'England gave the ball away too quickly against Brazil'

Former England international and Liverpool great Phil Neal has blamed England's exit from the World Cup on the ineffective use of possession during the second half of their quarter-final 2-1 defeat to Brazil.

"For such a young squad, I think England have done very well. Obviously, it's easy to criticise after the team have gone out of the finals but I was disappointed by their second-half performance against Brazil," he said.

"I thought they gave the ball away far too quickly to the Brazilians, who were playing with 10 men. Sven-Goran Eriksson tried to change things around by bringing on three substitutes. He did that when England played Greece and qualified for the World Cup.

"However, this time it didn't work. England should have had more of an impact in the second half."

Neal, 51, is currently in Malta as guest of the Liverpool Supporters' Club Malta (LSC). Also on holiday is Neal's former team-mate David Fairclough, the first player to be nicknamed super-sub.

"At Liverpool, we pride ourselves on keeping the ball and strike on the break but England were unable to do the same against Brazil. Maybe, in the next four years, England will mature into a World Cup-winning team especially with the players from Manchester United, who have so much Champions League experience, and also Liverpool," Neal, who played at right-back, said.

Neal's view that England's poor use of possession on Friday in Shizuoka cost them a semi-final place was echoed by Fairclough.

"England did well," he said. "Back home, there was a lot of hope but I think the fans overestimated England's chances in this World Cup. There was a lot of confidence among the players but I think they failed to live up to expectations in the quarter-final clash with Brazil.

"Perhaps, the English squad has not yet fully adopted a continental style of football but Eriksson could lead them to that target in the coming years. However, I fear that he might not be around for the next World Cup," the Liverpool-born Fairclough, who played 153 games for the club and scored 55 goals, added.

A World Cup that will be best remembered for the shocks and surprises that sent almost all pre-tournament favourites tumbling out one by one, is now approaching its end with the semi-finals played today and tomorrow.

Of the remaining four nations, only Germany and Brazil represent World Cup tradition and order but they must contend with the challenge of surprise packages South Korea and Turkey for a place in Sunday's final.

Neal tipped Germany to go all the way.

"When Germany qualified for the World Cup through the play-offs, I did say that they cannot be written off. They have big-tournament players who can rise to the occasion as they have shown in the last couple of weeks. Korea have been very lucky to progress to the semi-finals.

"Turkey vs Brazil... the fact that Brazil have already beaten Turkey in a controversial manner in the first group match will drive the Turks to give a better performance but if I had to put my money on two teams, I would go for a Germany vs Brazil final," Neal, capped 50 times by England and the only Liverpool player to have played in five European Cup finals, said.

Fairclough, 45, also believes that Germany can never be underestimated but he tipped Brazil to win the World Cup.

"If all players are 100 per cent fit, I think Brazil have the best chance of winning the World Cup," he said.

Neal and Fairclough are part of the folklore of Liverpool FC after helping the club win so many honours, including four European Cups, in the most glorious period of the Kopites' history.

During his time with Liverpool, Neal won just about everything there was to win at club level, including eight League championships, four European Cups, four League Cups and a UEFA Cup.

However, the current Liverpool players have failed to emulate the feats of their illustrious predecessors over the last 13 years and are still looking for their first Premiership title.

More solid players

Last season, they were among the leading candidates only to be pipped by a more consistent Arsenal who did the double.

"I'd love to see Liverpool win the league after so many years," Neal said.

"Our manager, Gerard Houllier, needs to have more solid players in his squad to win the title. I mean, over the past few years we have brought in players with promise, the likes of Baros and Biscan, players who might happen.

"I believe that Liverpool have to go for players who can fit straight into the team. Senegal striker El Hadji Diouf has impressed during the World Cup and with him in the team, I think Liverpool can now even opt to play with three strikers."

Fairclough believes Liverpool can take courage from their improvement since Houllier took charge of the team but he also thinks that they have been relying too much on Michael Owen to score goals.

"It will be good if Liverpool can score more goals from other areas of the pitch," Fairclough said.

Fatigue and burn-out have been earmarked as the reasons behind the below-par performances and injuries suffered by players during the World Cup, leading to calls for the workload on players, especially those who ply their trade in Europe, to be reduced.

Neal, however, believes that teams should be able to cope with having to play many matches during a season.

"Players today have the best physiotherapists, doctors and other medical facilities. In football, you'll always have a problem with injuries because it's a physical game but players can cope with the number of games.

"In 1984, Liverpool played 68 games and then manager Joe Fagan used only 16 players. It's still possible to win trophies even when a team has to play several games.

"Today, clubs can bank on a greater pool of players... it's just a question of adjusting to the demands. There have been suggestions that the Premier League be reduced to 18 teams but even with less teams, players are still going to sustain injuries."

Fairclough was more supportive of the idea to reduce the Premiership to 18 teams.

"Players are being put under enormous strain, especially those who play almost every game for the big clubs," he said. "To reach the Champions League final, a team has to go through 17 games and that's like another mini-season. In time, the Premier League will be reduced to 18 teams and with UEFA laying greater emphasis on its competitions I reckon that eventually England will be forced to introduce a short break like most of the other Euro countries do."

Tomorrow evening, Liverpool fans will have the opportunity to meet Neal and Fairclough during a dinner at the Fortina Hotel, starting at 8 p.m. The event is being organised by the LSC.