I can imagine Fabio Capello will have secretely drawn a huge sigh of relief last night after Slovenia were the last team to be drawn in a dream group fix up for England. But no game against a team playing in th
e World Cup is an easy one and you can guarantee that Slovenia and Algeria will relish the chance to play England on the World stage. USA will pose somewhat of a different threat and even David Beckham raised a smile when his domestic league nation were drawn out of the hat in a match that many England fans hope will be the Group C highlight game.
Capello said: “We played against Slovenia at home in September and I well remember suffering in the second half. And I saw the USA’s game against Spain in the Confederations Cup, so that will not be an easy game.
"As for Algeria, they played very well against Egypt in their play-off. Psychologically, it will not be easy. We respect all the teams but we have to win., ” he added.
USA, ranked somehow 14th in the World, have the likes of Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan and of course goalkeeper Tim Howard. The number one position occupied by the Americans is something that Fabio Capello will envy, with more than capable back up replacement Marcus Hahnemann on hand if Howard fails to deliver or gets injured.
Avoiding the likes of Portugal, Ivory Coast and Republic of Ireland… sorry… France was key for England but if the form on paper goes as predicted then the Three Lions are set to face the runner up of Group D, providing they of course top their own group, either Germany or Ghana which admittedly comes as a slight concern.
Germany while not as dominant as they were a few years back still have a team that rise to the big occasion where as England on the other hand seem to crumble. Ghana pose a whole different danger entirely and with the African Nations Cup approaching there will many England fans watching with a keen and nervous interest.
Yes, avoiding Spain and Brazil till not late on in the finals is great but as a team 5/1 to go all the way (Ladbrokes) I feel England may fall at the second hurdle and would encourage many England fans, as I’m sure they already are, to be cautious.
There is no question that Capello has got the England side playing and working much better than his wolly predecessor but the test will truly come in the World Cup. Also don’t forget to be on the lookout at the end of the league season with perhaps one or two hefty challenges being not too uncommon and Beckham’s loan move to Milan could prove a blessing in disguise after all who knows what ‘pals’ Landon Donovan and friends had in store.
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