England once again find their level

England were left to rue their inaccuracy on penalties as they suffered a 4-2 penalty defeat to Italy after 120 goalless minutes in Kiev. Statistics never tell the full story but with a possession of 34%, joint with the damage Greece inflicted on Germany, and an average of 2.75 shots on target a game it is easy to see why England failed to trouble many teams.

That it took a penalty shoot-out to finally finish England off was indicative of some profligate finishing from Italy and the dogged determination of the England players. Sadly this seems the only trait that English players can excel at in international competition, and bravery and commitment are no longer enough to win a major tournament.

Roy Hodgson has come in and in the space of just ten training sessions done all that he can; make England harder to beat. Hodgson can do little about the scarcity of players brave enough to demand possession of the ball and was denied the presence of one who can, Jack Wilshire, through injury. But to suggest that Wilshire in midfield would have seen us dominating other teams in possession stakes is wildly optimistic and glosses over the deeper issues at hand.

The £750 million invested on Wembley Stadium still has a long way to go before it repays its outlay and the FA must be wishing that more of that money was invested in youth coaching. Other than Jack Wilshire there is a dearth of ball friendly midfielders in England set-ups and the FA are now several years behind other nations in their development programmes.

Germany completely overhauled their youth development eight years ago under Jurgen Klinsmann and Joachim Low, with the tacit approval of the Bundesliga, and their crop of midfielders at Euro 2012 reflects their philosophy. Until the Premier League agrees to a reduction of power and influence in England the FA and national set-up will continue to struggle. There needs to be a readdress towards the FA and the national side, but with the rampant financial success of the Premier League this looks increasingly unlikely.

England could quite easily have lost all four of their games at Euro 2012 and only dictated the majority of the play in one of them, against Sweden. There was no goal-line injustice or red card to rage against or hide behind this tournament. England were given a football lesson by the Italians and a revaluation of how England approach football will need to start soon. Past tournaments have provided the nation with a scapegoat or a reason to put off any major change. England’s meek exit this year may finally see an overhaul of a nation still clinging to 1966 as they finally move on. 

Crouchy's PFA shortlist

The PFA announced its five nominees for the 2011-2012 player of the season today, in; Robin Van Persie, Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Joe Hart, Wayne Rooney and Scott Parker.

Players in the Premier League were sent the obligatory form, asking for their team of eleven, young player and then player of the year. The process does have its flaws though. For one the votes were cast over three weeks ago, not every player bothers to complete the form and lastly footballers are not renowned for being the sharpest tools in the box. They are likely to just pick one of their mates or whoever had a good game that weekend.

You can't argue with Robin Van Persie's inclusion, in fact you shudder to think where Arsenal would be without his goals, and in the goalkeeping shoot-out Joe Hart probably has done more than Newcastle's Tim Krul and the veteran Brad Friedel.

Sergio Aguero has made the transition from Spain via Argentina exceptionally well this season, but then you'd expect that from most £40 million signings.

For me, the more surprising nominations are David Silva and Scott Parker.

Silva started the campaign superbly but has faltered since Christmas. Much of his early success was playing one-twos with Aguero, who's movement provided the perfect foil for the forward thinking midfielder, and the team has failed to sparkle when Silva links up with Dzeko and Balotelli.

His dip in form coincided with Man City's own trouble on the pitch, which confirms that the Spaniard is a key player for them but for me there are players who have played a bigger part in their teams season.

Scott Parker lost out on the PFA award last year, as Gareth Bale was awarded the honour, based on playing well in Europe a couple of times and getting marked out of games by Phil Neville (see what I mean about stupid footballers). Parker did receive the Football Writers award last season but his inclusion on this years short-list is a puzzler.

His arrival in Spurs midfield did springboard a remarkable unbeaten run for Harry Redknapp's side, but like much of the Tottenham squad, he has been unable to get them out of their current slump and has influenced games less. His rise to England captain against the Netherlands has helped his cause, and he now looks an integral part of England's midfield. Sadly though he hasn't done enough for me to warrant a nomination with other players having a key role in their teams fortunes.

Having got through the actual shortlist here are my nominations:

Clint Dempsey - The American has already had his best season for Fulham, with an incredible 21 goals in all competitions, and the bigger clubs are incredibly only just coming round to the fact that Dempsey could perform at a top four club. Many of the goals have come from a midfield role and in a Fulham side that are only in mid-table his efforts this season have been remarkable.

Antonio Valencia - The young Ecuadorian was a snip for Steve Bruce at £5 million and the resulting £16 million that United paid is looking cheaper and cheaper as the season draws to a close. Valencia has only consistently figured since January, after an injury, but his contribution from the right has played an integral part of United's mini revival in form as they've jumped City. The 26 year old boasts 13 assists and 12 goals in a injury hit season.

Jonny Evans - Other than United's defeat by Wigan and the 6-1 thumping by City (where Evans was red-carded at half time) Manchester United have failed to lose a game in the Premier League when the Northern Irishman has started. That record speaks volumes and Evans has seen off the two young England prospects, Smalling and Jones, to form an excellent partnership with England veteran Rio Ferdinand. Evans has had a superb season and his development has been a vital to United's run this campaign.

Juan Mata - The one signing that AVB actually wanted to make last summer, has had an excellent debut year in England and has been Chelsea's main creative force in a slow season. The Spaniard has adapted very quickly and is Chelsea's 'go-to' player; he can receive the ball, look up and create attacks with his range of passing and dribbling array. Plus he's made Frank Lampard look even more average, always a good thing.

Vincent Kompany - Kompany was nominated last year and I'm sure he will be in close contention for the PFA team of the year, but injury has seen him miss a crucial part of the run-in and in his absence the City defence looks vulnerable. City are at fault for not having an adequate replacement, but if Kompany had been fit all season Manchester City would not be chasing a five point gap at this stage of the campaign.

Tim Krul - Demba Ba might have taken the headlines, with 16 goals in the league for Newcastle, as they continue to surge up the table, but the presence of Krul in a surprisingly organised back four has been the base of Newcastle's season. Krul has two penalty saves this year and has made several other crucial reaction stops which has enabled Pardew's side to edge out close games.