The words used by journalists to describe England's performance against Japan yesterday afternoon do not seem to have differed greatly from those used regarding the game against Mexico. "Unconvincing", "sloppy" and "labourious". Hardly encouraging words as we head into the final preparation time before the first game against the USA, but there are some positive things to come out of this game, which I will discuss later.
But first, the game itself. Capello decided to choose a different starting line-up to the one he chose against the Mexicans. He went with the standard 4-4-2 formation, with Rooney starting alongside Bent. Capello chose to unusually put Lennon in an unfamiliar position on the left, with Walcott on the right instead of using Joe Cole, an out-and-out left winger. Lampard started the game, with Gerrard on the bench. Tom Huddlestone got a chance to play alongside the Chelsea midfielder. The back 4 was probably the only part of the team that seemed to resemble the first choice back 4 that looks likely to play against the US. Ferdinand was partnered with Terry, with Cole on the left and Johnson on the right. David James was given the goalie gloves for the first half and he was immediately put to work when Japan were awarded a free kick from which they scored the first goal of the game. The Brazilian-born centre back Tulio lost his marker in the 7th minute and smashed the ball into the back of the net. This came as a shock to the England players who had dominated possession before the set piece, and England's confidence took a knock as they failed to get into any kind of rhythm. Japan were inspired with confidence by their goal and they pushed forward in a far more organised fashion, unsettling England even more. Lennon had a fantastic chance to level the scores mid-way through the first half, after a great through pass by Rooney but could only aim it at the keeper. After that chances were few and far between; England's performance became flat and they went into half-time 1-0 down.
With the beginning of the second half, came a whole host of substitutions (5 to be precise) and a change of formation. This time Capello brought on Gerrard for Huddlestone, Hart for James, Carragher for Johnson and finally, Joe Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips for Walcott and Bent. Lennon switched back to his preferred position on the right, with Gerrard reunited with Lampard in the centre of the park and Wright-Phillips playing on the left. Joe Cole played in just behind Rooney. This new formation brought with it a change in tempo and England began to play at a much faster pace. England pushed forward and began to create chances and were rewarded with the opportunity to equalise in the 56th minute, when Honda inexplicably palmed the ball away with his hand from England's free kick. Lampard was the first choice penalty taker; after missing against Portsmouth in the FA Cup, the pressure was on for the Chelsea man. He missed. It wasn't a great penalty and the Japanese keeper, Kawashima guessed right to make the save.
The frustration of missing the penalty and the failure to equalise got to some players, notably Rooney who began to lose his temper. Japan then created several chances to go 2-0 up but England were kept in the game, thanks to some magnificent saves from Hart, including a brilliant fingertip save from Marimoto. Whilst the England keeper impressed at one end, the Japanese keeper did the same at the other, saving superbly from a curved Rooney shot. And it wasn't until the 72nd minute that Kawashima had to pick the ball out of his net, after one of his own players had unwittingly levelled for England following Joe Cole's cross into the box. Cole did well to create space down the right and the unfortunate Tulio ended up scoring at both ends. Capello then took Lennon off and replaced him with Heskey, thus reverting back to a 4-4-2 formation with Joe Cole slipping in back on the left wing in front of clubmate Ashley Cole. Wright-Phillips switched to his favoured position on the right.
With the rain chucking down, players were slipping and sliding about everywhere and the game was speeded up as the ball zipped about with pace. England adjusted their pace with the conditions and soon went 2-1 up in the 83rd minute. The goal was identically opposite to the equaliser. It was crossed in by the other Cole, this time on the other side of the pitch, and put into the back of the net by Japan's other central defender. It is safe to say that England were decidedly relieved to see it go in however symmetrical it may have been to the previous goal. But it was pretty cool symmetry nonetheless. Heskey had a beaut of a chance to make it 3, when Gerrard delightfully crossed in the ball in the 88th minute but it was another big miss for the big man who has now not scored for England in about a year. Gerrard gave everyone a scare when he hobbled off the pitch at full-time but the England medical staff have played down any fears and have said it is just a minor cause for concern.
So what will Capello be thinking ahead of revealing his final 23?
Well, I said there were some positives to take from the game. The fact that England were playing badly and still managed to scrape a win is definitely something worth noting. Also, Capello showed he wasn't afraid to shake things up a bit if things weren't going as planned, with the change of formation. The change in shape showed that Capello is able to accommodate Gerrard, Lampard and Cole all at the same time. Joe Hart made some fantastic stops and Gerrard and Lampard showed that they could work well together without Barry. Also, it is important to remember that the team that played in Graz is not the one that Capello will employ in the finals; the final 11 will have had time to adapt and adjust to each other and will not have to accommodate so many subs or changes. The whole mentality of the team will be different too, as they won't be playing in any more friendlies but in the real thing. Finally, playing at altitude didn't seem to have too much of an impact on the players, so it looks as though it won't be too much of a problem in South Africa.
There are however some concerns. For example, penalty taking. Capello must be a little worried about it inwardly but he has stated that he will not change the order of takers; implying that Lampard will still be first-choice. In a way, it's best to miss now than later, but Lampard's recent misses must be preying a bit on his mind. Also, it is clear that England must defend better on set pieces. I am sure that they will work on this in training but Tuilo managed to lose his marker pretty easily and score the first goal. England are sure to be punished if this issue goes unresolved.
So: it was not quite the 6-0 drubbing that England gave Jamaica before setting off for Germany in 2006 but luckily for England, these performances don't count for much. It is in South Africa, where they must make their mark.
Here's my prediction for the final 23: (the official, final list comes out tomorrow)
Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Manchester City), David James (Portsmouth), Robert Green (West Ham).
Defenders: Jamie Carragher (Liverpool), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Ledley King (Tottenham), John Terry (Chelsea), Matthew Upson (West Ham).
Midfielders: Gareth Barry (Manchester City), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Tom Huddlestone (Tottenham), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham), James Milner (Aston Villa), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City).
Forwards: Peter Crouch (Tottenham), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham), Emile Heskey (Aston Villa), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United).
NB: Providing Gareth Barry is deemed fit to play.
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