Transfer deadline day - Intriguing, but many stars stay put

THE transfer deadline has passed and many clubs were forced into the market on deadline day on Wednesday in a desperate attempt to strengthen their squads until January.

    Having received stiff criticism for the lack of new signings this summer, combined with the departures of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri to Barcelona and Manchester City respectively, a lot of attention was placed on Arsenal’s activities.  Arsene Wenger didn’t disappoint, with five new signings, though the fans might be disappointed to see no world class star come to the Emirates before closure at 11pm.  The top signing he made was the £10million capture of playmaker Mikel Arteta from Everton.  Arteta, who had revealed to BBC Football Focus presenter Dan Walker about his desire to stay at Goodison Park only ten days earlier has made the move to North London and faces big shoes to fill in the void left by Fabregas.  Wenger also strengthened his backline with the captures of big German defender Per Mertesacker from Werder Bremen and talented Brazilian left-back Andre Santos, who leaves behind Fenerbache in the wake of a match-fixing scandal that has engulfed Turkish football.  Also completing moves to Arsenal were Korean attacker Park Chu-Young from AS Monaco and out-of-favour Chelsea midfielder Yossi Benayoun.  Benayoun’s deal is a loan move, with a view to a permanent switch and it is a surprise to see Chelsea be happy to loan players out to a London rival.

    Chelsea did some late business themselves, but it wasn’t the player everyone thought might leave their club.  Despite offering £30million, plus Brazilian set-piece bullet Alex, Tottenham Hotspur rejected Chelsea’s final attempt to land Luka Modric.  For now, Modric stays at Tottenham, but whether he will have the same impact on the North London side remains to be seen, as it seemed like he was keen to make the exit for Chelsea.  So, Chelsea turned their attentions to Liverpool’s Raul Meireles.  Just half an hour before the window shut, Meireles handed in a shock transfer request to Liverpool.  Less than an hour later, he was a Chelsea player.  The midfielder, who scored Liverpool’s winner at Stamford Bridge in the Premiership back in February signed for £12million and gets to work again with new Blues boss Andre-Vilas Boas, which was the main reason for his departure from Anfield.  His conduct is sure to have angered Liverpool fans though, maybe even more so than Fernando Torres after the Spanish striker’s acrimonious departure back in January to Chelsea.

BACK: Craig Bellamy will be hoping for a fruitful second spell at Anfield

      As Meireles was saying his rushed goodbyes, Craig Bellamy was returning to Stanley Park.  Bellamy, who spent one unhappy season in the Rafa Benitez regime (2007-08) signs for Liverpool on a free transfer from Manchester City.  He spent last season on loan at Cardiff City and will provide stiff competition for Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll in the Liverpool attack.  With Bellamy arriving, David N’Gog was deemed surplus to requirements and sold to Bolton Wanderers for £4million.  Also leaving Liverpool were Christian Poulsen, who joined newly promoted French side Evian and Joe Cole, who will be desperate to kick-start his career again with a season-long loan move to Lille.  Will the anticipation of Champions League football push Cole back into the England fold?

     Another winger desperate to get the attention again from Fabio Capello is Shaun Wright-Phillips.  His second spell at Manchester City has ended and it was QPR who beat off stiff competition from Bolton and Stoke City to his signature.  It was a busy few hours for Neil Warnock, who also added Jason Puncheon from Blackpool and Anton Ferdinand from Sunderland to his squad.  Sebastian Bassong was another target, but having waited in West London all day, he was told to return to Tottenham as a potential move for Bolton’s Gary Cahill collapsed over personal terms.  Bassong might be frustrated by these events, but Harry Redknapp was in a charitable move, allowing no less than five players to leave the White Hart Lane roster.

AMBITION: Crouch's move signals Stoke have serious plans

     Alan Hutton and Jermaine Jenas have moved to Aston Villa.  Hutton’s is a permanent deal, worth around £2million, whilst Jenas goes to Villa Park on a loan deal.  David Bentley’s stalled career will be hoping to regain some momentum with recently relegated West Ham United.  Talented youngster Henri Lansbury’s loan move to Upton Park from Arsenal paved the way for PFA Player of the Year, Scott Parker to make a £5million move to Tottenham.  Spurs also sold Wilson Palacios and Peter Crouch, with the pair going to Stoke City for a joint fee of £20million.  These signatures, plus that of Cameron Jerome from Birmingham City have shown how far Stoke are coming as a force in the Premiership.

