Algeria defender Madjid Bougherra has criticised England's performance against his team on Friday.
Algerian believes England will still make it
Algeria defender Madjid Bougherra has criticised England's performance against his team on Friday, stating they 'did not play like a team'.
Fabio Capello's men appeared to be a shadow of the team that breezed through their qualifying campaign, failing to find any sort of creative spark or cohesion as they laboured to a lifeless, goalless draw.
In a game that appeared to demonstrate the Three Lions' regular inability to perform at the highest level, England's lack of ideas and suspect temperament came to the fore again as Wayne Rooney issued a public outburst at television cameras at supporters booing the team, and Capello failed to make any significant differences with his substitutions.
Rangers centre-back Bougherra was part of a solid, but rarely tested backline for the Algerians, and he admitted that England did not look together in their approach to the game.
"England did not play like a team," he said.
"They have good players but for me they were very low.
"But I still think they can qualify for the second round. Then you can see the best of them.
"I don't think many people thought England would draw with us.
"People thought Algeria were nothing.
"It was just minimal respect, although I could understand it."
Big team
Despite England's lacklustre start to the tournament Bougherra admitted that he felt they still had the quality to qualify, with Capello's side needing to beat Slovenia on Wednesday to have any chance of making the last 16.
"England will do the job," he added.
"They are a big team with big players and they are expected to win every game. That is the pressure they are under.
"But they have the experience to deal with it and sometimes, even when you qualify at the absolute minimum level, the confidence comes flooding back.
"That is what I believe will happen with England. Then I can only hope Algeria win as well to go through with them."
