Remember when England/Germany meant something? Two rivals, on and off the field, the fixture has always brought a certain cache. Yankees Don Larsen Jersey . The history. The footballing pedigree. Some of the biggest names the game has ever seen. The match has always been a statement of intent, with bragging rights on the line between nations no stranger to hostility. The two nations domestic leagues are arguably the most entertaining and watchable in the world. Yet, the quality and play of the national teams are polar opposites. Even now, an England-Germany fixture sizzles on the surface. Until the teams hit the field. A match buried amidst European World Cup qualification playoffs saw a German B team handily beat Englands first team 1-0 Tuesday. The loss was Englands second of the International break and marked the first back-to-back home defeats for the Three Lions dating back to 1977. A friendly is a friendly. You take what you see with a grain of salt, but that doesnt mean true class cant shine through. The way a team plays trumps the scoreline in such a contest. Take for example Brazils 2-1 win over Chile at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Tuesday night. It was a purposeful victory from a team with true ambition. Quality oozed from every move. Luiz Felipe Scolari and his side treated the game as much more than merely a spectacle, this was preparation to contend in 2014. The term "business like" wouldnt do the team justice, no matter who is wearing yellow, each player filled a role and the talent shone through within the context of team-first. The ball movement superior, the team effort near complete. England meanwhile was blasé, failing to threaten throughout. Sound familiar? An England team lacking cutting edge and precision, weve seen it all before. This isnt to compare England and Brazil. Perhaps its somewhat relevant considering England is a spot better, ranked 10th in FIFAs World rankings. Its perception versus reality; England is simply and thoroughly mediocre. Manager Roy Hodgson pointed to Englands inferior passing and finishing as the difference in the loss. Hes absolutely right. The lack of quality in these areas has plagued the team for decades. And even when the team had a finisher like an Alan Shearer, they were missing consistent build-up play and team identity. Nothing has changed in 2013. Remember, this was wasnt Germanys first team were talking about and still, England was out-classed. At home. As tweeted by Rob Harris (@RobHarris) of the Associated Press:"Im going to be an optimist about this" - the tune rings out in Wembley after Englands first consecutive home loss in 36 years. The upbeat lyrics from the track Pompeii by Bastille were preferred to the bands other hit song Flaws. There is very little to be optimistic for England supporters heading into Brazil. Unless the December 6th World Cup draw renders a group with Switzerland, Iran and Algeria, England will be in tough to progress. Even if they do advance, then what? Its plain to see this team is as second rate as other England out-fits dating back to 1990. The team was booed off the field after the final whistle from the remaining beleaguered voices at Wembley. They know this team isnt good enough and if it wasnt for an inferior qualifying group, England could very well have been taking part in a playoff match Tuesday, or even worse. Its the same song and dance for the national team. The domestic league thrives while the supposed best of the best cant get out of first gear internationally. These are the same players that thrive in the most competitive domestically league in the world. The England side boasts one of the joint top goal scorers in the Premier League and two of the joint top assist-men. These are important players for the biggest clubs in England. Yet when they come together for country, the result falls short of club form. Its nonsensical when pundits suggest the downfall in the development of English players is due to too many foreign players in the Premier League. This excuse needs to stop. The jobs of top English players arent being threatened by a foreign legion. Thats an excuse saved for those not good enough. Top English players star, and play alongside top foreign recruits in the BPL. 15 players active in Tuesdays European World Cup playoffs ply their trade in the Premier League. Six Brazilians taking centre stage at the Rogers Centre belong to Premier League teams as well. Ive always been of the mindset you become a better player by playing with the best competition possible. In training and in games, you need to be pushed. These foreign players bring the best out of their English brethren and it cant be said foreign Premier League players regularly outshine their English teammates in league play. But internationally, theres no comparison. Blame Englands system and formation instead. A basic 4-4-2 is constantly mindlessly rolled out, no matter the manager. Its predictable, boring, and doesnt suit the strengths of the players. Englands top player Wayne Rooney is misused and significant talent available is wasted. Without a generational type player like Cristiano Ronaldo, its about putting players in roles they can thrive. This boils down to identity. A national footballing identity for England is absent. What is trademark of England football? It used to be the unattractive long-ball, which fit the size and strength of the players of previous generations. This current generation is lost, there is no continuity. Coaching is part of this. Englands shortage of top qualified coaches, 1,161 elite