Germany 1-2 England

An England side devoid of regulars emerged victorious in the Olympic Stadium, Berlin against the side ranked number 2 in the world by FIFA.

12 months on from the disappointing defeat at Wembley against Croatia, costing the team a place at Euro 2008 and Steve McClaren his job, Fabio Capellos work-in-progress, as he attempts to assemble a side capable of winning the 2010 World Cup, brushed aside the challenge of Joachim Low’s Euro finalists.

With Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Ashley Cole, Emile Heskey and Theo Walcott all absent, a very-much second string England side claimed the prize scalp of Germany on home soil. Goals from Matthew Upson, the West Ham United defender winning his 12th cap, and John Terry, the captain, gave the side a deserved victory.

Prior to kick-off and Gabby Agbonlahor, the quicksilver Aston Villa forward, was the surprise inclusion in the starting eleven for his debut, which included Michael Carrick, for his first cap under Capello.

Indeed throughout the 90 minutes England were the brighter of the two sides, showing a poise in possession that was non-existent 12 months ago, prior to Capellos arrival.

Carrick and Gareth Barry at the heart of the midfield hardly sacrificed possession, whilst Stewart Downing, the much-maligned Middlesbrough winger, put in his best display in an England shirt, claiming assists for both goals and showing a conviction in every aspect of his performance, that in prior games has been redundant.

The first goal arrived after 23 minutes, when Rene Adler made a mess of an inswinging Downing corner, leaving Upson to prod into the net from no more than 2 yards. With Agbonlahor looking threatening going forward, alongside Jermain Defoe, and the side looking sound defensively, England were coasting when half-time arrived.

At the interval, Defoe was replaced by Darren Bent, the in-form Tottenham Hotspur striker, whilst James was replaced by Scott Carson, his first appearance since that fateful night 12 months ago.

And it was a mix-up between Carson and captain Terry that enabled Germany to grab an equaliser. A poor ball forward by the impish winger Piotr Trochowski, should have been easily dealt with, but a horrible mix-up enabled Patrick Helmes to nick the ball through the legs of Carson and level the scores. Terry later took responsibility for the mistake, but it will most-likely be Carson who pays for it in the long run.

Terry atoned for the error with a winner in the 83rd minute, when he rose at the far post to head a Downing free-kick into the net, Giving Capellos troops a victory.

 Those regulars who were missing now may well have a fight on their hands to regain their places, whilst the question will be asked: How many with aches and strains will be willing to risk missing the friendly against Spain in February for fear of losing their places? 

England: James (Carson,46), Johnson, Bridge, Terry, Upson, Wright-Phillips (Crouch,90), Barry, Carrick, Downing, Defoe (Bent,46), Agbonlahor (Young,77)

Impressive: Agbonlahor, Downing, Carrick

Unimpressive: Carson, Bent, Bridge

Capello Takes Clubs To Task

Following the regimes of Eriksson and McClaren, in which both the Swede and the “Wally with the Brolly” pandered to the Premier League club managers, its good to see Fabio taking a hard line with club bosses.

Following an energetic 90 minutes for Liverpool on Saturday in which he scored, Steven Gerrard was pulled out of the England squad by Rafa Benitez with a groin injury. Yet Capello still ensured that Gerrard reported to England duty to be assessed by the England physios, before they declared that yes he was injured.

Apparently this made Benitez furious: But so what?

Capellos job is to try and win football games for England, not Liverpool. His job is to put the needs of the England national team ahead of the clubs, Liverpool included. His brief reign has thus far been successful, and if he feels he needs to get tough with players and managers to bring success to this nation at the international level, then so be it. He should be supported 100% by the FA, fans and players alike, because he has a history of being a winner.

Congratulations to the England Under 21′s

A tough game at Bramall Lane saw the side emerge victorious against the Czech Republic by 2-0. Man of the match Frazier Campbell scored the first with the impressive Craig Gardner scoring the second. Wolves duo Michael Kightly and Richard Stearman were both also very impressive for the side, which included a number of debutants.