Belarus 1 England 3

England started commandingly and Gerrard’s flexible positioning reaped early reward: Wayne Rooney brought the ball down 30 yards from goal under pressure from the Belarus defence; Gerrard cut inside to unleash a powerful measured shot into the corner of the goal. England lost coordination and purpose after this goal and allowed Belarus significant periods of possession for the remainder of the half. A goal had seemed likely before they eventually scored through Sitko after an impressive 23-pass move.

After the break Fabio Capello tweaked the formation somewhat with Gerrard positioned centrally behind Emile Heskey, with Rooney now the nominal left-sided presence. The team structure in this half perhaps bore closer resemblance to 4-2-3-1. Whatever it was it certainly worked! England contained Belarus with apparent ease in the second half and attained greater attacking freedom. Five minutes after the break, a strong challenge by Wayne Bridge on the left, followed by his quick throw-in, set Heskey on a run down the wing. Heskey’s cross found Rooney on the edge of the six-yard box and he finished deftly. Fifteen minutes from time, Gerrard and Rooney linked up well; the former played through a neat ball and Rooney finished impressively after rounding a defender. Gerrard could have extended the lead further but he hit the post after rounding Zhevnov the Belarusian keeper.

Despite the first-half sluggishness England won fairly comfortably and were impressive in the second period. The goals were well taken and Belarus, who had dominated much of the first-half, were unable to contrive an attack of note. Capello seems to be doing something right and his interventions during fixtures tend to have a positive impact. The switch in the second period shackled Belarus with Gerrard impeding nascent Belarusian attacks from his advanced central role.

Capello recognizes that international sides require two deep-lying central midfielders, but under 4-4-2 this can leave a gap between the midfield and forwards, offering the opposition a surfeit of space to build attacks. Frank Lampard and Gareth Barry both sat quite deep in their central midfield positions throughout this game, and were more commanding during the second-period with Gerrard more fixedly infield. Rooney filled the gap more on the left in the second-half but was still free to take up central positions when England had possession.

8 Wayne Rooney: Two well-taken goals and close to his international best.

7 Frank Lampard: A highly commanding display bolstering the midfield; his decision-making was always sound.
7 Steven Gerrard: Quiet for periods but an excellent goal and tidy assist should boost his confidence.
7 Emile Heskey: Led the line well and caused the Belarus defence problems.
7 Rio Ferdinand: England’s most commanding defender.
7 Wayne Bridge: Provided the ‘second assist’ for two of England’s goals and performed well considering he was on his own on the left for significant periods.

6 Matthew Upson: Secure enough and untroubled in the second period.
6 Wes Brown: Did well without much support on the right, although Sitko’s pace unsettled him occasionally in the first-half.
6 Gareth Barry: Plugged a gap without exerting much discernible influence.
6 David James: Sound enough when called upon; his most convincing display in the qualifiers thus far.

5 Theo Walcott: Only the odd glimmer in attack and weak defensively. He has time now to find his form again.

England 5 Kazakhstan 1

England: first-half

England overcame a further obstacle to qualification for World Cup 2010, but the experience was not as comfortable as the scoreline suggests. Fabio Capello arranged England under a 4-3-3 formation with Wayne Rooney and Theo Walcott on the flanks either side of Emile Heskey. Gareth Barry, Steven Gerrrard and Frank Lampard comprised the midfield trio. England toiled in the first half but appeared bereft of attacking ideas and created little of note. Walcott started brightly: he took on his marker with some success and also made space to dispatch a decent left-foot effort from just outside the box which sailed over the bar. However, he faded as the half progressed and England failed to muster attacking ideas from any other source.

Capello switched the formation to 4-4-2 in the second-half, bringing on Shaun Wright-Phillips for Barry. England looked more comfortable in the second period playing under this system. They went ahead early in the half when Rio Ferdinand headed in a Lampard corner. Kazakhstan caused England problems, however, particularly with the running of Kukeyev down the left and Nasserbayev through the middle. England managed to extend their lead though, when a Lampard free-kick was flicked by Kazakh defender Kuchma into his own net. The visitors did manage a reply but this was courtesy of an absurd crossfield lob by Ashley Cole which gifted Kukeyev clear site of goal and his shot beat David James.

England bounced back and took control of what could have become a nervy fixture. With about 15 minutes remaining Wes Brown provided a good cross from the right and Rooney headed powerfully home. Rooney added a further goal ten minutes later: he pounced inside the six yard box with the Kazakhstan defence in disarray following a free-kick from substitute David Beckham. Another substitute Jermain Defoe scored the fifth as full-time approached. He converted coolly after Heskey had played him through for a run at goal.