coaches in comparison to Spains 12,700 or Germanys 5,500 speaks volumes. They simply dont know how to get the best out of what they have. Ill give Hodgson some credit: although the style remains as dry as the Sahara and unimaginative as ever, younger players are getting a look. Case and point is the bright play of Andros Townsend, but hes still relatively unproven and far from a difference maker. There was too much reliance in the past on the old guard. No longer are John Terry and Frank Lampard among others the key cogs and thats a good thing. Only Steven Gerrard remains. Although Gerrards club form warrants consideration, the Captain doesnt provide the same product for the national team, he never has. So here we are. Just over six months out from the World Cup, and the bar has lowered for England. It perhaps has not been lowered for the English media. And perhaps expectations remain sky-high for those choosing to ignore the inevitable. The realist looks beyond who plays for England, instead acknowledging the what and how is not good enough. The bar need be lowered. This international break has done just that. Now if we can just keep this in mind come June. @WheelerTSNgareth.wheeler@bellmedia.ca Yankees Dellin Betances Jersey . - Anthony Beauvillier had the winning goal in the third period as the Shawinigan Cataractes edged the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 2-1 on Wednesday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League play. Yankees Gleyber Torres Jersey . Hes even holding a bat on one of his 2014 baseball cards. So far, hes playing like his picture. http://www.cheapyankeesauthenticjerseys.com/?tag=yankees-didi-gregorius-jersey . Tyutin has missed the last nine games with an ankle injury which occurred while playing for Russia at the Olympics. The top-two defenceman has four goals and 20 assists, 30 penalty minutes and a plus-6 rating in 53 games with Columbus this season.Glendale, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - Drew Stanton threw touchdown passes to Michael Floyd on the first two drives of the game and the Arizona Cardinals held on to beat the Detroit Lions 14-6 on Sunday. Stanton stepped in again for Carson Palmer, who was lost for the season after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee last week. His touchdown throws of 42 and 12 yards to Floyd in the first nine minutes of the game stood up as the NFL-leading Cardinals (9-1) pushed their winning streak to six, their longest since 1977. Its the first time the franchise won nine of its first 10 games since the Chicago Cardinals went 11-1 in 1948. Matt Prater kicked two field goals for the Lions (7-3), who had a four-game winning streak snapped -- their longest since a 5-0 start to the 2011 season. A key play came early in the fourth quarter when a bizarre 49-yard punt return by Detroits Jeremy Ross was called back after Arizona successfully challenged that Justin Bethel had downed the ball at the 1-yard line. Bethel, after racing back to keep the punt out of the end zone, snagged it in front of the goal line and threw it back into play, where Ross caught it and returned it past midfield. The Lions failed to convert a 4th-and-2 from the Arizona 47 on the drive and then punted on their last possession with under three minutes left. Arizona picked up one first down on Stantons 11-yard pass to Larry Fitzgerald and kneeled out the remaining time, improving to 6-0 at home. Stanton was 21-of-32 passing for 306 yards and threw two interceptions in hhis career-high fourth start of the season. Yankees Luis Severino Jersey. He completed passes to 10 different receivers. Detroits Matthew Stafford threw for just 183 yards with an interception, but set an NFL passing record during the game. He became the quickest quarterback to reach 20,000 yards, doing it in 71 games -- three fewer than Hall-of-Famer Dan Marino needed for the Miami Dolphins in the 1980s. Calvin Johnson had five catches for 59 yards in his second game back from an ankle injury. Floyd caught Stantons 42-yard touchdown pass in the front right corner of the end zone 2:58 into the game despite pass interference from cornerback Cassius Vaughn. Robert Hughes 49-yard reception helped set up Floyds 12-yard touchdown catch to give the Cardinals a 14-0 lead less than nine minutes into the game. Prater kicked a 50-yard field goal at the other end for Detroits first points and the Lions intercepted Stanton twice in the second quarter. Josh Bynes pick led to a punt, but Vaughn returned his 25 yards to help set up Praters 28-yard field goal with 25 seconds remaining in the first half to get the Lions within 14-6. Game Notes The 31-year-old Fitzgerald had two grabs for 33 yards and became the youngest receiver to reach 12,000 career yards behind Randy Moss ... Andre Ellington had 19 carries for 42 yards for the Cardinals, who go on the road to face division foe Seattle next week ... The Lions play New England on the road next week ... The Cardinals won six in a row from Oct. 16-Nov. 20, 1977. Jerseys NFL China Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys From China Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale China Jerseys NFL Jerseys China Discount Soccer Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys China China NCAA Jerseys Cheap Cheap Nike Dolphins Jerseys Cheap Nike Patriots Jerseys Cheap Nike Jets Jerseys Cheap Nike Bengals Jerseys Cheap Nike Browns Jerseys Cheap Nike Steelers Jerseys Cheap Nike Texans Jerseys Cheap Nike Colts Jerseys Cheap Nike Jaguars Jerseys Cheap Nike Titans Jerseys Cheap Nike Broncos Jerseys ' ' '