of today for two reasons. Their fitness levels, and another they will probably not give the team as much as he has in his career. I'm not a huge fanatic fan of Beckham and sometimes he doesnt always excell himself. But he has played a huge part in England's football history. Thats proven as he is the only English player to have scored in three different world cups! Ever! Thats an achivement in its self.
Some of you have been saying that Sven and his cloesness to Beckham could have played a part in England's departure of the world cup. I cant see how this is ture. A lot of people are also questioning other players part in the world cup. Lampard and Gerrard are top players for Chelsea and Liverpool but fail to deliver for England? The players are partly to blame, but I cant see how players skills can change so dramatically over over a few months. Its down to more than that. They play with their clubs a lot more than with England. I believe Sven perhaps didnt give them the encouragement they needed to play well as a team together. We had the best in we've had in years. But just putting top class players on a field together and expect results wont do a thing. They need time to gel and play as a team together. The team Sven picked to go to germany also had a part in it. Only picking four strikers knowing two of them wernet 100% fit and one not ever playing a full length game or even ever playing a permiership game was always going to end in disaster. Changing the formation at the last minute also was obviously not going ot work as expected. Players need time to get used to the new formation. They all know 442 like the back of their hand but the one sven used needed more practise.
Rooney showed us all what he was capable of in Euro 2004. Undoubtably the best player in the team. But after two major injuries in such a short space of time he was never going to be as fit as he was. A young lad with a major temper on him is never good for this type of competition. In the game agaisnt portugal all he had in the back of his mind was what happend in euro 2004 and all he was going out to do was seek revenge! You cant balme any of the players on the penalty front. Lampard scores penalties day in and day out for chelsea but you can hardly compare that to a world cup quater-final situation. The pressure is on and there's nothign to switch it off. Its his first world cup and with the highest amount of shots in the tournament without conseeding a goal was only bound to knock his confidence more. Something that could be in question however is why Sven subed Aaron Lennon (Attacker) for Jaime Carrigher (Defender) in the closing minutes of extra time, knowing penalties were apon them. Lennon could have even scored in the dying minutes wipping out the option of penalties completly!
After watching the shocking game france v Portugal last night its embarrsing to think they beat us! Ironically the man who saved so many penalties that put them through, it only took one to knock them out! lol. It seems that Portugues seem to have confused grass for water! They were diving all over the place and some of them cant be argued they were definatly dives. On three occasions i noticed portugal players dive when no one had even touched them and watchin the reply's its very embarsing. Ronaldo calling for a penalty when the ball wasnt even in his possension to loose was rediculous and highly embaressing for them! And to top it all off scolari complaining at the end because he lost a game. Bad looser is all i can say! You didnt see Sven kicking up a stick last week when Rooney was sent off and Carrigher's penalty was disalowed.
My ranting isnt from the point of view of a bad sportsman english person. I hold no grudges agaist portugal for beating us. They beat us fair and square on penalties and i've ben around long enough to know in that situation england will never have a chance. But to watch them play agaisnt france and demand punishments when they dived is incredible. Even comentators said yesterday that the game was ruined by the way they played. Its actually quite offending that they can get away with it. Again im not just an uptight person who is angry about england being out of the world cup. I will say the same for another team who we didnt even play but i will keep quiet about that because they are in the final and people will obviously want them to win!
Finally sorry this is so long! I get carried away sometimes! :angel: And sorry for my poor spelling! :o
FRANCE 2 WIN WORLD CUP 06