Observations of England Friendly Against Czech Republic--First Half

• Well, I had it wrong earlier when I said Gareth Barry would be on the left and Steven Gerrard in the middle. The two were reversed to start, though Gerrard ended up drifting inside anyway. Ashley Cole and Wes Brown, the left and right backs, respectively, both needed to get forward and provide some necessary width to the team.

• David Beckham can still hit a dead or slow-moving ball pretty well. Big shock, huh? He's still England's best option on the right side.

• I’m getting tired of seeing Wayne Rooney listed as a striker for England. He comes back so far to collect the ball that’s he virtually a fifth midfielder, and when you only have Jermain Defoe (hardly a target man) up front and the firepower that’s already in England’s midfield, Rooney doesn’t need to drop so deep. It hurts the team more than it helps, though you have to like the hustle and work rate.

• Well-deserved yellow card for Barry – reckless tackle.

• Good awareness from Wes Brown to clear the ball after David James made the one-handed diving save after a quarter of an hour.

• Even though Gerrard rarely plays on the left, he looked great bursting forward out there today. He tested Petr Cech early after cutting in and ripping a low, hard drive, won a corner kick in the 35th minute after having his shot deflected out of bounds, passed it very well, and drew a couple fouls in good position for England. When he came back inside, though, he struggled a little bit to connect his passes.

• After Brown’s good play earlier, he was largely responsible for the Czech Republic’s first goal, scored by Milan Baros. As a defender, Brown made the huge mistake of diving in and letting the attacker walk it right around him there at the corner of the 18. The ball was then passed to Baros, who made no mistake. The goal itself went in off Ashley Cole, an unfortunate bounce because it appeared that James was going to make the save before the ball could sneak into the corner.

• As match commentator Robbie Earle wisely pointed out, the width of the Czech Republic put England at a big disadvantage because the Three Lions have little of it. When the full backs have to go that far forward, they leave holes in the back that can be exploited.

• Frank Lampard was fortunate to not receive a yellow card for his sliding challenge in the 28th minute. He caught all man first, ball second, and it wasn’t even close.

• England’s best stretch of the half came between the 25th-40th minutes, but Cech was up to the task. Better finishing from Rooney and Defoe, in particular, was needed to equalize.

• Great long throw from James to his Portsmouth teammate, Defoe, just before halftime. Defoe then won a foul. The free kick from that foul resulted in an England corner kick, which was headed in by Brown, whose first international goal makes up for his earlier mistake.

Rio Tabbed as England Captain, Becks Will Get 100th Cap

England manager Fabio Capello has selected Manchester United center back Rio Ferdinand to lead out the side in the Three Lions' friendly in Paris tomorrow, which, given Capello's desire to rotate the captaincy until World Cup qualifiers begin in September, wasn't really a surprising choice to many people.

However, this is a guy who was suspended for eight months in 2003 for missing a drug test and isn't even the permanent captain at his club. This is a guy who, as United's captain around Christmastime, organized the infamous party that led to rape accusations being brought against Jonny Evans, who is now at Sunderland. This is a guy who has committed multiple driving offenses and has been banned from driving on four separate occasions. This is a guy who called a radio host a "faggot" live on the air in 2006.

This is the guy who will wear the captain's armband for England? Come on.

After the game John Terry had against Arsenal on Sunday and given the fact that he is Chelsea's captain and was England's captain under Steve McLaren, he seemingly was the obvious choice. Guys like Gareth Barry, Villa's captain, David James, Steven Gerrard, and even David Beckham, who has the fourth most games played as captain in England history, also should have been ahead of Ferdinand in the pecking order. I understand that Capello wants to rotate the captaincy and that's fine, but England-France is a significant game with a long history and choosing Ferdinand just seems to devalue it a little bit.

Capello also confirmed today that Beckham will get his 100th cap against France, a well-deserved honor. With David Bentley playing so well at the moment, it's unclear whether Beckham will start or be brought on as a substitute, but the latter wouldn't take away from the 100th cap at all.

Congratulations to Ferdinand and Beckham on their respective milestones, and good luck to England tomorrow.

