Japan 1 - 2 England

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.

Wembley's (Mexican) Wave Off...

'Unconvincing' was the word used by most journalists to describe England's performance during last night's friendly against Mexico. Would I agree with that? Well, to an extent I guess so. Mexico are a good side and there is no doubt that they gave as good as they got, especially in the first half, yet England still managed to score 2 and then another early on in the second half. But a win is still a win and clichéd though it may be but, sometimes even the best teams have to win unconvincingly if they are to have a stab at winning some silverware come the end of the season, or in this case, tournament. It's true - last night's match will have certainly given Capello a lot to consider, on top of what he already has to think about in terms of final squad selection. But perhaps it's better that the issues are addressed now, rather than during the tournament itself...

So last night's final game at Wembley (well until September anyway) was a chance for the England players to force their way onto the team sheet. The Chelsea players and David James were given a rest after their FA Cup tie and this meant that Capello started with a somewhat unfamiliar but not inconceivable line-up. He chose Ferdinand to pair with Ledley King at centre back and opted for Leighton Baines as left back in place of first-choice Ashley Cole. In midfield, he put Gerrard out on the left with Milner and Carrick partnering up in the middle and instead of using him as a sub, started with Crouch alongside Rooney up front.

To their credit Mexico played well, keeping possession for a large part of the first half and creating several chances. Robert Green did his World Cup hopes no harm, saving well from Vela on two occasions. Mexico continued to create chances and attack despite a 17th minute header from King from a set piece. You would have thought that this would have settled England nerves somewhat, but Mexico didn't allow England to get into any kind of rhythm and tried hard to expose defensive frailties particularly down the left. Leighton Baines was caught with the ball more than once in the first half. With England ruffled, Gerrard was forced to push into the centre, leaving the left wing far more prone to Mexican attacks. It wasn't a good balance. But England made good of another set piece to get the second goal albeit one that was offside and looked to have come off Crouch's arm. But still Mexico kept on pressing forward and England was forced to sit back and defend. And for all their possession, Mexico were rewarded with a goal seconds before the half-time whistle. It was one which exposed England's defensive weaknesses again and despite Baines' goalline clearance, his rebound went straight to West Ham's Guillermo Franco who slotted the ball past his club keeper, Rob Green.

Capello made 3 changes before the second half got underway, bringing on the recently returned Jamie Carragher for Ferdinand, taking off Green for Hart and replacing Crouch with Defoe. Gerrard also swapped positions with Young PFA's Player of the Year, James Milner and this suited England's style much better. Not only was Gerrard more comfortable in the centre, which is undoubtedly his best position, but the team in general were a lot more at ease with the ball and in going forward. Indeed, Glen Johnson scored within minutes of the restart after Theo had kept the ball in play. Johnson took the ball past three defenders before unleashing a spectacular shot. It was a super goal and pretty much killed off any chance the Mexicans had of recovering from their deficit. The rest of the game continued with chances at both ends however Hart was not kept as busy as Green had been in the first half. We didn't see too much of Defoe but the late Man City sub, Adam Johnson impressed and looks to be a good prospect.

There is definitely a lot for Capello to mull over after this game and no doubt his decisions have been made a lot harder after last night. I mean, for instance, I have no idea now which keepers he will take with him. It's going to be a close call. Also, he is still waiting on Gareth Barry to prove his fitness. It was announced today that Capello will give him another week to get fit before he decides whether to take Barry or not. We didn't see any of the Chelsea players in action; Joe Cole's place doesn't look certain so he will be keen to get on the pitch against Japan come Sunday. Capello will also want to sort out the midfield so it doesn't get as imbalanced as it did in the first half. There were some positives to come out of the game as well. For example, it is clear that England are capable of getting goals and making the most out of their set piece opportunities even if they are not playing particularly well. Capello will be looking to improve on other areas of their play at their training camp in Austria.

So: maybe the England performance last night wasn't the best but several key players were missing and Capello still has a while to fiddle around with his team and work out what would be the best combination. He has the match against Japan on Sunday to come which will be played at altitude in the Austrian Alps; it will be quite interesting to see what effect, if any, altitude has on the players. The game against Japan will be Capello's last chance before he has to make his mind up and with other managers already whittling their teams down to the final 23, Capello will want to make sure he has done everything possible to ensure that the final 23 will be his best 23.

Elsewhere:

The hosts, South Africa, drew 1-1 with Bulgaria.

Ronaldo's Portugal surprisingly drew a blank against the 117th ranked Cape Verde Islands.

South Korea beat England's next opponents, Japan, 2-0.

The 'Battle of the South' saw Australia beat their neighbours, New Zealand two goals to one.

And Argentina smashed 5 past Canada.