The Morning After: England vs Germany, by Athalie Redwood Brown

Sadly England ended their World Cup bid yesterday afternoon as their old rivals Germany showed why they are one of the best teams in the World.

England weren’t entirely outclassed, showing the occasional moment of genius, but credit has to go to the young German side, displaying a pace that England just couldn’t cope with. The game perhaps started slower than the media hype and old rivalry had suggested but it didn’t take long to get going with a German goal in the 20th minute.

England never really seemed like they could match the class of the German side as one after another the English defensive line was broken by the German opposition. Although England had the high end of the possession in the first half, the German’s just kept coming and England rarely seemed confident, especially in their defending third.

Going into half time a goal down can sometimes give the losing team an advantage with the opportunity to re-gather themselves and reflect; but with a late first half goal disallowed, some players left the field frustrated and disillusioned; a clear goal, which may well have changed the outcome of the game.

All credit due to the experienced side, they came out with their heads held high and looked strong and determined from the half time whistle.  However, there were peaks and troughs in terms of momentum and intensity of play as it seemed like the ball was running from one attack to the other at either ends of the pitch.

Nothing really seemed to go England’s way in the second half; a few guilt ridden free kicks from the referee, but the number of line breaks and the pace of the attacking Germans ran rings around the defence who never really seemed in sync with one another.

As a whole, England played below par, and we must ask ourselves why? Rooney seemed tired and heavy, his imagination and his pace seemed forced and not free flowing. Some of the defence looked like they were running through glue and it would be fair to question just how well prepared they had been for this game, and ultimately the tournament.

In comparison, Germany seemed on top of their game, chasing, closing down and making the breaks at every opportunity.  We are quick to jump on the team for not playing with the passion and commitment we see in the domestic games, but we have to remember the standard of game and the intensity at international level is not the same. Our players should be able to cope with this style of play, but it’s clear that they’re doing something wrong.

“Underperformance” is clearly the buzz word of this world cup for the England squad, but what can we learn from this? England clearly needs to come together sooner as a team before major championships and work towards playing as a unit and supporting each other. We have arguably the best domestic league in the world – in which the majority of our national team play – but maybe this campaign has supported the notion that a string of world class players cannot always produce a world class team, without huge investments in the development of unity, spirit and cohesion.

Athalie Redwood-Brown, Senior Lecturer in Performance Analysis of Sport, Nottingham Trent University

To speak to Athalie, call the University Press Office directly on 0115 848 8785 or email worldcup@ntu.ac.uk

[To view Nottingham Trent University’s team of World Cup experts go to www.ntu.ac.uk/worldcup]

How to handle England World Cup defeat misery, by Professor Mark Griffiths

So England have been knocked out of the World Cup. You feel gutted, miserable and apathetic. So what can you do?

1. Firstly, remember we have been here many times before, and your depression following the England defeat will be short-lived. Remember when Germany beat us on penalties in the 1990 semi-final? Being knocked out by Argentina (1998) and Brazil (2002)? Going out to Portugal on penalties in 2006? All devastating defeats but we got over them pretty quickly.
2. You also have to rationalise your thoughts. If you thought England played badly, then say to yourself “They deserve to go out”. If you thought they played well but still got knocked out, say “They played a better team who may well go on to win the World Cup”. If they went out unjustly, for example, because of a poor refereeing decision or freak incident (e.g., Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’) in 1986, console yourself in the knowledge that tens of millions of others will also have seen it and agree that it wasn’t fair.
3. Keep telling yourself that England did brilliantly in qualifying (remaining unbeaten). They beat off a number of world-class teams (like Croatia) to even qualify and there’s nothing bad about losing to the world’s best teams.
4. Don’t wallow in your misery. Think about the things you feel good about. You need to channel your frustration into healthy pursuits such as exercise or going out with friends, rather than taking it out on your nearest and dearest.
5. Put things into perspective. There are many things that are much worse than England losing – family bereavement, divorce, chronic poor health, exam failure, etc. England losing is not the end of the world!
6. Remember you had absolutely no control over England losing. Your happiness should not be dictated by things you cannot possibly control. Take pride in your work, your friends, your family, and your own achievements.
7. Console yourself in other English sports. The English cricket team are the new T20 World Cup champions and we won the last Ashes series. We have provided the last two World Formula 1 race champions, have the word’s best cycling team, a good spattering of World boxing champions, and a world class tennis player.
8. Use laughter – it really can be the best medicine. Watch something light on television or watch one of your favourite DVDs. Laughter helps your body create mood-enhancing chemicals.
9. Use ‘distractor tasks’ to take your mind off the pain of England losing. Play a video game, listen to your favourite CDs, do a cryptic crossword – or even go and have sex. Anything that stops you thinking about the final score will do you good.
10. Boycott Germany goods for a month. Only joking (but it might make you feel a little better in the short term)!

Professor Mark Griffiths, psychologist, Nottingham Trent University

To speak to Mark, call the University Press Office directly on 0115 848 8785 or email worldcup@ntu.ac.uk

[To view Nottingham Trent University’s team of World Cup experts go to www.ntu.ac.uk/worldcup]