England: second-half

The score should not mask England’s deficiencies: they generally struggled to break down the Kazakhstan defence and three goals came from set pieces. England’s defence also experienced a few shaky moments with Cole having an evening to forget. England looked better in the second-half with a 4-4-2 formation and Rooney positioned centrally, and they deserve some credit for killing off a game which could have become tight and cagey.

It is perhaps England’s midfield which will attract the most scrutiny with perennial questions unresolved. In the second period both Lampard and Gerrard sat quite deep, with Walcott and Wright-Phillips advanced on the flanks. Lampard became increasingly effective in the second-half and was always tidy in possession. Gerrard also improved (after a poor first-half) and, whilst he was far from a marauding presence, his passing was generally neat and he played a couple of impressive long-range balls. However, we were reminded of the shortcoming of a Gerrard-Lampard axis on the hour mark of this fixture: Lampard challenged for a ball upfield, Kazakhstan broke and with Gerrard wrong-footed, Nasserbayev was allowed to commence a run which culminated at England’s goal-line. Against stronger opposition, the lack of a natural defensive midfielder could thus prove more costly.

7 Frank Lampard: Highly influential and two assists from set-pieces.

6 Wayne Rooney: Out-of-touch in the first-half but bagged two second-half goals.
6 Rio Ferdinand: Generally sound.
6 Matthew Upson: Jittery start but more composed as the game progressed.
6 Wes Brown: Defensively secure but little attacking presence – although he delivered for Rooney’s first.
6 Gareth Barry: Quietly capable with some decent distribution.
6 Emile Heskey: A bustling presence, but do England need a target man who can contribute the occasional goal?

5 Steven Gerrard: Poor in the first period, but more solid in the second.
5 David James: Still unconvincing.
5 Theo Walcott: Really bright for the first 20 minutes but faded badly.
5 Shaun Wright-Phillips: Provided some energy on the left, but usually expended down blind alleys.

4 Ashley Cole: An error-strewn performance.

Croatia 1 England 4

A 4-1 victory over Croatia should provide some much needed impetus to England’s World Cup qualifying campaign. It must be hoped that this triumph can help to dispel the nervous sterility which has underpinned displays over recent years.

England made a shaky start and experienced a few panicky moments at the back. However they improved as the half progressed, enjoying significant periods of possession and allowing Croatia little sight of goal. It was in fact England who made the breakthrough late in the half. A defensive blunder let in Theo Walcott: his diagonal shot across goal found the corner of the net.

If the key objective in the second-half was to retain this lead, this was soon revised following Robert Kovac’s dismissal for a reckless aerial challenge on Joe Cole. Croatia appeared to lose heart which enabled England to dominate the remainder of the game and pursue more goals. Walcott scored a second with another angled drive after being played in by Wayne Rooney. Rooney added a third himself but then, frustratingly, Croatia managed a consolation from a breakaway effort, although play should have been stopped for a high challenge on John Terry. Walcott’s final goal, completing his hat-trick, was perhaps the most pleasing: he retained his composure after a surging run at goal and slotted the ball left-footed under Pletikosa.

This was a good performance by England: they measured up to Croatia in the first-half and played with vigour and purpose. The desire to get carried away by this performance should be resisted though. It is likely that England were flattered by the conditions in the second-half, facing a diminished and dispirited Croatia. If Croatia had retained a full-side then the outcome could have been very different.

However, the future does look somewhat brighter following this win. In addition to three high quality goals, Walcott demonstrated pace and attacking verve on the right. It was refreshing to see an English right-sided midfielder taking on defenders near the goal-line, as the sight of a trademark Beckham ‘delivery’ from near the halfway line has almost become ingrained in the national consciousness. Walcott’s pace from midfield is a much needed addition to what has been England’s rather limited attacking repertoire. The defence also looked strong enough in this game, and up front Rooney and Heskey did enough between them to suggest that this is a combination worth developing. Capello seems to have provided a solid tactical framework from which England can progress. Whilst the details may require scrutiny, calls for root and branch change should be kept at bay – for the time being at least.

9 Theo Walcott: scored three and provided a key attacking outlet on the right. 

8 Wayne Rooney: not particularly influential in the first-half, but began to enjoy the space after Croatia went down to ten men.

7 Rio Ferdinand: Reassuring presence at the centre of defence.
7 Wes Brown: Untroubled at right-back.
7 Ashley Cole: Had a wobbly start but settled into the game to shackle Srna.
7 Frank Lampard: Highly efficient – and disallowed goal was quite special.
7 Emile Heskey: Toiled up front for the team, allowing others to shine.
7 Jermaine Jenas: Accomplished display, after coming on for the injured Joe Cole.

6 Gareth Barry: Steady enough but allowed Croatia space at times to run at the back four.
6 Joe Cole: Pretty anonymous in the first-half; injured early in the second.
6 John Terry: Some poor distribution and less commanding than Ferdinand.

4 David James: Inspired little confidence on the few occasions he was called into action.