     Having lost their first three Premiership matches, Steve Kean pulled out one of the deals of the day, by bringing Scott Dann to Blackburn from Birmingham for an undisclosed fee.  Dann’s injury which ended his season at Christmas last year was one of the main factors towards Birmingham’s relegation from the Premiership.  However, Kean’s purchase of Yakubu from Everton has to be seen as questionable.  Yakubu might score a few goals, but his attitude has never endeared himself to anyone.  It was a tough day for Everton, who also sold Jermaine Beckford to rich-spending Leicester City for £3million.  Despite Royston Drenthe’s loan move from Real Madrid, David Moyes knows he needs investment from foreign owners soon and so too do the fans, otherwise it could be a similar story in January.  Other notable transfers included Gael Kakuta joined Bolton on a season’s long loan deal from Chelsea, Shaun Maloney ending a frustrating stint at Celtic to go to Wigan for a cool £1million and Bryan Ruiz’s club-record £10.5million swap from FC Twente to Fulham.

     Although key names such as Modric and Tevez ended up staying at their current owners and it didn’t quite have the impact of the January deadline day, it was an intriguing day, right up to the last minute.  Let’s see what impact these new signings will have for those who’ve spent the cash!

UEFA Champions League Quarter-Finals, 1st Leg review - All over bar the shouting

THE midweek games in the UEFA Champions League produced plenty of goals and saw three out of the four ties virtually settled, with the second legs still to come.

CRUCIAL: Rooney scores the only goal at the Bridge on Wednesday

    The one tie that remains in the balance is the all-England affair, although it is advantage Manchester United after the first leg at Stamford Bridge.  Wayne Rooney can’t seem to stay out of the headlines at the moment.  This time, he did so for the right reasons.  Rooney struck the winner in United’s 1-0 success at Chelsea, to earn the Red Devils their first win in West London since April 2002.  The only goal came in the 23^rd minute.  Michael Carrick picked out Ryan Giggs with a beautifully-placed long ball.  Giggs made Jose Boswinga look silly, and by skipping easily around the back of the Portuguese defender, his pass told Rooney how to finish the silky move.  Duly, Rooney delivered and this time, he kept his celebrations to a far more dignified manner.  Chelsea struggled all night and seemed to lack the fight they should have shown, considering this is their only trophy chance this year.  Fernando Torres still looks bereft of confidence and although Patrice Evra produced a goal line to deny Frank Lampard and Ramires was denied a certain stoppage time penalty, there could be no complaints over the final outcome.  It sets up Tuesday’s second leg at Old Trafford perfectly.

DIFFICULT: Crouch's red card was a real letdown in Madrid

     However, Tottenham’s chances of progressing further look impossible, after suffering pure misery in Madrid.  From the moment Aaron Lennon was withdrawn at the last minute with a throat infection, Tottenham’s night went from bad to worse, eventually losing 4-0 in the Bernabeau.  Manchester City loanee Emmanuel Adebayor headed Real Madrid infront in the fourth minute, although Luka Modric could have dealt with the contact better on the line.  Ten minutes later, Peter Crouch got himself stupidly dismissed after two crude challenges on Marcelo.  Marcelo’s reaction to the red card was disgusting, but Crouch’s behaviour couldn’t be defended either, despite receiving some sympathy from Jose Mourinho.  A second header from Adebayor shortly after the restart had Madrid in control and as the game wore on; their movement on the ball was simply too much for a tiring Spurs outfit.  A beautiful strike from Angel di Maria painted a very grim picture with 18 minutes to go, and there was time for Cristiano Ronaldo to notch a fourth, producing the terminal blow.  Surely, Real won’t need to worry about the second leg this coming Wednesday at White Hart Lane.

