The Debate: is Harry Redknapp right to criticise Fabio Capello and England?

Harry Redknapp (right) was highly critical of Fabio Capello's tactics and his use of Steven Gerrard after England's 2-2 draw with the Czech Republic at Wembley last night.

After the match, the Portsmouth manager did not sit on the fence in his role as a television summariser: "That was one of the worst performances I have seen from an England team," he said. "What positives can you take from that? The second half was diabolical. They didn't look like the same players who perform week in, week out in the Premier League. What are we doing to them?

"I was full of optimism before the game, but then I saw the teamsheet. We keep chopping and changing the manager but the performances don't change and we don't improve. We change the manager, but pick the same players. I've not seen Fabio Capello teams play worse than that."

Redknapp was upset at Gerrard's position on the left-side of the England midfield saying to deploy him there was "killing" the Liverpool captain.

Capello saw the match differently and said Gerrard had played as one of the two in a 4-3-2-1 formation behind Jermain Defoe. He insisted that England's performances will improve.

So there you have it, two completely different points of view from two experienced managers. How did you see the match? Is Capello struggling to impose himself on the team or is he making progress with a side that struggled under Steve McClaren? Is Harry on the money, have their been any improvements under the Italian? Share your thoughts below.

Comments

[josef jurkiewicz]

Revamp the whole English team, isn't that why we spent a fortune on a foreign coach, because from what we have seen so far nothing has changed much, same old same old, we really have nothing to lose anyhow since the present team has done absolutely zero.

[John]

People who call for dropping Beckham and others to put in younger, hungry, nippy players seem to forget our game against Croatia.

McClaren responded to the fans and did so, and instead of being a bad team without Beckham's set pieces as a goal-scoring resource, we were just left with a bad team. English football doesn't have the strength in depth to afford to drop players like Beckham and Lampard - teams like Croatia just made those younger players look pathetic.

Bentley will replace Beckham when he is good enough, and not until then. The performance against the Czechs was sure and also underlined how important Hargreaves is to the team - he can tackle counterattacks quickly and that gives Lampard/Gerrard the space to counter-counter-attack like they get in the Premier League.

At least Capello is trying to get the team to pass the ball on the floor. The players have to get used to playing International football - not Premier League football - for England. We were rubbish but it has to be rubbish to get better. It will take time. You can't judge Capello until the qualifiers begin and we play Croatia away on Sept 10.

[gaz]

Tel-boy? 30 years in British football. Honours? 1 FA cup.
'Arry-boy? Similar record.
Honourable, trustworhty men? You're 'aving a laugh. England fail 'coz their players,literally can't play football. They are the muscle for their domestic teams. Continentals do the clever stuff. Heskey? A risable selection. Defoe? Second rate. Face facts people, we ain't good enough.

[Pete]

England players just use friendlies as a bit of a get together. There is no-one playing to force their way into the team, and even if Capello did give someone a debut they would know that at best they will still only make the squad for the competitive games or at worst if they have a bad game they will probably not get near the team again. It is a closed shop, the players know it and so they are not playing for the shirt or the country becasue their places are guaranteed. I'll get stick for mentioning this, but who remembers the players that Peter Taylor used in his one match in charge of England? It was a 1-1 draw with italy i think, but i just remember the lineup being refreshing and the players playing to force themselves into the squad. Of course, when the next coach was appointed it was back to the same old.

[Josh]

I don't care whether Capello produces dire football as long as he wins. Unfortunately, he's probably not going to but only because England are not a good team. If Capello can't do it, no one can, except maybe Hiddink, who turns poor squads into great ones. Also, Redknapp has no right to criticize Capello - he's won one FA cup, which probably wouldn't even fit into Capello's vast trophy cabinet.

