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England fail to inspire despite perfect record

10 games and 10 wins - only England could pull off such a feat without inspiring their fans our worrying their rivals. Roy Hodgson negotiated an easy group with the minimum of fuss, and for that he should be given credit. In 10 games they conceded just three goals, and scored more than three times as many as that. Under his watch, his most respected player and captain became the highest scorer for the country ever. England should be confident for the Euro 2016 tournament, looking at the qualification group with little context. Put into context, though, and it is almost impossible to know whether England are any better than they were at the World Cup.

In Brazil, they were required to raise their game to beat Italy and Uruguay, and it was utterly beyond them. There were hapless errors that compounded the problems of the squad, but the basis of all the difficulties was simply that the players aren’t good enough, and the manager isn’t special enough to make more than the sum of its parts. Given the opposition England faced in Group E - Estonia, Switzerland, San Marino, Lithuania and Slovenia, there was no requirement for Hodgson to ever really focus on getting the most from his side. He could choose an eleven from pretty much the same pool of fifteen for a year, and be assured that it should be enough.

As soon as England beat Switzerland 2-0 in their opening match, away from home, they knew that they could play within themselves to qualify. That’s what they did. Given other England sides with better players have struggled to make it through to major tournaments in the past, the team deserve praise for managing to keep their head. Really, though, that is achieving the minimum tolerable. There are only a handful of reasons for optimism for the future.

The first is that Ross Barkley has impressed in his last appearances, and is also playing impressively in the Premier League for Everton after a year of mis-steps. A young player often goes through periods of inconsistency, but England are in need of a creative and technically adept midfield - as they have been since Paul Scholes retired, and ever since Scholes failed to play well for England.

Harry Kane, too, continues to score for England even if he is struggling to do so domestically. His last season does appear to be something of a freak in terms of how many goals he managed, but overall his play keeps him as one of the best forwards in England. With Wayne Rooney struggling markedly, Barkley and Kane are a viable attacking pairing, with Raheem Sterling on the left, and room for another forward to play on the right.

In defence, Chris Smalling and Gary Cahill can deal with the threats posed by most of the lesser countries, and with Luke Shaw’s injury, that is largely where the positives end for England. They have a series of friendlies against much more capable opposition, against Spain, France and Germany, and there’s every chance England will lose each of those matches.

Because as talented as Smalling and Cahill are, that isn’t especially talented. Smalling has improved for Manchester United, but been at fault for a couple of goals already this season. Cahill, the senior partner, has failed to lead Chelsea’s defence when paired with John Terry’s decline, or Kurt Zouma’s inexperience. Under pressure, it is reasonable to doubt that this pair could stand up to a Spain side that moves the ball quickly, a French side with the speed and strength of Karim Benzema and Anthony Martial, or a Germany side that is still by far the best in the world. Kieran Gibbs, Leighton Baines, Nathaniel Clyne, Ryan Bertrand and Kyle Walker are perfect for a squad aiming for fourth or fifth in the Premier League, but none would give England a great chance against these sides.

Ahead of them, at the base of midfield, is England’s biggest weakness. Jack Wilshere is only marginally better than the player he was at seventeen, and no more physically fit. Michael Carrick is having one of his terrible seasons, and barely seems interested in playing for England at the best of times. Jordan Henderson isn’t suited to playing in a midfield two. Fabian Delph is of limited quality, and probably only got his move to Manchester City due to his English nationality and cut-price release clause. Jonjo Shelvey and James Milner are both laudable players, but they don’t compare to the players available on the continent. In short, the most important part of the team can only pretend to be anything near to what is required.

And that would all be fine if England had someone of talent that could transcend its surroundings. If, say, Gareth Bale was in the side. As Wales show, organisation, a few talented players and one brilliant man can be enough to qualify for the tournament. It could be enough to squeeze past some demonstrably better sides on occasion. If Wales were to meet England, then England would be confident of victory, but nobody would be especially surprised if Bale was able to beat them.

England’s talisman, however, is Rooney. A man who is in a three-year long slump of poor form that is only getting poorer, and who seems so content with his life that there’s no spark in him on the pitch. He should be England’s Bale, but instead he is holding them back. He cannot lead by example anymore, so there’s no point in him being there. But just as he is indulged at United, so he will be by Hodgson. England have qualified perfectly in terms of points, but they are a deeply imperfect side going into three demanding friendlies, and another major tournament which is beyond them.