     Another tie that is as good as over is the Barcelona v Shakhtar Donetsk quarter-final.  From the moment Andreas Iniesta walked through the Ukrainian defence in the second minute, the gulfing class was evident.  Barcelona won 5-1 through goals from Daniel Alves, Gerard Pique, Seydou Keita and Xavi.  At the San Siro, the draw seemed to favour Inter Milan, but they were stunned by Schalke 04, who inflicted a 5-2 loss on the defending champions.  Dejan Stankovic produced a brilliant strike in the first minute, his speculative effort from 55 yards leave Manuel Neuer rather red-faced.  Afterwards, Schalke ran riot, as their great character won through.  Some will be wondering why they are limping around in the mid-table region of the Bundesliga.  Amongst the dismantling of Inter was a 70^th Champions League goal for the incredible Raul.  Cristian Chivu, who had been sent off in last week’s Milan derby, was dismissed for two yellows in this match too. 

     Real Madrid, Barcelona and Schalke 04 are all but through to the semi-finals, but the English quarter-final remains right in the balance.  The football world’s attention switches to Old Trafford for a belting second leg this week.

UEFA Champions League Matchday 4 - Sensational Spurs stun Champions

WITH 53 goals in this week’s UEFA Champions League matches, there was plenty of action and drama.  Take a bow Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, the first three teams to qualify for the knockout stages, whilst Partizan Belgrade, Buraspor and MSK Zilina now have no hope of progressing past the group stages.  However, it was another debut club that rocked Europe this week. . .

It was another glory night for the new Welsh wizard Gareth Bale, as he tore Inter Milan to shreds for the second time in a fortnight.  Bale led Spurs to a famous 3-1 win over the European Champions, leaving them top of Group A.  Returning from suspension, Rafael van der Vaart opened the scoring from Luka Modric’s wonderfully executed pass.  In the second half, Bale took over, leaving the likes of Maicon and Lucio trailing in his wake.  His first tormenting run and cross set-up Peter Crouch for a tidy goal.  A great goal from Samuel Eto’o gave Inter hope with ten minutes to go, but Rafa Benitez could only look on as Bale went on another breathtaking run down the left-hand side and produced the perfect pass for Roman Pavyluchenko to wrap it up.  A win against Werder Bremen in three weeks time wraps up qualification for Tottenham, who have bought something fresh to this year’s competition. 

Whilst Tottenham were producing the performance of the tournament so far, North London rivals Arsenal had an off-night in the Ukraine, losing 2-1 to Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday.  Arsene Wenger only took 18 players with him, due to injuries, though he will be disappointed with their lack of maturity here, especially as he still had Samir Nasri, Thomas Rosicky and Jack Wiltshire in his starting eleven.  Theo Walcott did have the Gunners infront after ten minutes, with his own devastating pace leading to a crisp finish after a magnificent counter attacking move.  By half-time, Arsenal’s stroll through the group had come to an abrupt halt against a Shakhtar side that looked totally different from the team that surrendered so meekly at the Emirates two weeks earlier.  Jadson’s free-kick was turned into his own net inadvertently by youngster Craig Eastmond.  Then, a terrible error by Gael Clichy allowed Darijo Srna to cross for ex-Arsenal striker Eduardo to score with the last kick of the first half.  Arsenal weren’t disgraced, but will need to dismiss themselves of these slip-ups, especially when it matter so much more in the latter stages.

On a mild November night in London, Chelsea’s progress was never in doubt, coasting to a 4-1 triumph over Spartak Moscow, which seals their progression from Group F.  Only a point is needed now to secure top spot too.  Carlo Ancelotti took the opportunity to rest John Terry and Michael Essien, and after a subdued first half, Chelsea clicked into top gear in the second half.  Nicolas Anelka opened the scoring from a tight angle that looked almost impossible to establish a lead.  Didier Drogba, making his fashionably late entrance into the Champions League scored a penalty shortly afterwards, before Branislav Ivanovic scored two goals that even Drogba would be proud of.  Although Bazhenov scored a consolation for the visitors, Chelsea’s first Champions League goal conceded in 300 minutes, it was another stroll in the park for the English champions.

