After the dust settled on what was a lacklustre, entertainment devoid England performance against Montenegro, the knives, so tentatively put away after the victories against Bulgaria and Switzerland, were once again out in full force. This renewed national knife sharpening left me asking myself; were England as impotent and inept as the analysis suggests, or did we underestimate the newly-independent Balkan state?
Much has been made of Montenegro’s unflattering FIFA World Ranking position of 40th, both prior to, and in the aftermath of, the 0-0 draw, with some pundits exclaiming that this position is below the likes of Gabon and Burkina Faso, with the clear implication that England should easily brush aside the Montenegrins. However, this modest position in the rankings does not tell the full story. Having only gained independence from Serbia in 2006, its football federation was formally affiliated with UEFA and FIFA the following year, and having risen through the rankings over the last three years, Montenegro jumped thirty-three places to 40th in September 2010 after impressive results against Bulgaria, Wales and Northern Ireland. With the next rankings set to come out on the 20th October and a win and a draw against teams ranked 21st and 6th respectively during this month, the Montenegrin’s rise will continue unabated.
But ranking aside, should a sovereign state of only around 700,000 people be troubling England at Wembley? The immediate answer is no. But closer examination reveals a country with an admirable footballing tradition and a depleted England side still trying to find room in the closet for their South African skeletons. Even prior to independence Montenegro could boast several players of the highest calibre, including current Montenegrin FA president Dejan Savićević, who made over 100 appearances for AC Milan, and 1998 Champions League winner Predrag Mijatović. In the current crop of national team players, four play for teams competing in the Champions League and Europa League respectively. This may not seem many in comparison to England, but it shows that although Montenegro is relatively new at the world football table, they are by no means novices at the game.
This, combined with a manager in Zlatko Kranjčar who has managed at the very highest level, taking Croatia to the 2006 World Cup Finals, meant the diminutive Balkan state were by no means pushovers. Prior to the match against England, Montenegro hadn’t conceded a goal in over 360 minutes of football, and this run was extended further at Wembley. Unlike both Bulgaria and Switzerland, Montenegro set up as if a 0-0 draw was the most they could expect, especially without talisman and top scorer Mirko Vučinić, and were organised, robust and technically able enough to fulfil this task against an England side lacking in invention. Although the goalless draw isn’t the doomsday scenario many have painted it as, it did emphasise England’s inability to break down sides that park the proverbial team bus in front of the goal and brought to mind the Algeria game in the South Africa. Early goals against Bulgaria and Switzerland, combined with the more offensive tactics of said nations meant the Algerian scenario was not played out again until Montenegro visited Wembley, with an identical result.
All that said, the draw against Montenegro was a disappointing, but not a catastrophic, result, with the media assault on the England team in the wake of the match most probably emanating from somewhere in the middle of an underestimation of Montenegro, an overestimation of a depleted England, and the re-emergence of some repressed memories from a summer to forget.