Capello Announces 23-Man Squad for France Friendly

To no one’s surprise, David Beckham was retained by England manager Fabio Capello in the final 23-man squad for the Three Lions’ friendly in Paris next week. Beckham is one cap short of 100 in his England career and if he doesn’t get it against France, and it appears that he will based on this roster, he’ll very likely get it at Wembley against the US on May 28. I’ve said that Beckham deserves this honor and that it would be just a question of when, not if, and all signs point to him becoming only the fifth player in England’s history to reach the century milestone.

Spurs keeper Paul Robinson won back his place in the England setup, although he was included because of an injury to Scott Carson. Robinson has played fairly well in goal lately and in the end, I think the only other option was Robert Green, but West Ham was torched 4-0 in three consecutive games recently and that couldn’t have impressed Capello. Either way, it’s not really going to matter. David James is going to start in goal and he fully deserves the nod.

Robinson was the only player not amongst the 30-man provisional squad to be part of this group of 23, and I have to admit that there are a couple absentees on this roster that surprise me.

The two most glaring question marks that I have are the exclusions of Villa winger Ashley Young and Portsmouth striker Jermain Defoe, both of whom were part of the original 30-man roster. Defoe has scored six goals in six league games since moving to the South Coast in January and Ashley Young leads the Premiership in assists this season.

Young can play on either flank, though he plays on the left for Villa, and is simply a better player than Middlesbrough’s Stewart Downing. I would guess that Joe Cole will start on that left side anyway, but the only reason I can come up with for taking Downing over Young is that Downing is left-footed, which is obviously traditional for left-wingers. No other midfielder picked in this team is left-footed, so that worked in Downing’s favor as well. Even so, Young is quicker than Downing, has better skills on the ball, and can serve balls in more accurately and dangerously than the Boro midfielder.

Opting to keep Michael Owen, Theo Walcott, and Peter Crouch ahead of Jermain Defoe is stunning. Keeping Crouch is more understandable because he’s a tall target man, something England doesn’t have, and can be brought on late in a game and have a big impact. With that said, Crouch has played a combined 29 minutes in Liverpool’s last six games. Michael Owen has two goals in Newcastle’s last five games, a cheap little toe-poke off a rebound from seven yards out against Birmingham earlier in the week and his tally today against Fulham. Walcott hasn’t even been used as a striker by Arsenal lately; he’s playing wide right where he can use his pace to beat defenders to the byline and get inside the area.

Sorry, if you’re picking a team based on current form (six in six for Defoe, two goals, two assists in seven games for Young, a winger), there’s no way those two players don’t make this squad, there’s just no way.

I have no problem with the other exclusions — David Wheater, Gabby Agbonlahor, Matthew Upson (injured), and Shaun Wright-Phillips — and was happy to see that Glen Johnson and Jonathan Woodgate kept their places in the side.

It’s curious that Capello chose to name this roster tonight, even though the majority of players on it (12 out of 23) are playing tomorrow and it’s possible that one, if not more, of those guys could get injured in the physical contests we’re likely to see. On top of that, it’s possible that one, if not more, of those guys just has an awful game and may not deserve to even be in the England squad.

Full 23-Man Roster (club):

Goalkeepers: David James (Portsmouth), Paul Robinson (Tottenham), Chris Kirkland (Wigan Athletic)

Defenders: Wayne Bridge, John Terry, and Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Rio Ferdinand and Wes Brown (Manchester United), Glen Johnson (Portsmouth), Joleon Lescott (Everton), Jonathan Woodgate (Tottenham)

Midfielders: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Gareth Barry (Aston Villa), Owen Hargreaves (Manchester United), Joe Cole and Frank Lampard (Chelsea), David Bentley (Blackburn), David Beckham (LA Galaxy), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough)

Forwards: Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Peter Crouch (Liverpool), Michael Owen (Newcastle)

Based on this team, here’s who I’d pick as my starting XI (4-2-3-1):

GK: David James
LB: Joleon Lescott
RB: Glen Johnson
CB: Rio Ferdinand
CB: Jonathan Woodgate
DMF: Owen Hargreaves
DMF: Gareth Barry
CMF: Steven Gerrard
LMF: Joe Cole
RMF: Theo Walcott
ST: Wayne Rooney

Captain: Steven Gerrard

Update (Sunday-2:23 PM): West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green was added to the squad to replace the injured Chris Kirkland.

Capello Announces 30-Man Provisional Squad for France Friendly

David Beckham is one step closer to winning his 100th England cap after the LA Galaxy midfielder was named by Fabio Capello to the 30-man provisional squad for the Three Lions' friendly against France in Paris next week.

