Haligonia Sports Contributor Henry Whitfield advises England fans to not panic…yet.
Clint Dempsey’s speculative shot turned into the net by Green and the England squad seemingly could find no way to respond to that drastic turn of events.
Logging into Facebook post-match, I was quite prepared for abuse and boy was it ready and waiting. Almost 70 comments, posts and messages reminding of the most painful footballing experience since we failed to qualify for Euro 2008.
That being said, here’s the Five Reasons Why England Fans Shouldn’t be worried:
5. In Capello We Trust: The Italian maestro engineered an almost flawless qualifying campaign for the World Cup and although he may have gotten it wrong with Robert Green, Ledley King and James Milner, you’d have to be crazy to think he’d get it wrong again. Fabio Capello is one of the best minds in football and will not take this draw lightly; Look for a truly inspired performance in England’s next match.
4. Gareth Barry Returns: Now fully fit, Gareth Barry will return to the lineup and allow Stevie Gerrard to go play on the left and Frank Lampard to get forward again. Without a holding midfielder both Gerrard and Lamps were forced to play in the central midfield and England fans all know how well that works…
3. Slow Starts Can Be Lucky: Italy in 2006 anyone? The defending World Cup champions had a torrid start back in Germany before going on to lift the Jules Rimet trophy. England will learn from this early trouble and come back stronger than ever, this could be the catalyst for a truly memorable run deep into the tournament.
2. Rooney Will Score: With so much pressure on Wayne Rooney, it seemed he took edge off and played with less intensity than usual as the nerves settle but when Rooney gets into rhythm he will start to score and when he does, I’m not sure he’ll stop.
1. It Can’t Happen twice.. Right?: Let’s be serious, that howler of a save by Robert Green had to happen to England at least once in this tournament. Paul Robinson’s missed back pass? David Seamen caught of the line by Ronaldinho? With our crucial mistake out of the system in game one, we’re good to go for the next month.
But, let’s be serious here. England faces both Algeria and Slovenia in the next two matches and there is no way that the Three Lions put in the same lacklustre performance in those games.
They may have entered the tournament with a whimper but the Three Lions will start to roar and show the true class of their team as the World Cup goes on.
Don’t forget to check out my pre-world cup predictions and keep checking back for your daily recaps throughout the tournament.
Henry Whitfield is an avid sports fan who covers everything and anything in the sports world, while focusing on hockey and football. Follow him on twitter @HenryWhitfield.
