Hiatus Over

I tied the knot on August 25, my excuse for not posting in a few weeks. Sorry, the honeymoon didn't involve much online time.

I'm going to take a bit of time to consider the England situation, since it is the international break and not much else is going on (except for Toronto FC extending their MLS record goalless streak, but I'm choosing not to comment).

England impressively defeated Israel 3-0 at Wembley on Saturday. What makes this an intriguing result is the number of regulars that were absent and the fine play of those coming into the squad. Emile Heskey, Gareth Barry, Micah Richards and an uninjured Michael Owen were the men doing the job in place of John Terry, Owen Hargreaves, Frank Lampard (whose current Chelsea form makes him missed) and Wayne Rooney.

Listening to podcasts and reading articles in the run up to this game, I was given the impression that England might be lucky to draw with Israel, who were undefeated in a streak of over a dozen games. However, I think the depleted squad was a good thing for England, especially at this point in their campaign.

England, currently fourth in their pool, need to play with urgency. Players of top calibre, not on top calibre teams are not used to playing with the same desperation of those teams who struggle for survival. I'm not suggesting that the Heskeys and Barrys are the type of players to necessarily be the key to the cup, but they are the type to get you in the door.

John Terry and Frank Lampard are champions. The silverware they have accumulated during the past three seasons speaks volumes about their character. But I'm not sure that players from the top Premier League teams are the right ones to pull England out of its hole. Players who are used to formidable opposition, used to playing against the odds are the ones whom England needs now.

This doesn't mean that Derby County's starting eleven should be drafted into the England squad. On form players, like Barry and like Heskey are the men for the job. They have both shown up early on in the season and McClaren has rewarded them for their efforts. But the League Championship, workhorse mentality that players from bottom-feeding teams bring with them is a breath of fresh air to an England team adrift in the qualification sea.

I think particularly at home on Wednesday, the England manager would be well served to keep his squad intact from the weekend. Russia will be a bigger test, but one that this squad should be able to handle at home. If he moves healthy players like Crouch (back from suspension) and Lampard (if he's fit) to the bench and uses them wisely as the situation calls for, England should see all six points from the current slate of matches.