England beat Hungary 3-1 in a friendly which should prompt neither excessive optimism nor despondency. The first-half fitted the standard international format and was a cagey affair, but England played neatly enough. England scored three in a livelier second half. The first two were headers from Beckham free-kicks, put away by Gerrard and Terry respectively. The third was well worked: Joe Cole ran the ball infield from the left flank, before playing in Peter Crouch who turned and scored with an expert finish. Overall this was a respectable performance from England, although they weren’t overly creative in the final third, and it should be noted that only Crouch’s goal came from open play. Hungary however posed little threat, and it required a great strike from well outside the area by Dardai for them to get on the scoresheet.

I thought Sven’s tactics were spot on. Gerrard played with aggression and vigour behind Owen, and the deployment of a defensive midfielder allowed the rest of the team to develop an appropriate shape. Who will fill this holding role is still a mystery though, with Sven trying both Carragher and Hargreaves in this position. Crouch has now played well in three consecutive international games. He appears to raise his game for this level of football: he looks sharp, confident and poses defences real problems. Does Owen currently offer anything to the side that Crouch doesn’t? Wouldn’t Crouch’s ball-winning skills and physical presence be better suited to the formation that Sven looks set to deploy in Germany? Sven should start with Crouch upfront against Paraguay! [selected ratings below]

7/10 – Carragher: Played well in midfield in the first-half - kept things simple.
Gerrard: Displayed great verve and confidence which bodes well for Germany. Shame about the dive though!
Beckham: Excellent delivery from the right.
Terry: A player at the top of his game.
Crouch: Scored a fantastic goal - currently England’s best striker.
6/10 - Lampard: A workmanlike performance without setting the game alight.
J. Cole: Lively enough, but had limited impact until he played Crouch in to score.
A. Cole: Sound defensively, but didn’t get forward much.
Ferdinand: Looked comfortable.
5/10 – Owen: Didn’t get into the game.
4/10 - Hargreaves: Looked ill at ease again and never seemed to have time or space.
0/10 - The BBC studio panel: Made no worthwhile contribution.

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