A far superior Manchester United virtually secured their traditional passage through, with an emphatic 3-0 win in Turkey against Buraspor.  Frustrated in the first half, United took command in the second half once Darren Fletcher broke the deadlock.  Gabriel Obertan scored his first United goal in some style, with a ferocious effort, before Bebe netted on his European debut.  This was a comfortable win for the pacesetters in Group C.

However, Rangers now face a massive task to join United in the knockout stages after losing 3-0 in Spain to Valencia.  It was a very busy night for Allan McGregor, who produced a series of cracking saves, but he couldn’t prevent Roberto Soldado scoring two goals, and a fine stoppage time volley from substitute Ricardo Costa, that wrapped up proceedings.  Steven Naismith did hit the post twice for the Scottish league leaders and the scoreline was harsh on Rangers, but it was a very disappointing and potentially costly result.

Jose Mourinho returned to the San Siro and witnessed his Real Madrid side advance into the knockout stages, after they rescued a point against AC Milan.  It was a thrilling match, with Milan turning the game on its head through two more goals from one of the deadliest poachers in the European game, super sub Flippo Inzaghi.  It was Real’s own sub, Pedro Leon who scored a stoppage time equaliser that still leaves Milan with work to do, in joining Madrid to go through from Group G. 

Bayern Munich also sealed their place through into the next stage, after they outclassed CFR Cluj in Romania, winning 4-0.  Bayern are already ten points behind Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga, and with Arjen Robben, Miroslav Klose and Ivica Olic all out injured at the moment, Louis van Gaal has lots of problems domestically.  However, Mario Gomez hit a hat-trick in this masterful performance.  Another team out of their depth in the Champions League is MSK Zilina, beaten 7-0 at home by Marseille in Group F.  There was a hat-trick from Andre-Pierre Gignac, as Marseille became the first team to score seven away from home in the Champions League.  Lyon lost their 100% record on Tuesday night in Group B, going down 4-3 in Portugal to Benfica, who were 4-0 with 15 minutes to go.  Talented winger Fabio Coentrao was on target twice for the home side and a feisty meeting in Denmark saw FC Copenhagen draw 1-1 with Barcelona in Group D, which saw coaches Solde Solbakken and Pepe Guardiola have a bust-up at full-time.  

For some, the dream of reaching Wembley is already over, but for others, they have sent out their fearful messages and it’s looking good for all four English clubs to progress past Christmas.  Matchday four though belongs to Tottenham Hotspur and its wonderful Welshman, Gareth Bale.  

UEFA Champions League Matchday 1 - Mixed Fortunes for English Clubs

Europe’s premier club competition made its annual return this week, with mixed fortunes for the English clubs, though the gulfing class between Europe’s best and the minnows was still in full evidence for everyone to see.

Tottenham Hotspur made their bow, with a thrilling draw in Germany against Werder Bremen, though they will be disappointed to have thrown away a 2-0 lead.  It was a dream first twenty minutes for Harry Redknapp’s side, who charged infront courtesy of a Petri Pasanen own goal, and a fantastic header from Peter Crouch.  Spurs were giving their more established opponents the run-around on their own pitch.  Sadly for them, the momentum swiftly turned once Hugo Almeida headed Bremen back into the match two minutes before half-time.  In the second half, Marko Marin quickly bought the game level, and despite Crouch missing a great chance late on, Tottenham clung onto their precious point at the end.

Tuesday was also a flat night for Manchester United, as they were held to a disappointing goalless draw by Scottish champions Rangers at Old Trafford.  Sir Alex Ferguson made ten changes for this match, with his focus clearly on Liverpool’s Premiership visit at the weekend.  His gamble backfired, as his side misfired badly.  Long-range efforts from youngster Darren Gibson were the order of the night, as Rangers very negative tactics took any form of class out of the game.  Wayne Rooney made his first club appearance since the revelations about his private life had been exposed in the newspapers, and he was left a forlorn figure throughout.  A dismal night for the 2008 winners was compounded by a horror injury to Antonio Valencia.  Valencia’s ankle buckled underneath the Old Trafford turf whilst competing for possession with Kirk Broadfoot.  The instant reaction for his fellow professionals could tell that the Ecuadorian winger was in agony, with Sky television refusing to show any replays of the unfortunate incident.  Valencia has been diagnosed with a broken ankle, and is likely to be out of action until February at the earliest.

