England 2-3 Netherlands: Match Analysis and Future Implications for England

Wednesday’s 3-2 loss against the Netherlands presented the next England manager with the opportunity to analyse the team for one of the last times before Euro 2012.

For Stuart Pearce, it was an opportunity to overhaul the regime of Fabio Capello and present his case to take on the manager’s role on a permanent basis.

Here, I look at Pearce’s selection choices, their performances on Wednesday and the implications the result has direction of this England side.

Pearce's Squad and Captain Selection

Despite the loss, it was a telling game for both Pearce and the current crop of England players, all of whom have been given a unique opportunity to stake a claim for a place in the squad.

Pearce was diplomatic in his squad choices, calling upon several players who had not been given a chance by Capello.

They included Micah Richards, Daniel Sturridge and Fraizer Campbell, all of whom Pearce had had experience of working with in the Under-21 squad.

Pearce’s selections demonstrated that he is own man, building on foundations left by Capello whilst adding a surprise selection or two of his own.

Moreover, Pearce had to choose a captain, opting to appoint Scott Parker in this prestigious role.

Pearce described the captaincy as “the greatest honour of my career,” suggesting that he treats it far more importantly that Capello ever did.

The selection of Parker represents an admirable choice from him, picking a player on form and one associated with his honest, hard-working displays on the pitch—as opposed to inappropriate antics off it.

England's Backline

The choice of Joe Hart was a given, having enjoyed a particularly impressive campaign at Manchester City, where he has consistently put in top class performances and cemented his reputation as one of the world’s best keepers.

He was solid for the majority of the game but could do little for any of the goals.

Micah Richards was given a long, overdue start in a three lions' shirt, which came as no surprise as he was a favourite of Pearce for both the Under-21 side and for Manchester City.

His physical attributes are well documented, giving Manchester City a unique attacking threat down the right-hand side, not dissimilar to the role Daniel Alves has played so successfully for Barcelona.

High praise indeed, but Richards' five assists in the Premier League alone demonstrate his attacking prowess, which has been duly praised by Roberto Mancini.

Man-of-the-match in Manchester City’s 6-1 victory over rivals United, he also has the nerve for the big games.

Having made his international debut against the Dutch at the age of 17, he found himself pitting his wits against Arjen Robben for a second time.

He started nervously against the winger, before finding his feet and showing some good attacking link-up play with Adam Johnson down the right.

He did not look comfortable when switched to centre-back and gaps were exploited by frequent Dutch attacks.

The choice of Leighton Baines was possibly a sensible one considering the furore Ashley Cole has faced this week concerning an alleged confrontation with Andre Vilas-Boas.

He was generally quiet and did not manage to provide enough support further up the pitch and cause more problems with his left-footed delivery.

With uncertainty surrounding John Terry’s England position and Rio Ferdinand’s persistent injury problems, England will have to look at changing their centre-back pairing for the first time in years.

A favourite of Capello’s was Gary Cahill, who has impressed in a poor Bolton side this season but has yet to make the same impact in Chelsea colours.

At 26 years of age, he has both experience and time on his side to see out another few tournaments. He has also played regularly with John Terry, which should help if his club teammate comes back into the fold.

Cahill looked largely unflustered defensively whilst also being comfortable on the ball, playing a number of successful through balls when the opportunity arose.  

He then took his goal well late in the game, displaying a level of composure not shared by players further forward.

The choice of Chris Smalling was a tad baffling.

Although he has had a consistent, albeit quiet, season, I felt that an in-form Joleon Lescott or even Phil Jones would have provided a better foil for Gary Cahill.

Despite Vincent Kompany receiving the plaudits, Lescott has been quietly effective for City and has been instrumental in their good defensive records for the past two seasons.

His strength in the air and robustness in the challenge would complement the talents of Gary Cahill well.

Despite these reservations, Smalling had a solid game against a surprisingly quiet Robin Van Persie before being substituted with injury.

England's Midfield

Though Pearce advocates the use of the 4-4-2 formation, he clearly acknowledged that England have been a more accomplished side since switching to a 4-2-3-1 system and they should look to continue with this in the summer.

In the centre of the park, Captain Scott Parker and Gareth Barry were selected to break up play.

Parker’s ‘Roy of the Rovers’ displays for both West Ham and Tottenham clearly left an impression on Pearce, and tonight was no exception.

His energy, positioning and willingness to put his body on the line underlined Pearce’s reasoning in selecting the midfielder as his captain.

The selection of Gareth Barry was also a sensible one.

He has been in fine fettle for Manchester City, keeping fan’s favourite and Dutch enforcer Nigel De Jong out of the side.

He provided steady defensive cover, producing several clever tackles and being tidy when in possession before being substituted for the ineffective James Milner at half time.

Although initially unlucky not to find himself as captain, Steven Gerrard was always a safe bet for a start against the Netherlands and was expected to provide the central creative outlet to utilise the pace of Danny Welbeck.

Despite only just returning to fitness, injuries to both Jack Wilshere and Tom Cleverly have meant the Liverpool midfielder was perhaps brought back into the side a little earlier than planned—and it showed.

The game seemed to pass Gerrard by in an advanced role, and when in possession he was wasteful with several wayward "Hollywood" passes and poor through balls failing to find a white shirt.

