by DS Thu Sep 11, 2008 10:13 am
It's official. Theo Walcott is the new
David Beckham, England are back, and Fabio Capello has turned the Three
Lions into world-beaters. Yup, Fleet Street has got itself very, very
excited by the 4-1 win in England...
'The end of the world, let alone the World Cup, was far from
nigh in Zagreb. The collision of English and foreign particles here at
the Maksimir Stadium produced only oblivion for the Croatians, who were
sent spinning by the comet-like Theo Walcott. Sparks flew but it was
Croatia who burned. 'England were a delight to behold, soon delivering the most
expansive football seen since the thrashing of Germany in 2001. The
David Beckham era is over, the Walcott era had begun. 'Even Mario Mandzukic's breakaway riposte could not stop the
carnival on the away terrace, which intensified when Walcott scampered
through to seal his hat-trick. Beckham replaced him soon after, but the
No 7 shirt belongs to Walcott now' - Henry Winter, The Daily Telegraph.
'SAY it loud, say it proud - England are back.
'Fabio Capello is leading the country out of the dark ages and we are on course for the 2010 World Cup finals.
'This was the best England performance since the 5-1 victory over Germany in Munich seven years ago' - Shaun Custis, The Sun.
'It was two years later than scheduled but when Theo Walcott
marks his coming of age for England in this sort of style, frankly, who
cares about the wait? The boy-man from Arsenal scored a stunning
hat-trick last night to deliver his side a fabulous victory and at
last, for the first time in ages, English football had an England
football team that matched their expectations. If only they could do
this every time.
'It is a long road to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and an
even rockier path back to credibility for the England football team.
But what a start. For Fabio Capello this was the England manager's
Munich moment, just as when Sven Goran Eriksson announced his arrival
seven years earlier with that 5-1 win over Germany in that very city.
Capello dared to play Walcott, as well as Joe Cole, and his formation
paid off handsomely. He has made some big decisions in the last month,
leaving out Michael Owen above all, and no one would quibble now that
he has made the wrong call' - Sam Wallace, The Independent.
'The sheer joy was mightier than even the achievement of
wrecking Croatia's proud unbeaten record of 35 qualifying matches at
home. With Theo Walcott's first goals for his country packaged as a
hat-trick, this was the most uncanny result for England since the 5-1
trouncing of Germany in 2001. In his first fixture of genuine
significance, Fabio Capello has awakened immense expectations. Perhaps
he is also the man to meet them.
'Croatia were left short-staffed by a red card for Robert Kovac
in the 51st minute, when England were only one ahead, but his offence
was born of an inability to cope with these piratical visitors. His
elbow to the head of Joe Cole left the Chelsea midfielder so bloodied
and dazed that he had to be replaced by Jermaine Jenas. The damage done
to Croatia in their World Cup campaign will take far longer to heal' - Kevin McCarra, The Guardian.
'The end of the world is not, after all, nigh, but there was
a very big bang in Zagreb yesterday, the sound of English football
exploding into vibrant life under the guidance of its imported manager,
Fabio Capello. This was creation, indeed, quite simply the greatest
night for the national team since Sven-Göran Eriksson's players
returned from Munich seven years ago, having thumped Germany 5-1.
'If perhaps not as patriotically emotive as that occasion, this
result was every bit its equal in terms of achievement, coming against
a country who had never lost a competitive match on home soil. 'It was more significant than Munich in many ways, for it
confirmed the emergence of a player with the potential to change
English football, accelerating it towards the future like so many
protons in a Large Hadron Collider. Theo Walcott, 19 and with the
exuberance of youth, scored the first international hat-trick for
England in a competitive match since Michael Owen against Germany in
2001. In doing so, he inspired a group of players who were believed to
be at their lowest ebb and altered the dynamic around them overnight' -
Martin Samuel, The Times.
'Not for the first time yesterday, the end of the world was averted.
'There was no large black hole waiting for Fabio Capello. No
sense that the aura surrounding England's manager had disappeared with
a rather large bang. On the contrary. By last night it felt like England had finally woken to the dawn of a bright new era.
'Capello had the courage to select Theo Walcott in a role so
long occupied by David Beckham and my how that gamble paid off. Not
only in the form of a quite brilliant hat-trick for the precociously
gifted young winger but in the manner in which he terrorised a Croatian
side that, until last night, had never lost a qualifier on home soil. 'Not since Wayne Rooney burst onto the international scene has
watching England been this exciting. Not since Rooney then followed
that fine debut with his goals against Croatia at the European
Championships in Portugal has there been such a sharp sense of
optimism. This felt much as it did when England went to Munich and beat
the Germans 5-1. That day Michael Owen scored a hat-trick and this time
the wonderful Walcott inflicted the majority of the damage. 'If only more people could have seen it on television' - Matt Lawton, The Daily Mail.
I am sorry but Walcott deserves a 8 rather then a 9 here and not a 10 according to these papers.
On the other hand Lampard had an excellent game so now what for Gerrard ? Hargreaves ?
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Most sensible post so far! 