Whilst Tuesday was a frustrating night for the English clubs, Wednesday’s action was seamless.  Arsenal crushed Sporting Braga 6-0 at the Emirates; with another vintage performance from Arsene Wenger’s chargers that rolled back the years.  Cesc Fabregas was fantastic all evening, scoring twice and unlucky not to score his first professional hat-trick.  Carlos Vela came off the bench to score a late double, and there were also strikes from Andrei Arshavin and Marouane Chamakh.  Having beaten Celtic and Sevilla in qualification for the group stages, Braga were desperately poor and folded once Chamakh had made it 3-0 after half an hour.  Consequently, although Arsenal’s performance was magnificent, it will be difficult to judge their potential this season until they meet a far better opponent.

Chelsea continued their goal scoring spree in Slovakia, winning 4-1 against MSK Zilina, making their debut in the Champions League.  The match as a contest was over inside half an hour, with the Blues 3-0 up, through Michael Essien and a Nicholas Anelka double.  After the break, they relaxed a fraction and Zilina deserved their goal for effort and commitment.  Daniel Sturridge scored his first goal in Europe for Chelsea, and with a side missing Frank Lampard to injury and Didier Drogba due to suspension, this is was a signal of intent from the West London side.

Elsewhere in Europe, Barcelona fell a goal behind, but showed their pedigree, with a 5-1 demolition of Panathinaikos in the Nou Camp.  Defending champions Inter Milan stuttered to a 2-2 draw in Holland, against Dutch champions FC Twente.  Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid got off to a winning start in Group G, beating Ajax 2-0 in the Bernabeau, courtesy of a double from Gonzalo Higuain.  Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored both goals in AC Milan’s 2-0 success against Auxerre of France, and German World Cup stars Thomas Muller and Miroslav Klose both netted in Bayern Munich’s convincing 2-0 triumph over AS Roma in Germany.

After the first set of games, the jury is out on some and there is still a long way to go, before anyone can predict the finalists at Wembley in May 2011.  However, do expect the usual suspects from Spain, Italy and England to be in the reckoning in the latter stages of the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League.

Rooney Plays Away - Why Are Footballers Caught Cheating?

Wayne Rooney answered some of his doubters last night, with an excellent performance in England’s 3-1 Euro 2012 qualifier against Switzerland.  The Manchester United striker scored his first goal for the Three Lions in over a year and after a miserable summer in South Africa and a lacklustre start to the new Premiership campaign with his club, he looks to be back to his best.  However, it’s his scoring off the pitch that is making the headlines.

Tabloid newspapers the Daily Mirror and the News of the World reported on Sunday that Rooney had been playing away and sleeping with another woman, allegedly a prostitute in Spain.  It is also alleged that Rooney had paid this mysterious woman over £1,000 for steamy sessions, whilst his wife, Colleen was carrying his child.  True or not, this latest escapade adds to the list of high-profile footballers who have been caught out in their private lives this year.

First in January, the then England captain John Terry was reported to be having an affair with model Vanessa Perroncel, who was involved with Terry’s former Chelsea team-mate Wayne Bridge.  In March, Bridge decided to retire from international football, as he couldn’t play in the same team as Terry.  England boss Fabio Capello had little alternative in sacking Terry as England captain, replacing him with Rio Ferdinand.  Soon after this news broke out, Terry’s high-profile team-mate at Stamford Bridge, Ashley Cole had a barrage of tabloid reports, suggesting he’d had sexual relations with at least five women.  This was the final straw of his tense four-year marriage with the X-Factor judge and Girls Aloud sensation Cheryl Cole and a divorce was granted last week in the High Court.  Last month, it was Tottenham’s lanky striker Peter Crouch who came under fire for having relations with several women in Spain.  Although still together, it has severely damaged Crouchie’s previously clean reputation and his relationship with the model Abbey Clancy.  Now, with Rooney under the spotlight, you begin to wonder how many more footballers will have their private lives turned under the screw before the end of the year.

