England Escape

Crouch's 82nd minute opener.

I think I heard a very loud collective sigh of relief from all the England fans around the world. A very loud sigh of relief...

For one, England escaped from the jaws of a draw. Rooney had a run...luckily he didn't break his foot. And all the world jumped for joy at the final whistle.

Made to look so ordinary by the minnows of football, Crouch and Gerrard saved them the blushes. For most of the time they never made any headway. Owen looked tired, Lampard missing chance after chance, Cole running around like a headless chicken, Beckham doing what he does best...not leading by example.

Gerrard had a subdued role. Eriksson must be a fool to keep him back as a holding midfielder. He hardly had a run or look at goal. The only time he got forward, he scored a goal! Eriksson might as well play Carrick as a holding midfielder and let Gerrard loose. Btw, did anyone notice Gerrard had a near perfect long pass record in the match? Almost every pass he made found an England colleague.

Crouch did not have a good game. But he got the breakthrough England needed. That was enough. That is what he was paid for to do. Too bad he didn't do the 'Crouch'...that would've been lovely to see.

But credit must also go to Trinidad and Tobago. They started off with a plan and stuck to the plan. The held England at bay. Introduction of Lennon and Rooney did the trick...given them something to think about. And threw their plans askew.

Now...for Sweden. Think England must put in a better performance to convinve their detractors. With topping the group, they should be more relaxed and go out and perform. And perform they must. Confidence they must obtain. Ecuador is lying in wait...

P.S. As you might have thought...I am a Liverpool fan!