Germany 4 England 1: Why defeat can be good for us, Capello and the future

SO THERE WE GO AGAIN.

Mass hysteria after mass expectation led to heartache.

England. Our dear England. Our torturuos nightmarish England, more like.

Well, what did you expect? The same as the last 40 years I suppose...that we would win the World Cup with something to spare...

Someone once told something very profound that we, as England believers should always bear in mind when we go over the top with our dreaming...the definition of INSANITY is doing the same thing time and time again and expecting a different outcome. Ring any bells with the English national football team?

What if I said the loss to Germany might actually do us some good? That we could now use it to move forward and build what we have not had since 1990...an England TEAM...

Sure, we have the individual players, but they do not work as a team when they are imported from their clubs.

When we beat the Germans 5-1 in Munich in 2001, we were, typically, ecstatic. We were going to conquer all and win the Euros and the World Cup. The Germans, in contrast, used the agonising loss they suffered to rebuild and to plan for the future. On the surface, they simply appeared to pull themselves together and marched into the World Cup final (which they lost to Brazil) a year later.

But much deeper momentum was developing behind the scenes as they planned for the future.

Their manifesto hinged on building a team for the future - by encouraging young German players to develop and make their way through the ranks together. To play top level football within the Bundesliga and to come up through the ranks together at international level.

It worked - as exemplified by the German Under 21 team that taught our Under 21s a lesson a year ago in the Euro Under 21s final. The German team that night read: GERMANY (4-1-4-1): Neuer, Beck, Howedes, Boateng, Boenisch, Hummels, Johnson, Castro, Khedira, Ozil, Wagner.


Note the names Neuer, Boateng, Khedira and especially OZIL, the star of the show. Yes, key components of the team that also helped thrash the English national team a year later.

We need to rebuild from now, encouraging English youngsters to move forward and break through in the Premier League, finally setting up that centre of excellence in Burton, and bringing youngsters who have the talent and who could BECOME a team into the national set-up for the Euro qualifying campaign.

We need to put JOE HART in goal...now. He has the most amazing confidence to back up his burgeoning talent.

We need a new right back to put pressure on the inconsistent Glen Johnson. Maybe Micah Richards will come good again with proper management?

KIERAN GIBBS can come in to put pressure on Ashley Cole.

IN central defence, JOHN TERRY survives, but it must be made clear to him that any further attempts to delegate himself as skipper/manager will result in him being dropped from the squad...for good.

RIO also survives for the Euros, but we need to find another quality centre back, who is speedy and classy. Maybe CHRIS SMALLING will fit the bill in a year or two?

In midfield it is time for ASHLEY YOUNG, JAMES MILNER, JACK WILSHERE and JACK RODWELL to be given a run. And THEO WALCOTT must be brought back in.

With ROONEY up front and GERRARD behind him.

Rooney becomes skipper, the responsibility could bring the best out of him.

Manager/head coach? Hard to see how Capello can survive. He clearly is not in tune with the English psyche and sending on Emile Heskey as a sub when we needed three goals probably nailed the lid on his coffin.

Put it this way...would we have lost 4-1 with Mourinho in command?

Given we cannot get Jose now, I would put HARRY REDKNAPP in charge, with DAVID BECKHAM his assistant.

And if we need a boost right now - and hope that we do have the talent for the future - let's not forget that England won the Under 17s Euros recently.

As Arnie once said, 'we'll be back'...but we must get it right this time, not waste the opportunity to use this crushing defeat for our benefit.