Jokes abound that England may similarly benefit this afternoon against Slovenia with a pre-match screening of The Great Escape.
But with key players having publicly complained of boredom in the England camp, perhaps The Three Lions would be more inspired by a re-run of [i]Dead Man Running[/i], the 50 Cent gangsta flick executively produced by Rio Ferdinand and Ashley Cole.
After a terrible start to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, England are now faced with the prospect of failing to qualify from the group stages for the first time since 1958. With Liverpool rushing to sign manager Roy Hodgson before the expected dismissal of Fabio Capello should England fail to deliver, initial signs are not good.
Much has been made of 1990, when England stuttered through the group stages, with only a late goal from Mark Wright against unfancied Egypt seeing them through to the last 16.
Perhaps the euphoria of going on to reach the semis has diminished the memory of just how precarious the initial progress was.
A major difference between now and then is that the 1990 England coach Bobby Robson was not only respected by the players, but also held in great affection.
Fabio Capello’s reputation for “iron discipline” was once seen as the cure to England’s ills, but the approach is being increasingly questioned. Like a heroin addict who will either recover or fade once his fix is removed, England’s stars have failed to shine once deprived of the glitz and glamour of their customary celebrity lifestyle.
There is also much talk of the pressure felt by the England squad, accentuated by the isolation of their regime at the Royal Bafokeng hotel complex. Early indications raised concerns. First choice goalkeeper Robert Green looked paralysed with fear in the tunnel before the opening game, and it was his howler that gave opponents USA their equalising goal. By the second game, the ennui had spread to the entire England team, who almost played so poorly that it was hard to comprehend.
There was a brief chink of light when former captain John Terry spoke openly to the media on Sunday, acknowledging problems within the camp, and proposing candid dialogue between players and manager to find a solution.
But apparently this move was quickly snuffed out. Terry’s own position, previously demoted from captain following a sex scandal with a teammate’s ex-partner, probably did not help.
Capello has tacitly responded to some of his critics by announcing in advance the replacement of suspended Jamie Carragher with West Ham defender Mathew Upson; usually his team is not announced until two hours before the game.
But his insistence on the “excellent” mood within the camp, despite key players announcing the opposite, suggests a worrying denial of the real situation.
England could yet still triumph this afternoon. There is no doubting the quality of the individual players.
Any tactical alteration will be little compared to the seismic change back in 1990, when Bobby Robson propelled his side forward by renouncing the traditional English approach, adopting the hitherto to untested “continental” style by adding a sweeper to the defence.
The chalkboard reveals that Gerrard played practically the same whether deployed on the left or in the centre, so perhaps it makes sense to tuck him in behind Wayne Rooney in attack. Joe Cole may appear on the left hand side, increasing England’s width and attacking options. Emile Heskey will most likely step down.
With utter disarray in the French camp, star player Nicolas Anelka having been sent home and the rest of the players refusing to train in protest, England has clearly not yet plummeted the depths of World Cup lows. But even with a convincing win against Slovenia today, nagging doubts will still remain.
