Attitude is England's problem. It always has been.
You can blame Roy Hodgson, you can blame Gerrard, Rooney, tactics, poor quality players, but at the end of the day, the problem is the perception of the team.
England have the hype of a top nation, while, realistically, they're an average one.
England's football is dominated by foreign players, and that's something we've all known for a very long time and we accept that.
We've sacrificed developing English players for bringing in top foreign players.
But the likes of Germany have most of their players playing in Germany.
The average teams, will play well above their weight, will work hard, play as a unit and run top teams close and have a right go. They've no pressure, nothing to lose. Their spirit and attitude of never giving up, along with everyone getting behind them pushes them on. The team will work for each other and have the support of the media, people etc. and they benefit from that. As the Irish put it, they give a lash, and see what happens.
England are one of these teams, they're not a top quality team. They've one or two top quality players, among a lot of journeymen and average joes.
However the carry the attitude and expectation of a top ranked team, like Spain, Germany etc.
England have always relied heavily on one or two top players, be it Beckham, Rooney etc. put incredible amount of pressure on their shoulders and when they don't produce to the expected level, it's a full blown man hunt, instead of backing them, and supporting them, it's followed by an unfair amount of criticism, after the pressure is too much to bare.
You can't label them as a failure one minute and rip down their performance and criticise them to no end and then expect them to deliver, they're human, they carry that, they feel that pressure.
- These English players do not enjoy wearing that jersey, it has a negative impact on them. The pressure is unbearable.
England needed a clear game plan. They didn't have one. Players looked unsure of their job. You can't go out and just wing it.
They needed some gile and bite in the middle of the pitch, they didn't have it. Both the players sat too deep. Gerrard is past it but was not dropped, that was a mistake and ultimately I think the downfall of England.
Rooney was man marked and was the only English player to be man marked. He had a shadow for the entire game, he was surrounded and isolated and cut off, and there was little other options. He was England's only source of creativity and with him taken out of the game at times, there was little anyone else could offer.
They needed to be hungrier and work harder then their opposition, they didn't.
As many teams without top players do, when they play together, they play greater than the sum of their parts. Yet when England play, as soon as they put on the jersey it has a negative impact on them, all because the pressure is just so unmanageable.
England need to wake up, they need to accept the fact that they're not a top team, the sooner they do this, the sooner they lower their expectations, is when they will push on and do better.
England have a massive pool of players, and obviously some work needs to be done about how players are developed, but they either need to accept the fact that English players will never prosper in England while so many of the teams are dominated by foreign players, not just the top teams, but mid table teams.
Or do something about it.
But the attitude surrounding this English team will always be their downfall.
