England come from behind to see off Africans

Last-nights performance left a feeling of caution in me, as England eventually broke down African side Egypt to claim a 3-1 victory in a friendly at Wembley Stadium.

To say the first half was concerning is a severe understatement, it's been nearly 16 weeks since England last took to the field, and the performance suggested the players hadn't kicked a ball since that point. Egypt produced everything I expected, a well-drilled side, who counter-attacked at pace with the trickery of Mohammed Zidan leading the line. England posed limited threat in the first-half, with Rooney constantly having to drop deep to help out of the midfield who weren't doing their job, meaning Jermain Defoe was left isolated up-front with very little service. The central defenders, Terry and Upson, looked edgey and static at times, and whilst the Egypt goal was a well taken finish by Zidan, Upson, despite slipping, wasn't tight enough in Zidan in the first place. The full-backs, Brown and Baines, were offering very little service to their wingers, I can't recall Brown properly over-lapping until the 40 minute mark, and even when he did his distribution was poor to say the least. Baines had a solid enough game defensively, but I was disappointed not to see Stephen Warnock get some time on the pitch.
Theo Walcott had a simply absymal first-half, despite his pace, he rarely got the better of the opposition full-back, and when he did he proved once again he doesn't seem to have the cross that the likes of Milner and Wright-Phillips can bring. I can understand Fabio wanting to reward Theo for his recent improvement in form for Arsenal, but to say Walcott looked rusty and off the pace was an understatement. Gerrard didn't put in a bad shift, but he is so evidently wasted out there on the left when he is so much better in the centre. I know the long held theory is that Lampard and Gerrard can't play together, but I beg to differ, I personally think Gerrard would be more than capable of playing the holding role that Gareth Barry currently occupies, allowing Lampard to push on in a more offensive midfield role. I have to say though, I was impressed with Barry last-night, I thought he played the simple passes well and broke play down efficently, he would probably have been a close contender for MOTM for me along with Peter Crouch.

So the conclusions I took from the first-half......England need to play a target man alongside Rooney in June, something I highlighted before the game, and something I highlighted during the game. Having Crouch on the field doesn't only offer you a striker with a proven strike-rate at International level, but it offers you another dimension going forward, and it was no suprise to me that we looked far more dangerous and created far more when he entered the field. Another conclusion is that the full-back positions remain a concern. Personally, I think Ashley Cole will be fit in time for the World Cup to occupy the left-back position, but the right-back position is a position that nobody is really commanding at the moment. Johnson, for all he offers going forward is poor defensively. Wes Brown proved again yesterday he is completely out of his depth, and for me shouldn't even travel in June. Micah Richards and Gary Neville are two possibilities who didn't make last-nights squad, but whilst Richards's form has turned a corner recently after a torrid season last year, he, like Johnson concerns me defensively, despite being able to over-lap his winger well. Gary Neville is a full-back I still rate highly, his distribution is as good as most of the midfielders in the England squad, and whilst he lacks the pace that other alternatives offer, he reads the game tremendously well and is solid enough defensively. The problem with Neville is that he is prone to injury these days, and age isn't on his side. Nevertheless, if he's fit come selection I'd personally take him.

The second-half saw a different England, Lampard was rightly replaced at half-time, and Carrick came on and put in a very commendable performance. He broke play down well and regularly got the ball to the feet of Shaun Wright-Phillips to allow him to terrorise his opposition full-back, and the fact he brought the midfield together ment Rooney could push on more and pose more problems in the final third. I thought Milner looked useful when he came on, showing once again he has the balance of distribution and pace, and making him a very viable option for the World Cup. I was disappointed not to see Stoke's Ryan Shawcross get a run-out, but it's progress for Ryan, at least he's made the squad and put himself into Capello's thoughts.

So the performance and result as a whole.....well to sum it up simply, dreadful first-half, much improved second-half. I don't think anyone ever really thought England would lose the game, I certainly didn't, but the biggest concern to take from the game has to be how long it took England to get going before they started to get hold of the ball and cause Egypt's back-line problems. Up against superior opposition in June, in the shape of Brazil or Spain, you'd have to say we would probably find ourselves on the receiving end of a far less lenient scoreline at half-time should we dish up a performance like that. This England side is one that fills me with more confidence that it has for recent years, we have a manager who has a set mind-set on just how he wants to mould this England team, and his record as a whole since taking over has been impressive and encouraging. Let's just hope we can put in a more morale boosting shift against Mexico in 12 weeks, and give ourselves renewed hope of bringing the World Cup back to where it belongs come July.