Fred de Jong: Come prepared, or depart early

COMMENT

So England are gone and the hosts roll on.

After all the bluff and bluster of Rooney-mania, the English capitulated as they did against Brazil at the World Cup in 2002 to a side with more individual skill, attacking options and a new-found pragmatism instilled by their Brazilian World Cup-winning coach, Philippe Scolari.

Yesterday's magnificent quarter-final again highlighted England's weaknesses when faced with technically more skilled opponents.

As they did against France, England got the dream start and then looked to hold a 1-0 lead.

And, just as Italy did against Sweden and Holland did against the Czech Republic, so England came to grief in the final moments of normal time. To drag themselves back into the game and force penalties is a testament to the fighting qualities Sven-Goran Eriksson has instilled in this side.

But their inability to maintain possession is the real problem.

Until they produce players who understand that possession is golden and then have the ability to dictate the terms of the game by keeping the ball for long periods, they will never regularly threaten to lift trophies in the big tournaments.

To date, this has been a tournament notable for the early exits of Spain, Germany and, especially, Italy.

Historically European footballing giants, they have all been guilty of a lack of adventure in their play and have paid a heavy price for a lack of in-form goalscoring talent.

The gap between the heavyweights of world football and the so-called minnows continues to close as witnessed during the previous World Cup.

Gone are the days when the likes of Italy and Germany could turn up, cruise through pool play and then get serious for the knockout rounds of the competition.

Every side at this tournament have shown themselves as capable of causing an upset and they are sounding a warning for the future - come prepared or go home early.

There is also a lesson for Fifa and Uefa officials who should take note of the lethargic performances of some of the world's best players.

England's David Beckham and Spanish star Raul are two players who stand out in this lacklustre category. I believe it is imperative to have at least a month's break from the end of the domestic season to the start of these major competitions for the world to see top players playing their best football.


We now sit at the quarter-final stage and, thankfully, the proposed match-ups, with the possible exception of France v Greece, offer contests where both sides have the ability and pedigree to take the battle to the opposition as opposed to sitting back, soaking up pressure and seeking counter-attacking opportunities.

Of the remaining games, the Sweden v Netherlands clash holds the most promise of an open, free-flowing, end-to-end contest.

True to form, the Dutch have shown an inability to defend adequately, while the Swedes, in Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Freddie Ljungberg and Henrik Larsson, have a strike force to test any defence.

Who will go through?

I believe that rests on the shoulders of Dutch midfielders Clarence Seedorf and Edgar Davids. If they can dominate the centre of the park there will be a sea of orange heading for a semifinal in Porto.

The best sides I have seen so far have been, in order, Czech Republic, France, Portugal and the Netherlands.

With Portugal already through and the others all in separate quarter-final matches, the semifinal prospects look appetising.

So what makes this tournament so good?

The compressed format of 16 teams means every game is crucial.

The rigours of the qualifying rounds have eliminated any pretenders.

The competency of the officials, which means the controversies are restricted to players' outbursts and spitting incidents rather than refereeing bungles.

Now if we could just get rid of the coloured boots, it would be perfect.

* Fred de Jong was an All White between 1985-93.