Drab England Scratch Beckham's Record

England were drab as David Beckham's 108th cap was marked with a yellow card for dissent


The only visiting supporters to be conceivably gratified by this were those who dreaded a David Beckham gala. He did equal Bobby Moore's record for an England outfield player of 108 appearances, but merely as a substitute. He was booked for dissent near the end but the main event to occur in his presence was a second Spain goal when Fernando Llorente headed in a Xavi free-kick after 82 minutes. Beckham did put the substitute Carlton Cole through on his debut six minutes later but his finish was kicked off the line.

It was, all the same, an elementary win and that will not shock Fabio Capello or any member of his party. This was the second defeat under the Italian and the other, against France, had also seen his side unable to score. The options are still more restricted than Capello can accept with good humor.

There were few surprises in the starting line-up. Rio Ferdinand was ruled out by a stomach upset but it was instructive that Phil Jagielka's outstanding form for Everton should be recognised as he filled the vacancy. His candidacy, of course, was underpinned by recent domination of Liverpool's Spain center-forward Fernando Torres at club level. Jagielka was to be at fault when England fell behind but he was the victim of great artistry then and cannot be regarded as a mistaken selection.

The meritocratic theme was marked with Michael Carrick preferred to Frank Lampard in a decision that happens to be a true reflection of their relative form with their clubs. Beckham was also on the bench until the second half and Capello, as could have been guessed, distanced himself from any notion that this occasion would be any sort of honors ceremony for the former captain. He understood that Spain were much too good for sentiment to be tolerated from kick-off.

England had been beaten 1–0 by these opponents in both 2004 and 2007. That particular score spoke of the organization and control that Spain embody. They might not cut loose but they are generally in charge. As with Manchester United, who have turned to mass production of clean sheets, the key is to ensure security by withholding the ball from the other side.

Capello, therefore, had to give thought to making England's presence felt in midfield. Indeed the combination of Carrick and Barry, who had also started against Germany in November, utilized two footballers for whom it is natural to operate in deeper roles. Spain wanted to swamp England in midfield, but it seemed for much of the first half that they might do no more than exhibit technique.

That delusion lasted 36 minutes. Then, Xabi Alonso fed a ball down the center and David Villa turned and tricked his way inside Jagielka. Before Terry could attempt to snuff out the danger the Valencia attacker stroked a low shot past the right hand of David James. Until then, England had not seemed to suffer unduly from the opposition's technical superiority.

They might even have had the lead. With six minutes gone, Barry had crossed from the left but Gabriel Agbonlahor missed the target with his drive. The latter was paired with Emile Heskey who, after recovering from an achilles injury, discovered how difficult it was to link with team-mates as Marcos Senna and Alonso policed the areas close to the penalty box. Prior to the interval, Gerard Piqué, the Barcelona player who was once with Manchester United, must have found international football relatively simple on his debut.

In truth, no one had all that much reason to panic in the opening 45 minutes. The fixture had little drama, even if it did serve up some comedy. An attempt by Torres took a deflection from Jagielka and floated tamely into the area. James came out with the expectation of making a simple catch, but there may have been spin on the ball since he unexpectedly spilled it.

England were not doing enough to make slapstick much of a possibility at the other end. With Carrick and Barry conservative by nature, it fell to the wingers to present a threat. Downing was usually worthy rather than incisive. On the right, Shaun Wright-Phillips did not seem to demand the ball, which was irksome since his one real run carried him past three opponents before Piqué brought him down a few yards from the penalty area.

Capello made adjustments with Wright-Phillips switching to the left following the removal of Stewart Downing while Beckham was introduced on the right and Heskey was replaced by Peter Crouch.

Still the alteration most helpful to the visitors was the departure of David Villa. The England side, out of sheer relief, might have joined the crowd in cheering him from the pitch. A fourth alteration by Vicente Del Bosque underlined the demotion in the status of the match as Torres gave way to Fernando Llorente.

Such decisions by the Spain coach were, of course, encouraging for England. The exam paper of this fixture might not have seemed so great a puzzle any more. Even so, the challenge of presenting danger to composed opponents was taxing all night long.

© Guardian News & Media 2008
Published: 2/11/2009
 
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