[Howard_b]

We've brought in a highly paid and, by implication, sophisticated manager. But any England fan knows:
- Gerrard and Lampard do not work together
- Barry is not a holding midfield player
- Who is the strike partner for Rooney?. Why has he become less effective at Man U?
- There is not a playmaker avalable to England in the mode of Deco, Requelme or Ballack.

Sorry Mr Capello, but all this was obvious when you started last December. I don't see any change.

[Peter]

I think England play way better now then they used to. Compare how they play now with how badly they used to do, get the ball boot it up and hope someone gets on the end of it, at least we pass the ball now and are creating some really good chances. Cappy will do a great job for England.

[stewart alan]

Alas the naming of Terry as captain signaled Capello's faith in the old - 'FAILED' order of England teams of the last 4 years. I am not necessarily an advocate of Ferdinand as leader but Capello missed a major chance to shake up the very average international squad we have. I would suggest that Terry, Lampard,Beckham, et. al. will win us nothing in the next challenge and change needs to be made now. The FA have at least got rid of Barwick, the architect of Capello's appointment. If Barwicks judgement has been called to account - on this performance so should Capello's. He has blown the first chance - do we give him a second?

[Paul Hutchinson]

The England team is full of overpaid, overpriced spoilt brats whose only loyalty is to their paycheck. Most intenational football players are proud to play for their country and give their all, but not England. England will continue to be the most overrated and underacheiving international football team until this problem is resolved.

[Henry]

Harry was doing what he was paid to do ie: be a pundit and call the game as he saw it.
What would you prefer, bland old Alan Shearer or Robbie Earle offering platitudes and not saying anything at all.
Thought he called the game exactly right as well - England were dire, Gerrard is not a left winger and we keep picking a squad of players who have acheived absolutely nothing for the past four years.
Yes, they look good in the Premier and Champions League's but they get stagefright or something when playing for England.
It was an honest call on an awful performance.
Bring Harry back again.

[Goonter]

I believe Capello...Steven Gerrard doesnt usually follow instructions hence Rafa sticks out wide where his mistakes might not hurt the team too much, fantastic payer but must add tactical discipline to his game....

[Shannon]

Redknapp is a highly respected coach. I actually admire him a great deal, as do most of his players. He's also mostly right about the performance vs. the Czechs. However, I disagree that it was their worst performance ever, though. It was worse under McClaren for sure. The game had a few new elements of passing and possession rather than just long-balling it every time they got it. However, Redknapp should be a little more cautious about the acid in his commentary--especially after his side got romped by Chelski last Saturday.

[Bryan]

Same old players, same old problem! Rooney, Lampard and Gerrard get in each others way. No pace on the flanks. No craft in the midfield since Scholes, although Barry is half decent alongside Gerrard. We have young players who should be in the team, but are deemed too young. Bentley and Downing are Beckham look-alikes without the brain. Talking of which, the new manager follows the tactic of picking strikers who lack stature but are quick - then has Beckham and the defence kick high balls to them.

Riveting.

[Chris - Derby]

If we stumble in the early qualification games and the seeming financial belt tightening at Portsmouth leads to a disgruntled 'Arry - what price for Redknapp for England come Christmas???

He clearly believes the players can achieve more, and I'd love to see an Englishman prove it as manager.

The series of disappiontments the current England squad have inflicted on us makes me doubt that they are as good as we like to think though.

[Mike]

I respect Harry Redknapp's views and often think it a great pity he wasn't given the England job. It saddens me to think that we are paying yet another foreign manager millions to manage our football team, especially as so far I don't see much of an improvement. I also agree with Harry's thoughts that his wife could manage a football team that has vast funds available.The skill of football management is being able to build a BALANCED team from very limited resources, something Harry has done time and again, and something that if he was England's manager he could do better than most.

