Beck to the Future

Spain may have given us a bit of a footballing lesson last night in Sevilla but Fabio Capello gained some constructive food for thought over the 90 minutes. The European Champions dominated an England side that sorely missed their attacking perilous of Rooney and Gerrard. No excuses can be made on our part though, the hosts themselves had two very noticeable absences in Fabregas and captain Puyol but this did not harm there performance in the slightest. We have to remember that this is a transitional period for the England national team and Mr Capello is learning more and more about his squad with every game but last nights performance iterated how far away we are from being serious contenders for honours.

England did start very well and seemed to dictate the play in Sevilla creating a couple of good chances; Spain’s inexperienced back line looked like a good source of penetration if we were to win the match. This did not come about and instead of progressing from our early bright spell the Spanish stepped up a gear and their attacking play was admiral throughout. Xavi and Inesta ran the show and set a marker for England to what accomplished International footballers should be.

The one obvious plus from the game was the fact David Beckham equalled Bobby Moore’s record of outfield caps, as Capello gave the former captain 45 minutes in his 108th appearance. For me though the highlight of England’s evening was not Beckham making history but his actual performance on the pitch. Beckham was our best player and his second half role saw him rolling back the years providing the visitors with energy, urgency and skill. He looked trim, fit and played with the confidence and assurance that we haven’t seen from him since his late Manchester United, early Real Madrid days. The answer to the rejuvenated midfielder has been his loan stint at Italian giants AC Milan.

I think it’s fair to say that since Beckham started playing in America for LA Galaxy his England performances, when selected that is, have suffered. He looked two or three yards off the pace, didn’t look fit at all and was very rusty in his overall play. Now, only a month after joining AC Milan he looks trim, fit and lean with these attributes clearly benefiting his overall game. We saw them trademark cross field passes again, that energy he use to possess was back and it was good to see. The trickery he used to get away from two Spanish players before slipping through a perfectly weighted through ball to Carlton Cole was world class. These are sights every Englishman wants to continue seeing and by staying in Serie A Beckham can remain playing at this level for the foreseeable future.