France 1 - England 1: The Three Lions Play Like Lambs

In a game that left much to be desired, the French and English walked away with one point from their Euro 2012 opener as they drew 1-1.  While some expected a thrilling game, it was anything but exciting.  Although fans hoped the English would finally abandon their boring, defensive approach to the game, they were left bitterly disappointed with their style of play.  However, they were able to get a point, which cannot be discredited.

While stretches of the first half were exciting, the majority of the game was largely
unwatchable. From the opening whistle, the French dominated possession. They showed plenty of will to attack.  Franck Ribery and company could not have been happier than to see the English so willingly allow them possession.  Although the French were obviously the better side, the English showed the ability to counter-attack with the speedy front line of Ashley Young and Danny Welbeck.  In addition, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain offered plenty of initiative in the French side of the field, though that rarely occurred.  When Joleon Lescott’s 30^th minute header off of a Steven Gerrard free kick put the English in front it appeared their strategy of defending and scoring on set pieces might work.  However, it took only ten minutes for Samir Nasri to get the equalizer as he buried the ball in the corner of the net from the 18-yard line. 

The English strategy in the second half was embarrassing.  They nearly kept the entire team within thirty yards of their own net.  They barely touched the ball, and when they did, they often wasted the possession by launching forty-yard long balls that the French quickly won. You had to pity Young and Welbeck who were isolated up top.  They showed that they were capable of beating the French defense if provided with some through balls, but the team was hesitant to move forward.  I do not recall a single scoring opportunity that the Three Lions had in the second half.  It is hard to say that anyone on their team had a bad game because all they did was sit back and clear the ball.  If anything, their manager, Roy Hodgson deserves the blame for such tactics.

Meanwhile, the French were simply unable to break down the English defense.  They were too willing to just pass the ball around amongst each other without moving forward.  The English did not apply high pressure, preferring to just sit in a zone.  The French should have attempted more crosses in the air as a way to generate scoring opportunities.  

The French positives were the overlapping runs from defender Matthieu Debuchy who provided several dangerous crosses early on.  In addition, Karim Benzema and Samir Nasri both appear to be in form.  Furthermore, it is clear that Laurent Blanc restored pride to the national team after the disastrous South Africa campaign.  

England’s willingness to accept a draw will come back to haunt them as the tournament progresses.  They showed the ability to create opportunities in the first half, so they should have fought for three points instead of accepting one.  How much longer are the English going to play such an awful brand of soccer.  With every international tournament comes the same story.  Perhaps they will attack more once Wayne Rooney returns for the final group game.  Though the French appear to be group favorites, the co-host Ukrainians will be incredibly difficult and the Swedes have plenty of quality.  It is a long road ahead.  

By Jeff Graceffo & Lorenzo Zignago