Chilling viewing as England freeze again in Montenegro

Posted Wednesday, March 27, 2013 by The Sun

Chilling viewing as England freeze again in Montenegro
ROO-D AWAKENING ... Rooney walks off after Montenegro draw

THERE was a minor, low Richter-scale tremor here on Sunday night.

But nothing compared to the cattle-prod up the backside England received with 13 minutes to go last night at the City of Podgorica Stadium.

Every England fan then prepared themselves for an earthquake to engulf Roy Hodgson’s side.

After laying siege to the England defence for much of the second half, substitute Dejan Damjanovic scrambled home the Montenegrin equaliser and we were back in familiar territory.

Hanging on for dear life as the road to Brazil suddenly started to head uphill.

Yes, they just about managed it — and might have even won it in added time when Steven Gerrard’s free-kick almost deceived Montenegro keeper Mladen Bozovic.

They also maintained a remarkable record of only one defeat in 24 qualifiers and now play three of their last four Group H matches at Wembley. But there are still major concerns about this England team.

Like how do they go from a well-balanced and well-organised side playing attractive and athletic football to a second-half shambles?

How do Wayne Rooney, Tom Cleverley and Michael Carrick — and a few others — actually disappear off the radar completely after the break?

There is just no consistency here. No stamina, no cohesion, no footballing intelligence.

And not a great deal in the creative department to come in.

If they continue like this, fail to take advantage of their home games and come up with more dropped points in Ukraine, then you fear for their qualification prospects.

Should England be plunged into a play-off against a team of the calibre of France, Portugal, Sweden and either Croatia or Belgium, you can see the whole process blowing up in their faces.
Instead of Copacabana it will be Southend.

It will be a real worry for Hodgson — not to mention the rest of us — that England can lose their way so dramatically within the space of 45 minutes. It is a sign of a lack of direction from both management and players alike.

It will also be a massive concern that this England team are turning into the flat-track bullies of European football.

Last night they had been asked to grasp the nettle and the opportunity to show they could impose themselves on a team of some substance, the toughest opposition in the group.
They had slaughtered hopeless and helpless San Marino 13-0 over two games and stuck five past Moldova.

But faced by teams with technique and heart — teams who stand up to them and have a go — they lack the basics to cope. Yes, Montenegro are not a bad side and boast decent players like Juventus striker Mirko Vucinic and Fiorentina’s stylish forward Stefan Jovetic.

But they are 28th in the world against England’s rather remarkable fourth — higher even than Italy, the team that outclassed them in the quarter-finals at Euro 2012.

Six points dropped in six games — and still trailing Montenegro by two — is not the reaction we were looking for after the disappointment of last summer, the abomination of South Africa 2010 and the abject failure of missing out on Euro 2008.

Last night was another lesson in how England love to make it hard for themselves.

And yet for the opening half it had been all so different.

England had clearly been irked by the long-ball taunts of Montenegro coach Branko Brnovic.

How they were also not only scared of his team but intimidated by the fans with their flares and fireworks and inclination to throw chairs and then themselves on to the pitch. And, yes, it was intimidating — Montenegro on their own ground, in front of their own fans, a partisan, passionate group of old-fashioned, flag-waving, red-shirted Balkan brigands who had earned their association fines of £78,000 over the last 18 months.

And what an atmosphere.

Some 40,000 had applied for tickets for the 12,000-capacity ground — and it sounded as if they had all got in.

But England’s early response was exactly what Gerrard had called for — to do their talking on the pitch.

They were straight out of the blocks, putting immediate pressure on the defence and taking the lead through Rooney’s sixth-minute header.

Rooney had earlier hit the post, just failed to get on the end of a low cross from the impressive James Milner, while Danny Welbeck thought he had won a penalty three minutes before half-time.

As for the long ball, it was what Hodgson had claimed — a figment of Brnovic’s imagination.

Instead, for 45 minutes it was a confident England side playing crisp possession football and working their way through and round a side who had found it very difficult to settle. But, as they had 18 months ago in salvaging a draw from 0-2 down, Montenegro turned the screw after the break.

England, as is so often the case when they are put under the cosh, started to panic with Montenegro attacking the huge bank of supporters behind keeper Joe Hart.

It was all getting rather squeaky with Vucinic wasting the hosts’ best chance on the hour, shooting wildly over the bar.

Jovetic and Vucinic again went close until we were pitched into heart-attack territory with 13 minutes left to play.

Yes, England survived.

But they are going to have to raise their game by some considerable distance over the full 90 minutes if the dream of Brazil is not to turn into a mirage.