Greatness

Another England match approaches and already the usual rubbish about the quality of the England team has started in earnest. It appears that a large number of England fans think their team is one of the top football nations in the world, a team that deserves to win at least one more World Cup. They even use words like “great”.

Great? According to what criteria?

This is a word which has been used with increasing ease in recent years when we are talking about the Spanish team, the English team, or even the Dutch team. Spain has just won a major tournament after forty-odd years of mediocrity, so let’s start with them.

In the 2006 World Cup they dominated a risibly weak group before bottling, as usual, against France. In the 2004 European Championship they went home after the first round.

In the 2002 World Cup they went out against lowly South Korea. According to the Spanish press, it was the referee’s fault, but then according to the Spanish press it always is. They should have scored four before the referee disallowed the goal; if he was so bad, how many goals did he take away from Spain? How many penalties did fail to award them from their many balls into the box?

In the 2000 European Championship they caved under the pressure and couldn’t score a penalty. And in the 1998 World Cup they lost to ... Nigeria. In 1996 they snuck through in the 84th minute only to be perhaps the only nation ever to lose to England on penalties. In 1994 they did reach the quarter-finals, but they had had time to practise because in 1992 they didn’t even go to the tournament.

Until very recently, Spain had one dodgy European Championship (watch the referee and the Russian goalkeeper) from over forty years ago and nothing else to show for their “greatness”. In the last six major tournaments they have gone home at the first time of asking twice. However, at least they have finally found their rhythm and beat all-comers to take the 2008 European Championship.

Their demolition of England recently underlined the gulf in class and suggested that if they can keep their heads the Spanish players really are on the way to greatness.

What have England done with their “greatness”? Ironically, it could be argued that they have a better record over the same time period than Spain, having reached three quarter-finals and one semi-final, losing three of those matches only on penalties and the other to Brazil. However, they also failed to qualify in 1994 and 2008, needed a play-off to go in 2000 and went out in the first round in 1992 and 2000. All England have to show for their prowess is just one dodgy World Cup from over forty years ago and nothing else to show for its supposed world dominance.

The same as yet another “great”, Holland, which has one European Championship from over twenty years ago, and nothing else. Even Greece has one of those. Since they won their only trophy, they have actually appeared in four semi-finals and three quarter-finals, losing four times on penalties, but they didn’t even qualify for the 2002 World Cup and did hardly any better in the last one. And if Cruyff’s team were so good, who won the World Cups of 1974 and 1978?

The ones who won were the ones who always win, the teams that really are great, the teams that have the best players, the ones who have the necessary quality and grit to do what’s needed on the day. Brazil, Argentina, Germany and possibly Italy are the great teams – add together what the other mentioned teams have won and they still cannot match what any of those four teams have won.

Am I being unfair? In the same period of time Brazil have won two World Cups and four Copa América and played two other finals (although the CA is played more frequently than the Euros), Italy has won one World Cup with a bunch of old men and played two other finals, Germany has won one European Championship and played three other finals and Argentina has won one Copa and played two other finals. Even France has won a World Cup and a European Championship and played one other final.

In total Brazil have five World Cups, Italy four, Germany three and Argentina two; between them they also managed to lose ten other finals. Even Uruguay has two World Cups.

In order to be great you have to win at least a couple of World Cups and dominate for a respectable length of time. For England to be great they need to win the next World Cup, the European Championship after that and then some. Then we can talk about greatness.

(I imagine they must mean “great” in comparison with “small” teams such as Northern Ireland, Nigeria or Croatia.)