1) There is far too much (and not enough) technology in football
Wwith the exception of Diego Forlan, every notable footballer at the tournament struggled to tame the Jabulani in South Africa. Adidas spent millions developing the ball in conjunction with Loughborough University, when they might as well have spent a fraction of that on 1,000 beachballs and invested the rest in Jack Warner's package-holiday company.
In the very same tournament, Frank Lampard's goal-that-never-was provided every red-top reading simpleton with the perfect excuse for England's tactical naivity and Mexico were left to lament a very simple decision made incorrectly in their game against Argentina.
FIFA has led an extremely negative line towards the implementation of goal-line technology, yet invests in co-developing a football with all the traits of a balloon and none of the charm.
2) The traditional 4-4-2 is dead
Rooney's implosion, Rio's injury, Gerrard on the left and John Terry speaking out of turn. All were held as possible, yet entirely implausible, reasons for England's demise in South Africa. All the above fail to explain the stand-out fact; England stank the place out.
Capello's three-lions never looked capable of beating Algeria, yet alone the impressive Germans, hardy Dutch and the eventual Spanish Campeones. The truth lies somewhere between the selected squad not being on the same level of others, and a tactical system deployed by Capello that never clicked. 4-4-2 might well be the only system our representatives can understand, but it's one that is all too predictable on the continent and one all too easy to contain: play deep, hit them on the counter.
This isn't to say that England would've fared better with another tactic, far from it, but the evidence of 4-4-2's demise was extraordinary. The top teams in England's elite league stopped playing a traditional 4-4-2, especially in European competition, a long time ago and there's a good reason for that.
3) England's present is bleak, but the future might just be bright.
Without turning this list into an all-out, derogatory comment on Matthew Upson's merry band of inadequates, England do, at the very least, appear to have something on the horizon.
Jack Wilshere has continued impressing in his development by apparently abandoning all the typical traits of an English footballer aside from the habit of getting involved in the occasional nightclub scrap. Instead of searching for the big-man up top with a long pass, he's happy to maintain possession and look for the threaded ball.
Jordan Henderson, Marc Albrighton and Chris Smalling have all been largely magnificient for their respective clubs, while Tom Huddlestone has proved his worth in the centrefold of a Tottenham midfield that continues to defy.
When you couple this with the first youth-tournament win for England since the supposed "Golden Generation" with U17 victory earlier this year, the country left so disappointed in the summer do have something to cheer about.
4) Rafael Benitez has continued his jaunt into mental instability.
I have to admit, for me the writing on the wall was his now infamous 'Facts' episode, which contained a thoroughly bizarre blast at Ferguson which had all the hallmarks of a Keegan-esque meltdown. News of him tearing down pictures of Inter's Champions League win on his arrival, whilst vaguely understandable, were indicative of a man clearly on the brink of madness.
Not only did he continue this with a string of backhanded jibes at Roy Hodgson detailing the delights of priests on sugar mountains, but he then deemed it necessary to commence a tirade against his new employers after winning them the Club World Championship. I don't know if anybody explained this to Rafa before he accepted the job, but Italian clubs tend to be rather cutthroat at the best of times.
Attacking the chairman of a club who sacked Marcello Lippi after just one game probably wasn't the wisest of moves considering the rather inconsistent start he had in Italy.
Still, he's one of a number of coaches who make for great newspaper interviews and I simply cannot wait until he's back doing what he does best; launching verbal attacks at any manager who dare look at him funny.
5) You can actually play good football on a shoestring budget.
In August, Ian Holloway was quite right to defend the team he had assembled. Most critics spent the Summer making themselves feel better by writing off Blackpool's chances of survival before a ball had been kicked in anger. Now, those critics are being forced to eat pie of the humble variety this christmas.
Blackpool aren't just doing well, but they're playing well, too. Blackpool lie 10th in the table having amassed 22 points, which is precisely 20 more than the general concensus had them down before in pre-season. They're level on points with the mighty Liverpool (with a game in hand), and sit above the likes of Blackburn, Everton and Villa. West Brom are just one place below them, while Newcastle have looked fairly impressive too.
While the surprise package of the season deservedly goes to Blackpool, Bolton have been tearing up trees under Owen Coyle's tutorship. He's turned what were essentially a hoofball outfit into a side who play football the "right" way and have made the most of what's available. Stuart Holden and Ivan Klasnic look very astute signings, while he's also achieved the previous unthinkable by turning Johan Elmander into a destructive centre-forward.
Coyle has had a budget to spend, however. As the brillian Swiss Ramble exposed, their debt has spiralled recently and while the collectors aren't smashing the door down like they have been at other clubs, don't be surprised to see the club capitalise on Gary Cahill's progress.
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