Capello’s purpose served as England toil and trundle
Platinum Stars 0-3 England
It was not only an England victory that was pre-ordained. The discomfort was inevitable, too, as the better team had no context in which to impress. Platinum Stars alone could unearth excitement in the occasion while England toiled and trundled until superior fitness brought them two goals in the latter part of the friendly. All the same, Fabio Capello's purpose was served.
With the exceptions of David James and the injured Gareth Barry, every player was given an outing. Some of the contributions were noteworthy for unfortunate reasons. Both Peter Crouch and Emile Heskey disappointed, although it is hard to envisage Wayne Rooney being paired with Jermain Defoe, even if the Tottenham Hotspur attacker may have broken out of a dry spell with the opener here.
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At least England were not hindered by indifference and Rooney, appearing merely from the bench, was sufficiently engaged to collect a booking after seeming to recommend a trip to the opticians for the referee. Pardon for that is easier to grant since he achieved more than his team-mates. His pass freed Joe Cole for England's second goal, yet that impact depended on hitting the tiring Platinum Stars on the break.
Near the close, Rooney himself volleyed home from a James Milner delivery. Even in a featureless game it was blatantly obvious that the scorer is one of a small number who hold out some prospect of lifting England beyond the mundane. Ashley Cole also exerted influence on the overlap, but when he set up Crouch in the 14th minute the response from the attacker was so vapid that he made it seem there had been no opportunity at all.
Heskey would be just as wasteful with a fine opening and was also exasperating in other ways. His inclusion against the United States could be seen a gesture of appreciation for services rendered in the qualifiers more than an endorsement of his work with Aston Villa. The prospects for England depend on Capello's knack of getting a lavish return on restricted means.
In view the unsatisfactory work of Heskey and Crouch, there is in theory a possibility of Rooney being paired with Defoe. The Manchester United attacker is well-equipped to operate as a target man, but Capello has never shown much enthusiasm for a system that could restrict him. It is entirely feasible that the manager's thinking is unaltered since the qualifiers, when Heskey opened up space for Rooney.
Elsewhere, the pairing of Ledley King and John Terry was effective enough, even if it was slightly unsettling to see the forward Bradley Grobler turn and run free of the Chelsea captain early in the match. England, of course, have no cause to anticipate total command. There were reminders of the consequences that ensue when a country has won just a single major trophy, 44 years ago.
Predictions of mass hysteria were misconceived. Locals treated the game as a duty they were loath to fulfil and people still trickled through the gates late in the first half until an attendance of some 12,000 was reached. The scene would have been very different if, say, Brazil had been in town.
The FA did what they could to make friends with a sign expressing England's pleasure at being there. The manager of the team was not engaged in a diplomatic exercise, but he did have relationships of a certain type in mind. With Barry absent, Capello would have seen value in letting Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard rehearse as a central midfield partnership before that United States encounter.
The Liverpool player had a more advanced role as Capello tried to clarify what is expected of a partnership that has floundered in the past. All the same, it was apparent even in a lightweight game that England's balance and security will continue to be undermined until Barry's ankle injury clears. He will not be risked against the United States.
Gerrard still had an impact when setting up Defoe to score in the third minute, yet that gave a false impression. Platinum Stars soon had a dubious penalty. Glen Johnson seemed distracted by Joe Hart's failure to come off his line but did not seem to knock over Muzi Mashaba. Grobler then sent the penalty lavishly over the bar in any case.
It might have been helpful if England's goalkeepers had been more engaged in the action. Hart made his first start for England, even if this was not an international, and would have wished for more to do before Robert Green replaced him. It is reported that James's knee is back to normal after swelling during the flight to South Africa, yet there was no involvement for him in this match. The possibility exists that Capello has no need to study a goalkeeper who had shown himself to be satisfactory in the World Cup qualifiers.
It is even clearer that the match with Platinum Stars will have had scant effect on his thinking.
Platinum Stars (4-3-2-1) Kapani; Miller, Mabizela, Mofokeng, Mkalipa; Coetzee, Lobo, Senamela; Molongoane, Mashaba; Grobler. Substitutes Visser, Meiring, Botes, Msomi, Masenya, Makgale, Mokgothu.
England (4-4-2) first half Hart; Johnson, King, Terry, A Cole; Wright-Phillips, Gerrard, Lampard, J Cole; Crouch, Defoe. Second half Green; Carragher, Dawson, Upson, Warnock; Lennon, Carrick, Milner, J Cole; Rooney, Heskey. Subs not used James.
Booked Rooney, Heskey. Attendance 12,000.
