England 2 Japan 1

First-half

Fabio Capello fielded a slightly surprising starting XI against Japan with Theo Walcott and Aaron Lennon on the right and left flank respectively, with Darren Bent paired with Wayne Rooney in attack. Japan obtained a goal advantage after six minutes following a well-worked corner: the ball was played to the near post by Endo, and Tulio Tanaka met it ahead of Glen Johnson to drill home. England performed adequately for the rest of the half without shining. Japan were tidy in possession but created little of note from open play, although Okazaki did outmuscle Rio Ferdinand on the edge of the box to create an opportunity. England’s best chance fell to Aaron Lennon following a nice through-ball from Rooney, but (on his less favoured left-foot) Lennon shot tamely at the keeper.

England adopted a different approach in the second-half with Capello making five substitutions. A 4-2-3-1 approach was now deployed with Joe Cole behind Rooney, Wright-Phillips on the left, Lennon on the right, and Steven Gerrard joining Frank Lampard in central midfield. Some assertive play from Wright-Phillips led to England winning a free-kick just outside the box. Lampard’s subsequent shot was handled by the Japanese defence. But from the penalty spot, Lampard scuffed his effort a little and it was saved by Kawashima. An equalizer was eventually scored, when Joe Cole made a sprightly run down the right; his good cross was turned in by Japanese defender Tulio Tanaka.

The approach was changed again with 15 minutes to go with the introduction of Emile Heskey for Aaron Lennon, which pushed Joe Cole out to the flank. England then found a winner, with an Ashley Cole cross finding the net via defender Nakazawa.

Second-half

The victory helps England to enter World Cup 2010 in high spirits. Following an excellent qualification campaign they have won their three friendlies this year. This wasn’t a particularly spirited performance and it took two own-goals to obtain the victory. But there were enough sparks of imagination to suggest that the team have not regressed. The 4-2-3-1 worked reasonably well for 30 minutes in the second period, but I think Rooney will have a strike partner in South Africa. Whilst Lampard and Gerrard have been used in tandem in central midfield before, this is the first time they have been used together behind another midfielder. They both performed well enough, but Gerrard’s best work was when he found himself in advanced positions, and in more meaningful fixtures his freedom could be curtailed if used in similar fashion again. If Barry is back, or Tom Huddlestone is trusted by Capello, then Gerrard should start on the left for England against USA. [Selected player ratings below.]

6 Steven Gerrard: Broke forward assertively into some dangerous positions and used the ball well.
6 Frank Lampard: England’s most accomplished player in the first-period; his powerful forty yard free-kick summed up his confident approach.
6 Joe Cole: Looked bright and offers England an extra dimension; his good run and cross led to the equalizer.
6 Wayne Rooney: Some good link-up play and one excellent curling shot showed that he should be on form for South Africa.
6 Tom Huddlestone: A couple of ponderous moments and some misplaced passes, but there were also some good tackles and he generally moved the ball well.
6 Joe Hart: Cut a confident figure and made some good saves.

5 John Terry: A couple of nervy moments early in the game, but otherwise secure.
5 Rio Ferdinand: Outmuscled on one occasion, but like Terry he seemed generally untroubled.
5 Ashley Cole: Out of position for a cross which fell to Morimoto – but his cross led to the winner.
5 Aaron Lennon: Made little impression in the first-half; he improved a little when moved to the right in the second period.
5 Shaun Wright-Phillips: Some assertive involvement on a couple of occasions meant that he was possibly England’s best winger on the day.
5 Glen Johnson: Given the slip for the goal, but otherwise OK.
5 Jamie Carragher: A secure alternative to Johnson.

4 Theo Walcott: Heavily marked by Japanse defenders, he made little impression.
4 Darren Bent: Failed to make the required impression.