[Oliver Bruce]

Redknapp has every right to be critical because Capello seems to be accomodating the most senior players into a formation rather than choosing a compatible first 11. We need to use the young talent available in the under 21 squad to form a young and hungry team for the 2010 World Cup. Clearing out the dead-wood like Beckham and Heskey who are ageing and beyond their best now should be the first priority. Blending the likes of Young, Agbonlahor and Richards with the more talented senior members such as Gerrard and Rooney would provide the pace and hunger that is currently lacking while the likes of Lampard and Brown could provide quality squad depth.

[Dave Barnish]

Im not a villa fan but i can see what O'Neill is creating there. A young explosive English based team.
I think these younger players should be given a chance now. The players currently occupying the jerseys have had long enough to prove they can gel and they obviously can't do it. I think we should inject the youth and the pace of Abonglahor and Young, coupled with the excellent midfield displays of Carrick ahead of Lampard, Gerrard and Beckham.

Team should read: James (or whoever is in form at the time), Richards, Terry, Ferdinand, Cole. Carrick Barry Cole. Young, Rooney, Abonglahor. Very able understudies of Bentley, Walcott, Gerrard, Crouch .....

Surely that would be an entertaining team

[Steve Phillips]

Awful display... Great coach I agree but the SAME old players. Out Beckham, out Gerrard, out Defoe, out Heskey, please don't pick Lampard again, the captaincy should have gone to Ferdinand. In Ashley Young, Agbonlahor, Nicky Shorey, I may be biased as a Villa fan but you'll find many will agree.
England for the 2010 World Cup, don't make me laugh...

[Robert Thomson]

The problem lies with Lampard. For too long England managers have switched the midfield to provide a place for Lampard. Sven moved Paul Scholes to left of midfield just to cater for Lampard which i am sure was the reason Scholesy thought enough is enough. Paul Scholes and Gerrard would be the dream centre midfield but that will not happen. Hargreaves when he is fit is the ideal partner for Gerrard. Gareth Barry or Ashley Young are natural left wingers and Bentley is really our best right winger.

The forward line is another problem as Rooney is always looking for the ball and drops deep or goes left but with Gerrard being an attacking midfielder and having a natural left footed winger providing cover on the left Rooney will not stray out of position. Give Rooney a tall powerful partner as in Abgonlahor then we will have the finshed article.

Being the England manager is not about picking the best team to win fantasy football, it is about finding the right balance and picking players who play week in week out in their natural positions.

It's not exactly rocket science is it.

[Phil]

I think the media should leave the team alone. A professional footballer should be able to play wherever he is asked and still do well. The clubs do it all the time. Rafa does it. There is an obsession with the Three Lions which really hinders the team. Every little detail is picked over hindering the team and manager. This must stop if the team is to do well. Capello has coached top teams for a long time and it's absurd to suggest he is clueless. He knows his football and knows what he is doing. Who is some red-top journo to tell the gaffer what to do? What actual coaching have they done. This media circus is silly to the extreme and must stop. The manager is the manager and it is not some summariser or journalist. I am sure the team will get it right in the end.

[martin]

How long before people realise that Gerrard and Lampard can't play in the same team. Just drop one of them and be done with it.
They've been tried in every possible combination of positions and NONE have worked. There hasn't been one single game that both played and both played well.

[PeterBopper]

i don't think redknapp was criticising Capello, i think he was complaining about the players. That no matter who picks the players, they play awfully. Sven was a fine manager & England were rubbish.

[Steven]

Not one of those players would be caught dead putting in the effort for their country that the British Olympic team has this passed fortnight. No doubt they were all on the lash first chance they could to 'celebrate' afterwards.

Pathetic.

[allan roberts]

Same old story, Capello is just like previous coaches you have to play the click.
Beckhams too old, Bentley or Wright-Philips get behind defenders and have skill to beat them, Downing is really are only left sided winger but never gets a look in because we have to make room for Lampard and Gerrard.
We have no one of any threat up front.
Stop dreaming of qualifying for world cup unless we bring in U21 faces with a bit of hunger

[Doug Bates]

Yes, he's right to criticise, they were dire.