Those of us watching the England v Spain match last night cannot have missed the outstanding performance of Joleon Lescott.
Many will dismiss this important victory for our National Team against the World Champions as ‘only a friendly’, but England will take a lot of positives from this and although I will not jump on the ‘We’ll win the Euros’ bandwagon, because frankly I don’t think England has a prayer, I am genuinely delighted that Joleon delivered a robust performance against the most dangerous attacking team in world football.
You have to ask yourself what chance England has when David Silva caanot generally get a starting berth and we have Bent and Welbeck up front, but even ‘If he plays in a red short pick him’ Capello will find it difficult to admit that he cannot ignore what is going down in East Manchester.
That said his penchant for selecting someone out of position or out of form continues to confound his critics, including me.
That Micah Richards didn’t even make the squad was simply criminal and followers of the Ped Report will recall that I had Richards down for the exit chute last January. Why select the country’s best English right back, in the peak of his form when you can select Jones (out of position) or Glen Johnson, who has been injured for most of the season. Oh yes, select Jones because Ferguson says he a good player and can play(poorly) anywhere!! And pick Johnson for….no real or good reason.
No doubt as the dad’s army regulars formerly known as Terry and Ferdinand get fitter, if Ferdinand knows what being fit is, then Capello will default to them and they will look like wheelie bins in Poland and Ukraine.
For me the current better pairing was on show last night. Lescott had has his critics at the Etihad but since he gained a regular place on the of Kolo Toure’s misfortune, he has been superb alongside Vincent Kompany. Jagielka plays all of his matches seemingly ‘back to the wall’ defending as if his life depended upon it (and probably does), but he too is a tough cookie and may be more of what is needed next summer than the Chelsea Pedestrian Pensioner and Redundant Rio.
Lescott stayed big and strong last night against the bumble bee storm that is Spain. He held his position well, keeping his eye on the ball and his mind on the job in hand. Well done, Joleon, the Blue Faithful will be proud of you.
Poor Pepe Reina. The first hand he gets to the ball is collecting it from the netting! The over-rated Casillas gets away with it again!!
You do have to laugh at the choice of commentator though don’t you? In the absence of any sensible Stretfords in the line up you would have though listening to Clive ‘Fred the Red’ Tyldesley that only Jones was any good. Well he wasn’t. How many free kicks did he give away and how many times therefore did he invite even more pressure on his beleagured colleagues in defence?
Tyldesley’s best comment must have been ‘Capello must be delighted at the way England have played when they’ve not had the ball’. Pearler that one. Does he not know that you actually have to have the ball to do anything?
He is also going to have ot get used to the fact that a smattering of sky-blue is abundant (is that a Colemanballs?)in the England ranks now. Top of the league, best team in the country and Hart, Lescott, Milner, Barry and Johnson all in the squad. Make room for Micah Richards, please Mr Capello!!
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