Was Dutch linguist Steve McClaren or England's most fluid of elocutionists, Fabio Capello, in charge tonight?
Can England's players understand their manager? Because absolutely nothing has changed. Is it their fault, or the managers?
Capello's English is still not up to scratch, judging by his latest press conference. Nor, however, are his tactics. He's repeating the mistakes of McClaren, and Sven Goran Erikkson for that fact.
Steven Gerrard on the left wing. Mistake. Why? England's all-round best player is being punished for being England's all-round best player. No one else is capable of playing on the left, but Gerrard can do it all. Stick him out there.
Joe Cole, on the bench until the 65th minute. Mistake. Why? Yes he's right footed, but at least he's been playing on the left for years. When he came on he partnered Emile Heskey (another mistake) up front.
David Bentley, on the bench until the 75th minute. Mistake. Why? Cocky or not, Bentley is England's most confident player right now, our most direct and creative. He's prepared to take player's on, and has a delivery that easily matches Beckham's. Bentley has the type of footballing mind whereby he is so comfortable, he seems to be moving slower than the defender he ghosts past.
I can't believe he isn't playing 90 minutes. When he does come on, he's playing alongside Heskey and Jenas. How's he supposed to build an understanding with the likes of Rooney and Lampard?
As for Beckham, all I will say is compare the guy in 1999 to now. He hasn't got the energy or pace anymore. His best crosses were always on the run from the byline. The balls he delivers now are always from deep, harmless positions.
Most damning of all, where are Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor? Not even in the squad. When we are talking about an England team lacking structure and balance, those two are surely the most likely to cure this chronic problem. But we don't know because, in our most crucial friendly before the qualifiers begin, they haven't played.
What did we possibly learn tonight? That manager and players alike, do not know how to progress this team.
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