England's Nerves Nearly Get the Better of Them

For 50 minutes at Wembley this evening, the fear, nerves, and lack of confidence that should have been dissipated by a storming performance in Croatia were rife in Fabio Capello's England side.

Passes that players would normally complete with aplomb were going astray. Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard failed to dovetail—again. In short, England were a side that seemed to be waiting and hoping for something to happen, rather than making it happen.

If they were up against one of the hard-hitters of the international scene, this might be understandable. Against a young Kazakhstan team, it was unforgivable.

Maybe that is a touch harsh on the Kazakhs. They played with grit and determination, challenging for every ball, and forced England into unforced errors early on. And their 'keeper had a miniature mullet, which is always nice to see.

Unlike Samson though, his hair did not give him strength, as he flapped at a corner early in the second half, allowing Rio Ferdinand to head home. A welcome relief for Capello's men, who trudged off at half time with a fair bit of booing in their ears.

An own goal doubled England's tally soon after, before the boos started up again, this time aimed at Ashley Cole. His careless ball, played in the general direction of David James, was pounced upon by Kukeyev, who calmly slotted home.

For the next 15 minutes Cole, not the most admired footballer in the land to start with, was treated with derision at his every touch of the ball.

The exact opposite could be said of David Beckham after his introduction in place of Theo Walcott. The crowd cheered whenever he received the ball, and as cameo roles go, his wasn't a bad one. His delivery from out wide remains as good as ever, and he was later to set up England's fourth goal.

As for Walcott, he failed to build on his three goal performance in Zagreb, with sometimes poor decision making. However, a few scintillating runs did remind us of what a talent he is, and will be in the future.

A couple of goals for Wayne Rooney and a late strike from his replacement, Jermain Defoe, rounded off the game for England. A scoreline of 5-1 may have flattered England slightly, but once the goals started to flow, it was evident that the players were enjoying their football again.

So, what would Fabio Capello have ascertained from the match?

Well, unless those glasses of his are rose-tinted, he would have seen that Gerrard and Lampard simply do not work together as a partnership in midfield. They are too similar and as a result of that they want to be in the same place at the same time. Lampard emerged from the game with more credit on this occasion, as Gerrard's ball retention (and not for the first time in an England shirt) was poor.

He will also have come to understand the true value of Emile Heskey. The Wigan man put in a selfless performance up front, bringing players into the game and bullying the Kazakhstan defence with his power.

Heskey is an almost unique player, in that he is a forward who performs for the team and the team alone. Not personal glory for Emile; the team is everything. In international football, this is a priceless commodity, and one Capello should look to use on a regular basis.

True, Heskey will not score many goals—he has only hit the net once so far for Wigan this season—but as his club colleague Amir Zaki will testify, his efforts create chances for others.

Perhaps above all, Capello will have realised that his side thrive on confidence. For over half of the match, England did a good job of making Kazakhstan look assured. Some of his players look like the shadows of those who perform to the highest standards in the domestic game and in European club competition.

With playing for England comes pressure, of course, but if players can't go into this kind of fixture off the back of a superb performance against Croatia brimming with confidence, when will they? This is a question that not only Capello, but also his team need to address. 

If England are to progress to the World Cup and make a positive impact there they need belief in themselves. The supporters need to believe in the team as well, and while jeering and booing the players doesn't help, it is a two-way thing. If England want the fans on their side, they need to get them there.

Nine goals in two games will go some way to achieving that, but there is still a lot of work for Don Fabio and his men to do.