Gérard Houllier lays the blame for England's World Cup demise at door of Wayne Rooney

Houllier, technical director of the French Football Federation, insisted England's stars failed to deliver and singled out the Manchester United striker, who struggled throughout, for individual criticism.
"Probably the key to understanding why England didn't perform at the World Cup is that the top players didn't do as well as we could expect them to," he said.

"I'm thinking mainly about Wayne Rooney. He's an outstanding player but whether he was tired or wasn't in good shape I don't know. If Rooney, who for me is a top player and finisher, had scored a few more goals maybe...
"If you look at the teams with one or two top finishers – Germany, Holland or Spain – they usually go forward. Uruguay went so far because of Diego Forlán."
Houllier insisted the benefits of a winter break, which England manager Fabio Capello said was needed in the Premier League following England's exit in the second round, were made clear by the identity of the semi-finalists.
"Of the teams that reached the semi-finals, Germany, Holland and Spain had a break of at least two weeks over the Christmas period or new year," he said.