NOT SINCE the pairing of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard at the 2006 World Cup had two Englishmen fail to click and proven so uncoordinated on German soil.
Luke Humphries and Luke Littler arrived in Frankfurt as the top two players in the world and red-hot favourites for the PDC World Cup of Darts.
Luke Littler and Luke Humphries early exit at the Darts World Cup emulated the fails of England’s Golden Generation[/caption]
Expectations were so high that they would be victorious that Phil Taylor was saying they should be given the trophy before a dart was even thrown in anger.
But World Cups can cause all manner of surprises and discombobulating displays – as England’s Golden Generation found to their cost 19 years ago.
Gerrard and Lampard were among the best midfielders of their era, goal-scoring machines for Liverpool and Chelsea.
Yet despite their god-given talents, it never really worked for them in tandem when they donned a Three Lions shirt.
Humphries and Littler are the best darts players of this era but they were crushed in their opening game by the Germans.
So, why didn’t it work? Why did it go so spectacularly wrong?
Well, underdogs Martin ‘The Wall’ Schindler and Ricardo ‘Pikachu’ Pietreczko rose to the challenge superbly, winning their second-round tie 8-4 on Saturday evening.
There is history between the two Lukes and pesky Pietreczko – Littler clashed with him at last year’s Belgian Darts Open, and Humphries gave it back to German fans at Ally Pally after he eliminated the Berlin-born star.
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The hostility that greeted the English duo when they walked out was unusual for darts – so, do not underestimate the impact that had on the No.1 seeds.
The noise was ear-splitting and we all know Littler has little time for Deutschland fans.
Twice before, in Berlin and Munich, Littler had been left unhappy with the reception he got from punters.
The previous time it had happened over Easter, he wrote on Instagram he was glad he would not be back in the country until Dortmund in October, seemingly forgetting all about the World Cup in June.
He might be the world champion and a global icon but we forget that Littler is still only 18.
The Nuke stormed off stage, albeit after shaking hands, and just like when he lost the Premier League Final to Cool Hand Luke, he shows his emotions whenever things go against him.
Teenage sensation Littler was out of sorts[/caption]
But as NFL legendary coach Vince Lombardi once said: Show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser.
Parallels could be made with another England midfielder, Jude Bellingham, who is a stellar talent but is prone to outbursts and temper tantrums in difficult moments.
Littler is not yet in that same league but this is a huge setback in his career – his first senior England appearance ending amid a cacophony of boos and regrets.
It was so deflating that, the day after they had been recognised in the King’s Honours List, Sky Sports pundit Wayne Marde joked: “How quickly can MBEs be taken away?”
What was telling was the observation made by Gerwyn Price, whose Wales side lost 10-9 to Northern Ireland in the final.
In one of the revealing interviews this year, the Iceman claimed “rubbish” England lacked “a connection” and had no “camaraderie off the stage”.
He said: “When all the teams first turned up on the first day, the only two players who didn’t turn up together, didn’t sit together, didn’t play as a team.
“You need to turn up together. You need to be as a team. You practice together, you sit together, it’s a team ethic.
“It didn’t show with England and it showed on the board. They are great players individually. But you need to be a team.”
Gerwyn Price revealed shock details about Littler and Humphries disconnection[/caption]
World No.1 Humphries and reigning world champion Littler are always so polite and respectful on stage, fist-bumping each other’s high checkouts.
But is it all a facade? Are they really as compatible off the oche as they make out? Can they ever put aside their fierce rivalry for this team format?
Humphries is 12 years older than Littler and is like a big brother but if Price is right, they will have to work on their connection in a team situation.
They came over to Germany as the bookies’ front-runners but were gone after 12 legs.
At least Gerrard and Lampard managed four games together at the 2006 World Cup before their quarter-final exit.
