Euro 2012: What England Should Take Away From Qualifier Victory vs. Wales
England cruised to a comfortable 2-0 win at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday, courtesy of goals from Frank Lampard and Darren Bent.
The win puts England at the top of their qualifying group, and leaves Wales without a point and only one goal.
What have England learned from the Euro 2012 qualifier? Well, here are a few things that I think England should take home with them.
Mistakes Must Be Cut Out/Don't Get Too Excited
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England were good, but they must cut out the little mistakes.
England gifted the ball to Wales too many times, be it through misplaced passes, heavy touches or failed pieces of skill.
These were not major mistakes, but against more threatening opposition (no disrespect meant to Wales), they will be punished.
England went into the 2010 World Cup full of confidence after an impressive qualifying campaign, but came completely unstuck when faced with a top team.
That is, Germany.
England cannot afford to overlook the mistakes they made against Wales simply because it didn't cost them, because one day it will.
A comfortable victory against Wales should not be blown out of proportion.
Wales had a weakened side as it was, and it's not like England were up against one of Europe's big guns, either. Nobody should think that this win means that England are ready to take on all-comers.
England Should Not Have Problems Qualifying
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After the Wales game, England should not be overly worried about not making it through to the main competition—a re-run of the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign seems unlikely.
England showed that they can easily beat the teams they are supposed to be able to beat easily—something they failed to do at the World Cup against Algeria, for example.
Obviously, Wales was just one game, but confident performances such as that seen at the Millennium Stadium are exactly what's needed.
The only potential problem fixture seems to be away at Montenegro.
Montenegro have surprised many with their form during the 2012 qualifying campaign—England will have to use the experience they've gained from the Wales match of playing in front of a hostile crowd if they are to win.
England Can Put Off-Pitch Problems Aside
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The last two weeks have seen huge problems arise over the England captaincy.
The long and short of it is that Rio Ferdinand has lost the armband to formerly disgraced captain John Terry, who it returns to on a permanent basis.
On top of all that, Fabio Capello still hasn't spoken to Rio Ferdinand about any of this.
For the England squad to have come through all of this and remain professional is good to see. It would have been easy for the squad to feed the press their usual prima donna material, but instead they have got on with the job, whatever their personal feelings about John Terry might be.
4-3-3 Is a Good Idea
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England looked good working under a 4-3-3 formation.
Capello has previously used a 4-4-2 system which, especially during the World Cup, has looked dated.
Having three players in the centre of midfield allowed England to dominate the middle of the pitch, while three more attacking players gave England plenty of options whilst on the attack.
Capello has hinted that he will not keep the new formation, but he should.
It might be risky against tougher opposition, but it will allow England to create more chances.
As long as there is someone playing the defensive midfield role, the side should still have plenty of cover at the back.
Keep the Pressure Up
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After an opening 15 minutes that saw England score twice, you would be forgiven for thinking that the scoreline might have got rather embarrassing for Wales.
England kept up the pressure for the remainder of the first half, but gave Wales a look-in in the second.
England were never really troubled and were certainly in no danger of losing their lead, but any team, regardless of ability, must be pursued mercilessly and consistently.
Small teams need to be demolished by as many goals as possible—goal difference could still matter and, what's more, it sends a message to other teams that England will not mess around.
Pressure must be maintained against bigger sides as to let up is to lose momentum and be put on the back foot.
Play Scott Parker
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Scott Parker demonstrated exactly why he should be playing the defensive midfielder role.
He was constantly trying and succeeding to win the ball back, winning the praise of former captain Rio Ferdinand via twitter in the process.
Parker enabled the more attacking players to flourish, starting attacking moves and providing the defence with cover.
Parker may be 30-years old, but so is Gareth Barry, and Parker looked far more assured than he has in recent times. Capello could do worse than to give the West Ham man a run of games.
Even if he doesn't, Parker's performance will have not gone unnoticed by Gareth Barry, which is a good thing, since greater competition for places should serve to improve quality and ensure that maximum effort is put in.
Jack Wilshere Is the Future
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Jack Wilshere put in an assured display, full of good movement, passing and attacking intent.
He is not the finished product yet; his shooting is wasteful and he has rushes of blood to the head, but his performance overshadowed Frank Lampard's and showed that the likes of Lampard and Gerrard have a long-term replacement, possibly sooner than the veterans might like.
Wilshere has been impressive for Arsenal this season as well.
If he is to make the "world-class" predictions come true, however, he must continue to perform, especially in encounters against better sides.
