More Questions than Answers

As the sun rises on a new World Cup day we are forced to face the reality that England’s campaign has not started well.

Doubtless the Sunday Papers will be full of scathing criticism angled towards Mr Green and the flames of the goalkeeper debate that has plagued our World Cup preparations have been well and truly fanned.

There is no doubting that the negatives outweigh the positives on a frustrating and emotional evening but this is not to say that there are no positives to take from the game.

The first and most glaringly obvious negative is Rob Green’s howler. Opinion was unanimous going into the Tournament that the goalkeeping department was our weak link and unfortunately so it has proved.

It is difficult to legislate for a mistake of that nature, these mistakes will happen to every goalkeeper at some stage in their career but you just hope it happens in the last minute of a Carling Cup game where you are already four nil up.

Was it the pressure of the big occasion? Was it difficult to mentally prepare when you only find out you are included two hours before kick off? On both counts the answer is possibly yes but the most important question is; Where does Rob Green go from here?

If David James is fit should he come back into the side?

It is very possible this would have been the case even with a blemish free performance from Green. If not is Rob Green mentally strong enough to brush off the error and regain the focus that is required.

Regardless of Capello’s decision the fact remains that England do not have a top class goalkeeper that has been tested and is experienced at the very highest level. This is a problem and unfortunately it is a problem that is not going to go away.

Another big worry coming from yesterday evening is that Ledley King could only complete 45 minutes of football. He was replaced by Jamie Carragher who is an undoubtedly capable defender but his shortcomings were there for all to see as Altidore burst through with seeming ease with only Rob Green and the inside of the post saving us from disaster.

Capello brushed off Kings injury as a minor problem saying he should be available on Friday but again on a night where England wanted to put these debates to bed, incidents on the pitch have served only to magnify them.

Similarly there will be many “I told you so’s” from people regarding Emile Heskey’s performance. Rock solid stuff from big Emile he did everything that was asked of him, dominant in the air and a handful all evening.

However when through on goal with the chance to silence his nay-sayers he can only shoot limply into Howard’s midriff. Another debate that will have to rage on.

The other major disappointment of the evening was James Milner’s dismal showing. Credit to Capello for his decisive decision to remove him after only 30 minutes before the referee made the decision for him.

It was certainly not the James Milner we have seen all season and one can only hope it was the effects of the virus he had been carrying rather than big game nerves that effected him.

But this too begs the question, if he was not one hundred percent what on earth was he doing starting the game? Plenty for people to talk about with regards the midfield then.

So apart from our Goalkeepers, our shaky defence, unsettled midfield and having no-one to partner Wayne Rooney we can feel very good about things.

Of course I am being flippant with such doom mongering but the weeks papers will all be looking at these things with a far more critical eye than I have cast.

The fact is we have to move on. The World Cup is underway and we now have a platform from which to build and move forwards. The USA were never going to prove a walkover and there were elements of our performance which were encouraging.

We produced a dominant second half performance and one should give some credit to a resilient and athletic American display.

Steven Gerrard has started well and his goal was expertly taken, perhaps lending weight to the argument he should be moved into the hole allowing Rooney to get himself into the box more often.

Both full backs put in a good shift, with America able to pose threat from wide areas and both looked dangerous going forward. Particularly Glen Johnson, although Ashley Cole sensibly restricted himself in order to blunt the influence of Landon Donavon.

Aaron Lennon showed glimpses of why he is in the team but more will be expected. Rooney and Lampard had slow starts but surely there is more to come from both players as the tournament progresses.

A disappointment yes, a disaster no. In a game that threw up more questions than it answered we have come away with a draw and should still finish our group on top.

The road to the final was never going to be smooth and last night was merely a taster of the emotion and drama that lie ahead of us in the next few weeks. It wouldn’t be fun if it was easy!