2010 FIFA World Cup: An Empty Victory for England in Mexico Friendly

Soccer is all about winning matches, and England did manage to do that against Mexico at Wembley Stadium on Monday, but the performance was far from satisfactory.

The frustration was etched across England coach Fabio Capello's face, as his team failed to find any sort of fluency against a Mexico side that's expected to be one of the weaker teams at this summer's World Cup.

Despite the result—a 3-1 England win—which will at least have appeased the ever-critical English media, England did not play well.

In the first half, Mexico's unsung attackers were able to pass their way through the English defence with alarming ease. Had it not been for a couple of fine saves from Robert Green, Mexico could easily have had three first half goals.

It was England that made the early running in the goalscoring stakes, albeit with the aid of two set pieces. The opener came when a corner was headed back across goal by Peter Crouch, and headed home by stand in centre back Ledley King.

The scoreline did not reflect the balance of play, and Mexico continued to enjoy more quality possession. Theo Walcott saw a lot of the ball on the right wing, but the young winger found himself all too easily brushed off the ball by the attentive Mexico defenders.

England added a second tally behind Peter Crouch, who has an excellent goalscoring record for his country, and scrambled the ball home after another corner. Mexico could consider themselves highly unfortunate to be two goals behind, and Carlos Vela could, and probably should've, pulled a goal back but was denied by some sharp goalkeeping from Green.

A goal would have been little more than Mexico deserved, and it arrived on the brink of half time when a corner was only partially cleared by Leighton Baines on the near post, and Franco poked home from an acute angle.

Mexico would have been the happier of the two sides at the end of the first half, after a disjointed England performance. While the hosts were without the Chelsea contingent of Ashley Cole, John Terry, and Frank Lampard, there were still enough first-team players on display to suggest England fans were in for a more coherent display.

The highly regarded James Milner was virtually anonymous in the central midfield position he covets. Steven Gerrard was forced out onto the left wing to accommodate Milner, and failed to impose his usual authority on the game, while the central defensive partnership of King and Rio Ferdinand went missing with alarming regularity.

Wayne Rooney, so outstanding in the Premiership, was never able to receive the ball in a dangerous area, let alone get on the end of a goalscoring opportunity. The midway break brought a spate of substitutions, with Capello looking to assess some of his squad players. Jamie Carragher, Jermain Defoe, and Joe Hart were introduce at the expense of Ferdinand, Crouch, and Green.

It was right back Glen Johnson who illuminated the game with a rare moment of magic soon after the interval. Johnson combined well with Walcott on the touchline, and cut inside before curling a left footed show beyond the despairing dive of the Mexico keeper.

England did start to find a little more rhythm, with Gerrard moved back into his familiar central role but clear cut chances remained at a premium. The game was disrupted by more substitutions, with England making the maximum permitted six and Mexico four.

It is difficult for a player to impress under these circumstances, but Aaron Lennon did more than most forcing Francisco Rodriquez to bring him down on the edge of the box after a dangerous burst of pace.

At the final whistle the stadium announcer proclaimed Johnson as the man of the match, presumably courtesy of his fine second half strike. It is difficult to think of another suitable candidate from the England side and, other than Green, Johnson was the only England player to emerge from the game with any real credit.

Crouch demonstrated that his mere presence can cause consternation amongst defenders, but England will not want to go into this summer's tournament being dependent upon the aerial prowess of Crouch for their goals.

Once the World Cup starts, only the results will matter and a two-goal win would be a more than satisfactory outcome from a match with Mexico. There is no room for complacency though particularly, as statistics show Mexico managed 16 shots while England could muster only seven.

If an England attacking unit which was close to full strength could not create clear cut chances against Mexico, how is it going to fare against more experienced defenses in South Africa?

This is the question which Capello will be looking to answer in the few remaining pre-tournament friendlies. Joe Cole and Frank Lampard will increase the available attacking options, while Ashley Cole and John Terry should provide a little more stability at the back.

Against Mexico, Capello's highly-rated side lacked inspiration in attack, and organization on defense.

The Italian team will need to address these issues urgently if England are to make any sort of an impression in South Africa.