So the dream lives on, for now. England’s nerve-jangling 1-0 win over Slovenia saw Fabio Capello avoid an ugly blotch on his distinguished CV and extended the World Cup careers of England’s stuttering “golden generation” by at least one more game. In truth, it was a result that should never have been in doubt, coming against the smallest nation at this World Cup, but after the traumatic fallout from the Algeria debacle the euphoria of reaching the second round feels justified.
Now the World Cup really kicks into gear. Landon Donavan’s late, late goal for the USA against Algeria banished any hope of a straightforward route to the semi-finals and set Capello’s squad on a likely course past Germany, Argentina, Spain and Brazil if they are to get their hands on the trophy, starting with a date with the Germans on Sunday afternoon.
The media frenzy around England, as ever, has been fascinating. In the space of a few weeks, the press have transformed Capello from master tactician to inept schoolmaster and back again. Talk of a player revolution has been quashed for now, and supposed ringleader John Terry has been recast in his more familiar role as the quintessential English “Lionheart”, putting his head (quite literally) on the line for his team.
The German side should hold little fear for England. They are talented, skilful and focussed, blending the craft of Mesut Ozil with the ever-bemusing ability of Miroslav Klose to score goals in big tournaments. But what they possess in technical ability they lack in experience, and if England’s players can find the sort of tempo that they show week in, week out in the Barclays Premier League, the pressure might be too much. As Danny Baker has been at pains to point out, England serve up one big performance in every tournament, and they simply haven’t played well enough to go out just yet.
The build up to Sunday’s showdown will of course be enormous. We’ve all been here before. Expect a deluge of World War puns and excessive use of the word “efficient”. Expect to hear Franz Beckenbauer deriding England’s prospects again and again. Expect Gazza’s tears to feature prominently in a BBC montage of past England-Germany moments. And ultimately, expect penalties.
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