Following Steven Gerrard’s comments in response to Wayne Rooney’s second broken foot, it seems the Liverpool captain has labeled England as a one boy team:
‘It would be a disaster for England if we had to go to the World Cup finals without Wayne. He is idolised around the country and is our main man.
‘I think it is impossible to have a successful World Cup without Wayne.’
This is supposed to be one of the most, if not THE most talented generations of English footballers ever. Virtually every player plays for a Champions League team and a number have been up for some sort of major individual honour, how can the success of this team rest on one player – no matter how talented?
A crap manager, that’s how. The signficance of Rooney’s loss is a testament to how mediocre this England side have been in pretty much every match under Sven Goran Eriksson. Never dominating any team and always relying on moments of individual brilliance – rather than impressive team play or tactics- to win matches. Hence, Rooney’s importance.
We will almost certainly see England fall flat again in the summer. The injuries have weakened the strength and moral of the squad and the nation that follows them, and in Sven Goran Eriksson the FA have the complete, polar opposite of the kind of manager you need to turn things around.