Capello sent his second-in-command, Franco Baldini, to Dallas last week to watch Beckham in the Galaxy's pre-season friendly against FC Dallas, a game in which he wasn't too impressive by most accounts. Baldini must've seen something positive to report back to Capello to include him in this squad, and Capello also knows exactly what Becks can do from their time together at Real Madrid.

Even so, Beckham faces some stiff competition for his wide right midfield spot in the form of David Bentley and Shaun Wright-Phillips, and both Joe Cole and Ashley Young are capable of playing on the right as well. Based on current form, you would have to say that Cole and Young will earn starts next week but obviously nothing is set in stone yet.

Capello will trim the squad down to 23 players on Saturday afternoon, and it will be interesting to see who he keeps and who he leaves out. There are only a few players -- Steven Gerrard, David James, Jermain Defoe, and Joe Cole -- who should be locks to make the 23-man roster.

I was pleased to see Defoe rewarded with a call-up because he's been playing so well recently for Portsmouth, and David James has looked great in goal all season.

It will also be interesting to see who Capello names as captain. Gerrard led the side out against Switzerland at Wembley last month, but Capello has said that he'd rotate the captaincy until World Cup 2010 qualifiers begin this fall. If I had to guess, John Terry would wear the armband next week, but I could see Rio Ferdinand or David James having the honor as well.

Provisional 30-man roster (club):

Goalkeepers: David James (Portsmouth), Scott Carson (Aston Villa), Chris Kirkland (Wigan)

Defense: Wayne Bridge, Ashley Cole, and John Terry (Chelsea), Wes Brown and Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Jonathan Woodgate (Tottenham), David Wheater (Middlesbrough), Matthew Upson (West Ham), Glen Johnson (Portsmouth), Joleon Lescott (Everton)

Midfield: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Gareth Barry and Ashley Young (Aston Villa), David Bentley (Blackburn), Joe Cole, Frank Lampard, and Shaun Wright-Phillips (Chelsea), David Beckham (LA Galaxy), Owen Hargreaves (Manchester United), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough), Jermaine Jenas (Tottenham)

Forwards: Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Michael Owen (Newcastle), Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa), Peter Crouch (Liverpool), Jermain Defoe (Portsmouth)

Sven Pimps "I'm on Setanta Sports"

This show is getting more and more unbelievable every week, but you know what, I don't care.

It is fantastic.

David Beckham Deserves his 100th Cap

With the announcement of the 30-man provisional squad selected by new England coach Fabio Capello yesterday for the upcoming friendly against Switzerland, I thought it was time for me to weigh in on the “Does Becks deserve his 100th cap?” debate.

Let me make something clear first. I have no problem whatsoever with Beckham not being picked for this game. He’s not match fit, and it’s that simple. You can’t justify putting him on the roster when he’s been training for a month with Arsenal’s reserves over players like David Bentley, Shaun Wright-Phillips, and Ashley Young, guys who have been playing competitively in the Premier League all winter and play that same wide position (although Young plays on the left for Aston Villa). Again, I completely understand the rationale behind that decision.

Capello left the door open to recall Becks to the squad if he is on good form when the MLS season kicks off this spring and I have no doubt he will be. Capello and Beckham have a history of this same sort of thing from Real Madrid last year, where Beckham impressed the manager so much in training that he put Becks back into the starting lineup (where he played an integral role in helping Madrid win La Liga) even after chairman Ramón Calderón stated that the former would never play for the Spanish giant again after his declaration to move to the LA Galaxy that summer.

I’m not sure how you can make the argument that Beckham doesn’t deserve his 100th cap for everything he’s done for England and soccer in that nation, both with the national team and with Manchester United. You can say that Beckham isn’t part of England’s future, which is correct, but this discussion isn’t about whether he will play any part in World Cup 2010 or even the qualifying campaign. This is about whether he should lead the team out of the tunnel for one more game, whether he should receive the honor of 100 caps for England, something done only by four players previously. It would be a milestone figure for Beckham, and one that he’s truly earned through his accomplishments on and off the field.

