The 90Minutes team had their shot at picking an England team, but it appears Fabio Capello isn’t a regular reader. The England manager’s side was different to that put forward by every one of our writers.
Other than Matthew Upson replacing the injured Rio Ferdinand, Capello sent out what you can assume is his ideal starting line-up (see below) for the game against Ukraine on Wednesday. But with the misfortune of Emile Heskey, Carlton Cole and Peter Crouch getting injured, his plans may have to change.
It was a convincing performance by England who dominated the game and looked sharp in front of goal.
Steven Gerrard put in a fine performance, loosely based on the left, and his interchange with Wayne Rooney showed the kind of fluency England fans aren’t accustomed to.
Lo and behold, Frank Lampard also put in a decent shift in the middle with Gareth Barry and scored a goal. So that eternal conundrum has been answered: against a really bad side, yes, it is possible for Gerrard and Lampard to play well together.
Slovakia were abject. As well as offering almost nothing going forward, they were poorly organized in defence. It was hardly a true test of England’s mettle.
So, has Don Fabio hit the nail on the head? Is Gerrard on the left and a big burly ball winner alongside Rooney the solution? Have we not been here before? Is Darren Bent the key to World Cup qualification?
Let us know your thoughts…