Capello and Rooney’s personal sponsors, Nike, Coca Cola and EA Sports have all backed Wayne publicly, insisting that it is just a ‘private matter.’  Surprisingly, his club manager Sir Alex Ferguson has remained quiet under the matter, and he is bound to face a grilling from the journalists at his traditional pre-match press conference at United’s training ground, Carrington on Friday morning. 

Some of the blame has been shifted onto the media, and news spreads fast nowadays, especially with the social networking generation.  Also, clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and especially Chelsea need to draw a line under these issues and tighten their policies when it comes to their highly-paid superstars going out to posh restaurants and flashy nightclubs in town.  Then, there’s the matter of the women involved, some seem to be in the game for having a good time and even launching ‘a career’ out of these saucy stories.  However, it is the footballers who need to trend a tight line.  One step out of line and the media have the capability of blowing the whole story out of proportion.  It takes two to tango, and maybe footballers should be setting a better role model to their idols, such as young children.  If these kids see these stories, they are going to think it is okay for them to do at an older age.  There can be no doubt that these are distasteful stories and they will get people interested, but it does set a very bad example for younger generations.

Rooney may have got through the initial stage with flying colours, but it will be interesting to see how Ferguson handles his troubled star, especially as Rooney is bound to get an absolute pasting this weekend.  Manchester United only head down to Merseyside on Saturday lunchtime to play his former club, Everton, who have never forgiven Rooney for his move to Old Trafford for £27million six years ago.  It could well be a spicy occasion and a very tricky afternoon for Rooney to keep his discipline in check.

England 3-1 Mexico - More Work To Do....

For Fabio Capello, Monday night’s 3-1 win against Mexico at Wembley must have felt like more questions had been posed than answers.  Remarkably, despite Wembley’s awful pitch, all English players came through the game unscathed without any further injury scares, as the Three Lions bid farewell to their boisterous fans on a winning note.  However, it was far from plain-sailing.

With the opening match of the World Cup just over a fortnight away against the USA in Rustenberg, Capello used the chance to experiment with a new formation, as all of Chelsea’s winning FA Cup stars sat this friendly out due to mutual agreement with the Stamford Bridge club.  James Milner and Michael Carrick played as two holding players, with Steven Gerrard out wide.  This didn’t work, as the talented Mexicans took command of a positive first 45 minutes.  Time and again, they threatened the English goal, with PSV Eindhoven left-back Carlos Salcido producing the closest effort, brushing the post with a bending curling shot.  However, Mexico’s ineptitude at defending set-pieces cost them, as they were 2-0 down by this point.

Fifteen minutes in and Gerrard’s corner was flicked on at the back post by Peter Crouch, and played into the path of fellow Tottenham colleague, Ledley King, who was given the freedom of the penalty area to score only his second international goal.  For King, this was his first start for England since June 2007, and everyone will be pleased to see him come through the game and the aftermath with no problem.  Despite a few shaky moments at the back, alongside the out-of-form captain, Rio Ferdinand, King’s place in the final 23 looks secure now.  Crouch continued his remarkable scoring record, by handling in England’s second goal from one yard out, after Wayne Rooney’s header was tipped onto the crossbar by the Mexican goalkeeper.  With the last kick of the first half, ex-West Ham striker Guillermo Franco almost embarrassingly got the North Americans their deserved registration on the scoreboard, tapping home after Leighton Baines had failed to deal convincingly with a Rafael Marquez goal bound header.

The second half was far more pedestrian, with only one moment of real significance.  Liverpool right-back Glen Johnson’s first international goal, straight after the interval was a beauty.  On his weaker left foot, Johnson combined well with Theo Walcott to produce a stunning effort into the top corner.  He won’t score many better.

