England show how to ignore the possession obsession

At the weekend, in case you didn’t notice, England beat Spain at Wembley. Spain the European champions. Spain the world champions. Spain the team whose style is the envy of pretty much every international football team on the planet.

Lampard celebrates scoring 

So naturally, beating Spain would surely send the nation into a state of euphoria; a result that signalled that the good times were on their way back to English football, and that the trip to Poland and the Ukraine next summer will not be a wasted one? Well no, not exactly.

The press and many fans alike seemed to offer only grudging credit to Capello and the England team, despite the fact that they went into the game as heavy underdogs. The reason for this muted response is that England beat Spain playing a defensive style designed to restrict the opposition, rather than expose them. It wasn’t pretty and was far from the ‘tika takka’ style we have come to expect from the Spanish.

But you know what? It worked. Spain were by and large unable to penetrate England’s defence and midfield, and ended up frustrated and resorting to cynical fouls when things were not going their way. England’s tactic of getting men behind the ball, allowing the Spanish to pass the ball between themselves at will until they reached the final third, starved them of space and meant chances were few and far between. It was no accident that it worked. It was simply an example of an excellent tactical plan being executed to perfection.

Many people in England seem uncomfortable with this. They don’t like the idea of an England team, being the world super power that we quite obviously are, playing defensively. Perhaps they would have preferred us to play three up front and leave space for Spain to exploit? Or maybe have the midfield chasing Xavi et al like headless chickens; allowing the Spanish to pop the ball around and create chances for the lethal David Villa? Yes, that sounds like a good plan. I think we tried that against Germany in South Africa and it seemed to work just fine then didn’t it.

What England did on Saturday is exactly what they will need to do next summer if they are to have any chance of success at the Euros. They played tournament football. They tailored their game for the opposition and did it successfully. They stopped one of the best teams in international history from playing their natural game. They made the most of a set piece opportunity. They came away from a tight, often nervy game, with a victory. They’ll need to do all of those things and more in Poland and Ukraine, but it was pleasing to see Capello having at least some kind of tactical plan.

What I also think Saturday proved is that you’ll never beat Spain by continuing to obsess over the way they keep the ball. Yes English football needs to have more appreciation for possession, and I completely agree that for England to move forward, we must look beyond just pace and power. But there is also more to football than possession. In being patient and choosing when to close Spain down, England did their work in the areas where it made most impact. It was sensible, if unspectacular, and most important of all, effective. They deserve credit, not criticism for it.

Spain will rightly be favourites for next year’s European Championships and England will be hard pressed to beat them again. But it can be done, and England proved that on Saturday. It might not have been pretty, but it worked brilliantly. It showed England have it in them to adapt to the way tournament football is played. Something that’s been lacking ever since…..well, you know the rest.