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Still Dreaming: My Inside Account of the 2010 World Cup
After Fabio Capello's England had qualified for the World Cup finals in South Africa with a record-breaking campaign to get there, confidence was high.
Yet in the run-up to the finals, with injuries to key players, England were misfiring. Former England captain Gary Lineker had seen the team turn things round in the past, when the odds were against doing so, but even before the first game, he was worried. Capello's tactics looked wrong.
Once the tournament got under way, there was a catastrophic error in the first match by Robert Green and then a massively disappointing draw against Algeria. By then there were reports of turmoil in the England camp, questions about the fitness of the players and problems with the tactics. A win against Slovenia gave hope that England might be improving, as they had done in Lineker's own time in 1986 and 1990. But this time, no changes were made and Germany inflicted on England their worst-ever defeat in the World Cup finals.
Lineker analyses not only why England fell so badly short in South Africa, despite having a squad of players who regularly perform so well for their clubs in the Premier League, but also answers the question of why it is that England continue to disappoint at the highest international level and what lessons we can learn not only from these experiences but also from other nations.
Yet in the run-up to the finals, with injuries to key players, England were misfiring. Former England captain Gary Lineker had seen the team turn things round in the past, when the odds were against doing so, but even before the first game, he was worried. Capello's tactics looked wrong.
Once the tournament got under way, there was a catastrophic error in the first match by Robert Green and then a massively disappointing draw against Algeria. By then there were reports of turmoil in the England camp, questions about the fitness of the players and problems with the tactics. A win against Slovenia gave hope that England might be improving, as they had done in Lineker's own time in 1986 and 1990. But this time, no changes were made and Germany inflicted on England their worst-ever defeat in the World Cup finals.
Lineker analyses not only why England fell so badly short in South Africa, despite having a squad of players who regularly perform so well for their clubs in the Premier League, but also answers the question of why it is that England continue to disappoint at the highest international level and what lessons we can learn not only from these experiences but also from other nations.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published August 19, 2010
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August 11, 2016
Written by one of football's most well-liked figures Gary Lineker, Still Dreaming covers the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and more specifically, England's disappointing performance at the tournament. England suffers from permanent heartbreak and disappointment at every international tournament since its 1966 World Cup victory and the 2010 edition was no different, even if it was perhaps more disastrous as usual.
Lineker starts his analysis of England starting from the pre-tournament friendlies and the selection of players for the final 23-man squad. Young talents like Walcott were not selected during the whittling down process and Lineker highlights that such loss of speed and excitement could have cost England in the competition. Lineker follows the whole tournament in South Africa as a commentator, not only giving his thoughts on England's results but those of other nations as well, such as Spain's shock loss to Switzerland or France's and Italy's self-destruction in the group stages. He gives his recommendations on tactical changes that he wished were implemented by Fabio Capello, England's manager at that time and how Capello's inflexibility in tactics and players chosen along with the pressure on players and injuries eventually led to England's downfall in the World Cup.
Reading this in 2016, I have almost forgotten completely what happened in this World Cup. Another World Cup in 2014 has already passed where new winners Germany were announced by the time I have read this book. It's interesting though to read this in hindsight, noticing how players like Alexis Sanchez and Edinson Cavani were already established players for their countries back in 2010 before becoming international superstars. Lineker's analysis of what is wrong with England's Premier League and the lack of development on homegrown talent is accurate as well. His comparison to Germany's FA and their focus on youth is validated now six years later when they have won the World Cup and continue to produce future world-class talents like Leroy Sane, Max Meyer and Julian Draxler. England on the other hand struggle to produce such players when their clubs already play with a group of mostly imported players. His use of Inter Milan's example of winning the Champions League without any Italian players and their subsequent embarrassment in the tournament still draws parallels to England today.
Overall, Lineker's analysis is insightful and at times humourous. He makes good points, though none are particularly groundbreaking. He's an overall likeable guy and reading his thoughts were easy flowing and enjoyable. 3/5
Lineker starts his analysis of England starting from the pre-tournament friendlies and the selection of players for the final 23-man squad. Young talents like Walcott were not selected during the whittling down process and Lineker highlights that such loss of speed and excitement could have cost England in the competition. Lineker follows the whole tournament in South Africa as a commentator, not only giving his thoughts on England's results but those of other nations as well, such as Spain's shock loss to Switzerland or France's and Italy's self-destruction in the group stages. He gives his recommendations on tactical changes that he wished were implemented by Fabio Capello, England's manager at that time and how Capello's inflexibility in tactics and players chosen along with the pressure on players and injuries eventually led to England's downfall in the World Cup.
Reading this in 2016, I have almost forgotten completely what happened in this World Cup. Another World Cup in 2014 has already passed where new winners Germany were announced by the time I have read this book. It's interesting though to read this in hindsight, noticing how players like Alexis Sanchez and Edinson Cavani were already established players for their countries back in 2010 before becoming international superstars. Lineker's analysis of what is wrong with England's Premier League and the lack of development on homegrown talent is accurate as well. His comparison to Germany's FA and their focus on youth is validated now six years later when they have won the World Cup and continue to produce future world-class talents like Leroy Sane, Max Meyer and Julian Draxler. England on the other hand struggle to produce such players when their clubs already play with a group of mostly imported players. His use of Inter Milan's example of winning the Champions League without any Italian players and their subsequent embarrassment in the tournament still draws parallels to England today.
Overall, Lineker's analysis is insightful and at times humourous. He makes good points, though none are particularly groundbreaking. He's an overall likeable guy and reading his thoughts were easy flowing and enjoyable. 3/5
Displaying 1 of 1 review