Beckham’s reputation as a player is well-documented. Notable figures in the game like his former managers Sir Alex Ferguson and Capello have praised him for his consummate professionalism and dedication. He was a part of six Premiership winners at Manchester United, where he also won a Champions League and two FA Cups. He was the runner-up for the FIFA World Player of the Year award on two occasions (1999 and 2001). Without Becks’ free kick against Greece in October 2001, England wouldn’t have even qualified for World Cup 2002. In that match, he was the only England player to step up and it was his performance that carried the rest of the team. In World Cup 2006, Beckham played a direct part (either through a goal or an assist) in four of England’s six goals in the tournament. He became the first English player ever to score in three different World Cups. Since that World Cup, he’s played in four matches for England and totaled four assists.

Beckham served as England’s captain for 58 of the 99 games he’s appeared in, from November 15, 2000 to July 2, 2006, when England lost on penalties to Portugal in the World Cup quarterfinals. After that loss, Beckham was the definition of a great captain. We saw him consoling his teammates, picking them up off the field and embracing them, shaking hands with the Portuguese players, and applauding the fans as he went into the tunnel. Six years’ worth of wearing the armband is a remarkable accomplishment and in terms of “matches captained”, Beckham ranks fourth in England national team history. It’s common knowledge that his tenure and leadership was instrumental in the career of many English players, Wayne Rooney most noticeably. Rooney was a loose cannon for Everton, England, and for Manchester United when he first arrived at Old Trafford, but the time he spent around Beckham with England really seemed to change him as a player.

Do I think Beckham deserves that 100th cap? Of course. Do I think he’ll actually get it? Yes. Barring injury, there’s simply no way he won’t get it and I think the only question is when, not if, it will happen. I believe Capello will want him to get it at home in front of the fans, so I’m predicting Beckham will captain the squad for the last time in the game against Kazakhstan on October 11 of this year. Prior to that, there are two other World Cup qualifiers but they’re both away, so I don’t think he’ll play in either of those games. Of course, the middle of the MLS season (when Beckham should be in full stride) would come closer to the September 6 match at Andorra, and even though Beckham should be in better form than most of the Premiership players who are just getting their season underway, I’m not sure if he would get that 100th cap on the road.

David Beckham deserves his 100th cap. He’s contributed enormously to English soccer over the years and served his country as captain for 58 matches. He’s carried the team and won important games single-handedly. He’s influenced many players both on and off the field in tremendous, positive ways.

How can this man not reach that honored milestone?

David Beckham is Back..Who Cares??

David Beckham made his less-than-triumphant return from injury last night, playing 22 minutes as a substitute as his Los Angeles Galaxy drew 1-1 at home with New York Red Bulls, a game the Galaxy really needed to win to realistically have a chance at making the MLS playoffs. Every team seemingly gets into the playoffs (8 out of 13 teams, in fact), which is a joke in itself, but the more comical, and unfortunate, part of this story is that no one in mainstream America cares.

Beckham was officially unveiled as a Galaxy player on July 13, which would've been the perfect time for soccer in America to finally gain some positive recognition in the media. The Michael Vick/dogfighting issues were just unfolding and the Tim Donaghy refereeing/betting on games scandal was causing the NBA widespread embarrassment. More importantly, however, MLS had as little competition for publicity as it could get at any time during the sporting year. College football, college basketball, NFL, NHL, and NBA seasons hadn't started yet, and the only professional sport going at that time is Major League Baseball, but the regular season, especially in July, isn't exactly a top-drawing, casual fan-enticing time. David Beckham's arrival was the perfect opportunity for MLS to finally break its way into the top tier of professional sports in America (NFL, NHL, MLB, NBA), the largest sporting market in the world.

As we all know though, that's not how things played out. Beckham's ankle injury proved to be more serious than previously indicated and he didn't play a league match until August 9, against DC United. MLS backloaded the Galaxy's schedule so that they'd play in all the major markets (New York, DC, Chicago, Toronto, Dallas, Boston/New England) after Beckham got to LA so they could capitalize on high TV ratings and sellout crowds. Beckham missed the Galaxy's games in Dallas, Toronto, Colorado, Salt Lake City, Kansas City, Columbus, and New England, as well as the Los Angeles derby against Chivas. He did play in DC (as a substitute) and New York (undoubtedly MLS's match of the season). It doesn't take a genius to figure out that things didn't exactly go according to plan.