He was duly substituted after 32 minutes.

One can only hope this was due to lack of fitness rather than the inevitable organic degeneration of a 32-year-old who has struggled with injuries for the last two seasons.

England's Attack

On the left wing, Pearce’s choice of Ashley Young was an obvious one.

At the age of 26, Young is now in a position in his career where he can be make a huge contribution to England’s front line with his crossing and ability to cut inside.

He has six assists in 15 Premier League appearances to his name—more per game than any other player.

He started quietly on the left before replacing Gerrard in a more central position and was quiet until popping up late on with a sublime finish to beat Dutch keeper Maarten Stekelenberg.

The choice of Adam Johnson on the right wing, however, was not so straightforward.

Left-footed and armed with pace, technique and direct dribbling offers England a unique attacking outlet.

However, his lack of starts for Manchester City and questions over his stamina meant his start was a surprise.

His selection was justified early on, as he provided an exquisite back heel for an overlapping Micah Richards which lead to a scramble in the Dutch penalty area.

His skill and direct running proved a constant menace even when switched to the left flank and he delivered a number of penetrative balls into the box.

After 32 minutes, Daniel Sturridge was introduced on the right, and was quick to make an impact with his pace and guile.

He has flourished in a wide right position of a three-pronged attack at Chelsea, despite regularly stating that he sees himself as a more central striker.

In this wide role, he has still amassed an impressive nine goals from 20 appearances.

Tonight, Sturridge looked lively from the moment he stepped on the pitch and forced a smart save from Stekelenburg early in the second half after some close control on the edge of the penalty area.

Despite missing a sitter after 72 minutes, he showed good movement to connect with Leighton Baine’s pass and terrorised both of the Netherlands' left-backs all evening with his direct running with the ball.

Danny Welbeck has been in good form for Manchester United this season, managing to keep both Javier Hernandez and Dimitar Berbatov out of the side whilst also developing a good understanding with Wayne Rooney.

Pearce was well aware of the striker’s strengths from his time with the Under-21 squad, whilst his experience of playing in a more central role meant he edged Daniel Sturridge as the lone striker in the England XI.

He led the line well, and he proved a constant menace with his pace, not to mention his willingness to close down the Dutch defence.

His attacking forays were far less fruitful, dropping deep far too often when he should have been playing off the shoulder of the Dutch centre-backs.

He never looked like scoring tonight, and will have to give a better account of himself if he is to make this position his own.

What Does the Future Hold for This England Side?

Despite losing 3-2, a young England side showed a great deal of personality and desire to pull level to 2-2.

A number of players gave a good account of themselves in front of a packed Wembley crowd and any potential England manager will have undoubtedly learnt a great deal about the squad.

One such player is English man-of-the-match Daniel Sturridge.

After coming on as a substitute for the lacklustre Steven Gerrard, he looked the most likely to test the Dutch from both wide and central positions.

His display tonight must surely warrant a start as a focal point of England’s attack ahead of Danny Welbeck, who failed to test the Dutch goalkeeper despite covering a lot of ground.

Sturridge’s pace, skill and ability to play across the front line and interchange with the likes of Wayne Rooney, Ashley Young and Adam Johnson—and his exciting introduction tonight —should stand him in good stead to make this central position his own.  

Despite what most people are calling his worst season in the Premier League, Ashley Cole remains the obvious first choice at left-back.

Still the only England player you can consider as genuinely world class, he has 93 caps to his name and can be certain of adding to that tally this summer, making him England's most experienced player.

He has created six goals for Chelsea—more than any other defender in the Premier League—and he offers as much defensively as he does going forward. 

Despite Leighton Baines’ good form, Cole’s experience makes him a valuable commodity in a young squad and his pace makes him more than a match for any winger in the world.

One only needs to look at his displays against Cristiano Ronaldo on numerous occasions to reaffirm this.

Steven Gerrard was poor tonight and many will look for him to step aside after this summer’s European Championships.

A fully fit Jack Wilshere would be an obvious choice ahead of the Liverpool midfielder as England look to transcend the "Golden Generation."

Wayne Rooney would also relish the opportunity to play in this deeper role behind a lone striker with real pace.

With games and fitness, I suspect that Gerrard would fare well in a deeper role next to Parker.

Many will be left wondering how a player with the ability and pace of Arjen Robben was left to run unchallenged for 70 yards. A fully fit Steven Gerrard playing in a deeper midfield role may have had the pace and strength to deal with such a threat. 

England play Norway on May 26  before announcing their preliminary squad three days later.

It would be encouraging for whoever is in charge to take heed from tonight’s display and persevere with the 4-2-3-1 system in place with a line-up of: Hart; Richards; Cahill; Lescott; A.Cole; Parker; Wilshere; Johnson; Rooney; Young; Sturridge.

Ultimately, the foundations for a strong England side have been laid. There are good, young players in this side, some of whom possess the pace, technique and ability not seen in previous campaigns.

Whoever comes in and takes charge will be expected to lead an English revolution.

After tonight's performance, however, I would suggest that evolution—rather than revolution —is necessary.

Small changes are required that will allow us to move towards a young, technical and ultimately successful side.

Thank you for reading. Let me know what you think and I will try valiantly to reply to all posts.