Learn More
Player Version: production-5.0.201
Player Key:
Playlist Type:
Float Mode: none
Session ID: ak4b-C7eR-fltA-qC86
Configured as Smart Player: No
Ad : (0:20)
England's Doomed 2010 World
Cup Squad Ten Years On - The
Final Nail in the Coffin of the
'Golden Generation'
By Jamie Spencer | May 8, 2020
Germany v England: 2010 FIFA World Cup - Round of Sixteen / Michael
Regan/Getty Images
England undoubtedly had some of the best
players in the world in the 2000s. The likes of
David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Frank
Lampard, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry and
Ashley Cole were superstars at club level
and were winning trophies galore
(domestic and European) between them.
Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup could
and perhaps should have yielded at least
one international trophy, with those stars
and more in their prime.
England succumbed to circumstance and
mentality issues both times, losing Wayne
Rooney to injury in one and a red card in
the other, twice crashing out to Portugal on
penalties.
Quarter-final England v Portugal - World Cup 2006 / Ross
Kinnaird/Getty Images
The Euro 2008 qualifying campaign brought
its own bizarre challenges as England,
under the new leadership of former
assistant coach Steve McClaren failed to
even reach the finals, missing out on an
international tournament for the first time in
14 years.
The FA went big with its next appointment,
choosing Fabio Capello on a bumper
salary.
The strict Italian had previously been in
charge at AC Milan, Real Madrid, Roma,
Juventus and Real Madrid again. Multiple
league titles in two countries, plus the
Champions League, he’d won the lot.
England quickly put the disappointment of
their Euro 2008 failure behind them and
ended up walking a tough qualifying group
that once more paired them with Croatia,
whose victory at Wembley in November
2007 resulted in McClaren getting the boot.
In only the second qualifier, England
thrashed Croatia 4-1 in Zagreb. Theo
Walcott, still only 19 at the time, scored a
hat-trick – ultimately, he only scored eight
goals in 47 England appearances.
Croatia v England - FIFA 2010 World Cup Qualifier / Phil Cole/Getty
Images
The Three Lions hammered Croatia even
harder in the reverse fixture – 5-1 at
Wembley – and a defeat to Ukraine in the
penultimate qualifier was all that dented a
perfect record. Only reigning European
champions Spain had a better record and
England reached the 2010 World Cup with
more points than Germany, France, holders
Italy and Netherlands.
Despite the underwhelming preceding
years, there was a growing feeling heading
as the finals in South Africa approached
that this might be the last chance for the
'Golden Generation'. In reality, the opposite
happened and it turned into the final nail in
the coffin instead.
Despite closing in on his 35th birthday,
Beckham was still in the picture and had
been a regular under Capello. However,
injury struck and saw him go to the World
Cup as an assistant only. Rio Ferdinand, the
new captain, was also forced to miss out
because of injury.
On the plus side, however, Rooney had just
had an incredible season with Manchester
United, scoring 34 goals in all competitions.
Lampard had similarly been on fire for
Chelsea, winning a domestic double and
remarkably scoring 27 times from midfield
in the process.
Wayne Rooney Manchester United / CARL DE SOUZA/Getty Images
Even so, it was still perhaps England’s most
disappointing tournament performance in
recent memory. They were technically
worse in 2012, 2014 and particularly 2016, but
the shock factor of 2010 effectively lowered
expectations thereafter and those failures
were far less jarring as a result. In a way
that also paved the way for the 2018 World
Cup being such an uplifting surprise.
On 11 May 2010, Capello named his
provisional 30-man squad as follows:
Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Man City), David
James (Portsmouth), Robert Green (West
Ham)
Defenders: Leighton Baines (Everton), Jamie
Carragher (Liverpool), Ashley Cole
(Chelsea), Michael Dawson (Tottenham),
Rio Ferdinand (Man Utd), Glen Johnson
(Liverpool), Ledley King (Tottenham), John
Terry (Chelsea), Matthew Upson (West
Ham), Stephen Warnock (Aston Villa)
Midfielders: Gareth Barry (Aston Villa),
Michael Carrick (Man Utd), Joe Cole
(Chelsea), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Tom
Huddlestone (Tottenham), Adam Johnson
(Man City), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Aaron
Lennon (Tottenham), James Milner (Aston
Villa), Scott Parker (West Ham), Theo
Walcott (Arsenal), Shaun Wright-Phillips
(Man City)
Forwards: Darren Bent (Sunderland), Peter
Crouch (Tottenham), Jermain Defoe
(Tottenham), Emile Heskey (Aston Villa),
Wayne Rooney (Man Utd)
Red Carpet Event Prior To The 2010 FIFA World Cup Final Draw /
Handout/Getty Images
As mentioned, Ferdinand was forced to
withdraw. The skipper sustained a knee
ligament problem in the very first training
session in South Africa. The captaincy
passed to Gerrard and Dawson was called
back into the final squad, having initially
been cut from the provisional list.
Bent, despite his 24 Premier League goals
for Sunderland, was among those who were
cut, as were Huddlestone, Baines, Johnson,
Parker and Walcott.
Notwithstanding key absences, it was a
strong squad that had qualified well. What’s
more, a favourable group offered seamless
progress to the last round. One tabloid
newspaper infamously dubbed it ‘EASY’
when the group draw was made – England,
Algeria, Slovenia, Yanks.
England actually enjoyed the perfect start,
with Gerrard scoring only four minutes into
the opening games against the United
States. Disaster struck when goalkeeper Rob
Green later fumbled a tame Clint Dempsey
shot into his net just before half-time. The
game ended 1-1.
England's goalkeeper Robert Green / VINCENZO PINTO/Getty Images
England, who had been criticised for the
freedom of the camp overseen by Sven
Goran Eriksson in 2006, appeared to be
struggling just as much with Capello’s
authoritarian rule and a laboured
performance against Algeria resulted in a
truly dull 0-0 draw.
When players, staff and fans alike might
have been hoping for six points from six to
secure early progress, suddenly victory
against Slovenia as the only way to get into
the knockouts. England got it, but only just –
a sole Defoe goal the only difference in a
tense game.
Then came Germany in the last 16, a side
featuring a number of players relatively new
to senior international level who had won
the Under-21 European Championship only
a year earlier.
They ran England ragged in Bloemfontein, it
was as simple as that.
The Germans were 2-0 up inside 32
minutes, and while Upson pulled one back
and Lampard was denied an equaliser
when the officials missed his effort crossing
the line, there can be no arguments that
England were second best that day. The
killer blows came midway through the
second half when a 20-year-old Thomas
Muller scored twice in quick succession. 4-1.
Germany v England: 2010 FIFA World Cup - Round of Sixteen / Joern
Pollex/Getty Images
England were embarrassed and humiliated,
yet it was probably no more than deserved.
Gerrard, Lampard, Terry, Cole and Rooney
all returned for at least one more
international tournament each. But the
sheen of the 'Golden Generation' was gone
and the expectation that preceded 2004,
2006 and 2010 was dead, killed that month
in South Africa.
For more from Jamie Spencer, follow him on
Twitter and Facebook!
Sponsored content
The Dating Site You're Seeking
Find an online buddy today!
Secretmeet.com
Unsold Truck Inventory Is Finally On Sale
PopularSearches | Search Ads
About Privacy Policy
Cookie Policy Contact Us
Careers Terms & Conditions
Accessibility
Sitemap
Statement
A-Z Index Cookie Preferences
© 2024 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. The content on this
site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Betting
and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is
based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of
Minute Media or its affiliates and related brands. All picks and
predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of
success or profit. If you or someone you know has a gambling
problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be
accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.
