England Give The Ball Away

Paul Wilson of the Guardian Unlimited examines Fabio Capello's threshold for poor football:

"In the first half especially, England's lack of composure when in possession was enough to make any self-respecting Italian blush. Capello laughed when he was asked if he had ever been in charge of a side that gave the ball away so often, but did not dispute the allegation. 'Everyone makes mistakes, I prefer to focus on the positives...I think we were nervous for some reason.' "

Nervous for some reason? Perhaps the reason they were shaky is that the players were being asked to keep the ball and it's clearly not something they are accustomed to.

Source > 10.02.2008