Assets and liabilities

Of the three that Eriksson effectively had, two were coming out of injury and had played very little football; they might have been medically fit but were a long way away from being match fit. And the third counted his head as a greater asset than his legs! By not sticking to the old formula — if you are good enough to be in the squad you are good enough to be on the field — Eriksson has shot himself in the foot somewhat.

By contrast Luiz Felipe Scolari had no qualms sending out his “other” players for the game against Mexico knowing that a defeat would put him up against Argentina in the round of sixteen. He empowered them and said that even if “Mexico were 30-0 ahead” he would not put the Ronaldos, the Decos and the Pauletas on the field. They were listed on the team sheet as “absent.” Luis Aragones is playing a lot of the other players too and Jose Pekerman of Argentina, who it must said has a greater wealth to choose from, is quite happy resting five or six players too.

So, can England win it? I suspect they have the skill to do it but the desire, the joy isn’t immediately apparent. Steven Gerrard, one of the best in the world at his position, showed no joy after England had topped the group and, effectively, ensured they missed Germany in the round of sixteen and Argentina in the quarter-finals. England look grim, they look tense, taut, you get the feeling they are taking an exam they are not particularly confident of passing in.

Indeed, sport is an examination and grit is a very good friend to possess while tackling it but confidence and flair are the dressing that go with it. Sport can at best mimic war but it isn’t war as a short sighted but brash US player thought. Sport is beautiful and everyone goes home in the end and it is best played when you are having fun doing it.

It has also been fascinating to see how managers handle key players. Arjen Robben had a fantastic first game but was gently reminded by the great Marco van Basten that he needs to involve others as well. And Carlos Alberto Pareira has handled Ronaldo quite wonderfully, giving the big man the opportunity to rediscover form and yet, not keeping him on long enough to hurt the team.

Ronaldo is like a child who needs to be loved and, I suspect, needs to be reassured from time to time. You get sportsmen like that all over the world; people who have done fantastic things but who need a bit of hand holding from time to time. Dav Whatmore told me that he frequently had to tell Sanath Jayasuriya that he was doing well in spite of the fact that he was in great form. Jayasuriya needed it, unlike a few other cricketers whose self-esteem and confidence carries them through even difficult times. Stars have the same insecurities that you and me have, sometimes more acute, but they tend to stay hidden from the hype industry to whom frailties aren’t very interesting.

I wonder if the time has come too for someone to hold Sachin Tendulkar’s hand. In an interview to Cricinfo he talks about the effect of injury on sportsmen and of how it changes their outlook and therefore, their style. For Tendulkar not to be insecure about his cricket and his future would require him to be a machine. What I suspect he needs at the moment though is some serious, competitive cricket to toughen his instincts again; to be told, and to tell himself, that he is ready to take on the world again.