So, the positives were no injuries, the result, Johnson’s excellent performance, Crouch continuing his scoring run for England, which might have put him in pole position to be Rooney’s strike partner at the finals, instead of the bumbling Emile Heskey and the brief impacts by Aaron Lennon and debutant Adam Johnson, which showed with pace and freshness, they could be major impact players off the bench.

Negatives was the performance of Baines, who got skinned almost everytime and looked lost on the pitch.  As Stephen Warnock has not player under Capello, Baines probably will go to South Africa, but we must hope that Ashley Cole stays fit all summer.  Another one to struggle was Carrick, who has had a poor season for Manchester United and now is carrying that form into international level.  Unless Gareth Barry is eventually declared unfit, Carrick might not make the final cut, especially with the promising Tom Huddlestone and more consistent Scott Parker on his tail for his place in the squad.

Sunday’s warm-up, at high altitude in Graz against Japan might tell us some more about England’s chances for the forthcoming finals, but after this performance, Fabio Capello will have plenty of food for thought, despite the pleasing final scoreline.

England 3-1 Egypt - More Positives for Fabio

Last night, England put aside the problems that have been washed up by the British media of recent weeks, with a decent second half performance, giving Fabio Capello more encouragement that his side can go all the way in South Africa this summer.

Despite this, the first half display against African Nations Cup holders Egypt was very flat and lacklustre.  It will have concerned the boss how many wayward passes were happening and the amount of time that the Egyptians were being allowed on the ball.  It will also be notified of Matthew Upson’s stumble and trip which led to Egypt’s opening goal from the Borussia Dortmund striker, Mohamed Zidan.  Although Zidan’s finish was cool and impressive, he shouldn’t have been allowed the chance to shoot in the first place.  The cover for Rio Ferdinand at the back is very worrying. 

For John Terry, last night was a step in the right direction.  He has received his criticisms and boo-boys and rightly so, and his mistakes at Chelsea of late have been repetitive and very costly.  He was booed by many on the team line-up, but those who continued during the national anthems and the game, were largely drowned out by cheers from the majority.  His performance wasn’t error-free, but it had far more conviction than the rest of the back four and he seemed to be the only one able to organize the mess around the team in the first 45 minutes.

England’s 500^th win in their history was sealed by an impressive 2^nd half display.  Substitutes Peter Crouch and Shaun-Wright Phillips were very impressive, surely having done enough now for their place on the plane to South Africa.  Tottenham striker Crouch, who has recently lost his place in the North London side, Roman Pavyluchenko helped himself to two more international goals.  In 38 appearances, the ex-Liverpool hitman now has an impressive 20 goals to his name – a staggering statistic.  Now, Emile Heskey cannot be considered as first choice alongside Wayne Rooney.  Wright-Phillips, considered by many as 4^th choice on the right-side of midfield, behind Aaron Lennon, David Beckham and Theo Walcott did his chances no harm at all, by setting up a goal and scoring one for himself.  James Milner once again gave a solid and committed performance when he came off the bench.  The Aston Villa playmaker is the most in-form English midfielder in the Premiership and his consistency has to put him in line for a place in Capello’s final cut.

So, who will miss out on the World Cup?  Both Glen Johnson and Ashley Cole face a race against time to be fit, whilst Joe Cole needs first team action desperately at Chelsea, otherwise he could be shock exclusion.  Once again, Walcott’s performance last night was dismal.  After a promising start, he faded badly and must have blown his chance now of playing in South Africa.  If I was Theo, I’d think about booking a summer holiday to the Bahamas, at least he will get a decent tan!

Last night’s 3-1 result was satisfactory and there were more positives than negatives.  After the trauma and scandal that has dogged English football in recent weeks, it was nice to see some much-needed unity last night.  South Africa is inching closer and Fabio Capello can lookback on last night at a job well done. 

See below for my 23-man prediction squad for the World Cup in 2010:

Robert Green, David James, Joe Hart, Glen Johnson, John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, Matthew Upson, Joleon Lescott, Ashley Cole, Leighton Baines, Aaron Lennon, David Beckham, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Michael Carrick, Gareth Barry, James Milner, Wayne Rooney, Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch, Carlton Cole, Gabriel Agbonlahor