Clueless England left to rue another night of failure

THE story of this World Cup so far has been the story of under-performing giants: France, Spain, Italy and Portugal have all stuck to the theme, even Germany have added a chapter, and while Brazil don’t yet merit an inclusion you could say their narrow and nervy victory over North Korea should be mentioned in dispatches.

But if one country has early rights to the prologue, it has to be England.

A team packed full of internationally-recognised stars once again failed to deliver last night in a miserable goalless draw against Algeria that leaves them in serious danger of not making the last 16.

If Raymond Domenech is feeling the heat in Paris today, then you can only presume that Fabio Capello is burning up too because despite being able to call on the talents of Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard it appears he, like so many before him, has been unable to unlock their potential when it really matters.

During qualification England played like a team and played with positivity but, as in Germany four years ago, every lesson learned seem to go out of the window last night as they struggled to break down an organised Algeria side and drew boos from their own supporters.

It really is a conundrum why the Premier League’s finest players are so unable to perform for England on the highest stage; maybe it is the pressure, maybe it is the expectation and maybe it’s just that every other country in the world desperately wants to beat the country that invented the game. But whatever the reason, it is becoming increasingly clear that, contrary to expectation, Capello has not necessarily found the answer.

Of course it is too early to rule England out because after the USA drew 2-2 with Slovenia earlier in the day, there is still every chance they will make it to the knockout stages; but there was little evidence here to suggest one of the most fancied teams in the tournament has what it takes to end 44 years of waiting by winning the World Cup.

England’s shape and passing was at least improved by the inclusion of previously-injured Gareth Barry in a holding midfield role, a switch which allowed Steven Gerrard greater freedom in the final third of the field.

But for long periods they still lacked a cutting edge, smothered by a packed Algerian defence who gave their opponents little space to work in.

According to FIFA’s official teamsheet the North Africans didn’t field a single forward in their line-up, preferring instead six midfielders, and although the reality wasn’t quite as defensive as it sounds, the intentions of Rabah Saadane’s side were clear.

The early exuberance of England’s fans was beginning to wane after half an hour and although chances did arrive, they weren’t taken.

Gerrard’s neat one-two with Rooney saw the Liverpool man fire in a low shot that was comfortably saved and then Lampard had an even better chance minutes later. It was the energy and determination of Rooney that made it, sprinting 40m after losing the ball to win it back and set up a flowing move that ended with a Lennon cross and a left-foot shot from Lampard that keeper Bolhi did well to save.

Barry and Rooney also had efforts on target but the slow pace of the game was not what England were hoping for and the response from the crowd at half-time was one of muted frustration, and probably an uncomfortable sense of déjà vu from four years earlier in Germany.

When Jamie Carragher was booked for blocking off his man in the second half, meaning he will miss the final group game against Slovenia and leave England needing to use a fourth-choice centre-half, the game hit a low point for Capello’s men.

Capello left West Ham man keeper Robert Green out of his side after his gaffe against the USA, preferring to use the experienced David James instead.

James responded with a solid display – but England’s half-hearted disjointed performance in other areas could well lead to severe criticism for their £6m-a-year manager who until this point has been lauded as his adopted nation’s saviour.

Heskey came close to saving him with a deflected shot from a Gerrard pass that narrowly cleared the bar while the England captain also saw a header saved before Jermain Defoe came on to at least add pace and energy to his team’s attack.

Algeria, though, held firm and the giants – if not slain – were left severely concussed. The repercussions could be seriously ugly.

Substitutes for England: Crouch for Barry 86, Wright-Phillips for Lennon 63, Defoe for Heskey 75.

Substitutes for Algeria: Mesbah for Yebda 89, Guedioura for Ziani 81, Abdoun for Boudebouz 74.