Fast forward to the present. Let's be honest; the only people that care about the MLS regular season are the clubs themselves and the most diehard of their fans. The fact is that the regular season means nothing; the league champion is determined in the playoffs. The league as a whole gets less and less interest as the season goes on, especially now with the NFL, NHL, and college football seasons underway, as well MLB's playoffs. The NBA preseason is here as well and college basketball is only about 2 or 3 weeks away. In short, the casual fan, the fan MLS is desperate to attract and the fan that they planned the Galaxy's schedule around, simply isn't going to watch MLS regular season games with all of these other sporting options. Sure, I'll watch the playoffs, but if they're on at the same time as Michigan Wolverines basketball or football or the New York Rangers, sorry, those games will be getting the most of my attention.

Were the higher-ups at MLS nuts to schedule last night's game between the Galaxy and Red Bulls for 11 PM East Coast time?? The East Coast makes up the majority of television viewership. If you want the casual fan to watch, start the game at a reasonable hour during primetime (7-9 PM ET); they can play in LA from 4-7 Pacific time and the stadium will still be sold out if David Beckham is there. It also was an unlucky break for MLS that ESPN's telecast of South Florida-Rutgers had national title implications and the baseball playoffs were on as well, a high draw when Boston is playing.

Also, according to who you believe, Beckham hasn't been doing much in the community, not in Los Angeles and not in the rest of the cities he and the Galaxy visit. Listening to World Soccer Daily, which is based in LA, hosts Steven Cohen and Howard Rogers have said repeatedly that Beckham doesn't do much in the way of signing autographs for the kids and doesn't do publicity events. People who call into the show say the same thing. A lot was expected of Beckham when he came to America; perhaps far too much. One thing for certain, however, is that he's failed miserably to deliver on the media hype and interest surrounding him.

Let me be clear that I support soccer here in America and across the world; I wouldn't be writing those blog if I didn't care about soccer. It's a shame that more people aren't paying attention to MLS because the quality of soccer is getting much better, and more notable international players than ever before recognize that and are coming here. David Beckham's injury woes certainly were a heartbreaker for MLS executives, who basically banked this season on him coming and being a success. He hasn't been this season, and maybe he will be next year and for seasons after that, but a prime chance for soccer in America to gain a foothold was wasted this summer. I'm not sure if it will come again.

American Football Meets English Football

Two of the most marketable superstars in their respective sports, Reggie Bush of the New Orleans Saints and David Beckham of the LA Galaxy/English national team (for now), have come together and filmed several commercials for Adidas as part of the sports giant's "Futbol meets Football" campaign. They can be seen on YouTube by searching "David Beckham and Reggie Bush".

The commercials are quite good, in my opinion. You can see that Reggie Bush is an incredible athlete. For someone who probably hasn't ever played soccer before, he picks up the game incredibly well. Beckham and Bush establish a solid chemistry right off the bat and the scenes are pretty entertaining. The two fire penalties at each other, Beckham shows Bush how he hits one of his trademark free kicks, and Bush shows Beckham a few things about American football. The shot with Beckham lofting a long ball, much like a quarterback, and Bush acting as a wide receiver and hauling it in yards down the field is classic.

Nothing bad can come out of commercials like these and surely David Beckham's arrival in LA later this month will provide soccer with increased visibility here in the States. He and Reggie Bush are two athletes who are easily recognized wherever they go and joint efforts like these are good for both sports, but primarily soccer as it needs credibility in the US. Rapper P. Diddy is a reknowned Arsenal fan (http://www.itv.com/news/entertainment_6fea0f017e4b7c37a7299c15ab7cd75e.html) and has been to Premiership games before. He visited Manchester United in Copenhagen when they were there for Champions League commitments and he was in town for the MTV Europe Music Video Awards. Superstars of that magnitude are so important for soccer to succeed in the United States and the commercials with Beckham and Bush are just another illustration of soccer's attempt at growth here.

Here are a few of the commercials:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfpm7FrdQyI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmhgiY9uvKU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zc6csxqtrBk

England vs. Estonia Recap

The result of this game never seriously looked to be in doubt as England traveled into Estonia's capital city and beat the hosts 3-0 behind a goal apiece from Joe Cole, Peter Crouch, and Michael Owen. For the second time in the same number of games, however, David Beckham was the real difference-maker and provided two brilliant crosses that led directly to goals. Beckham was clearly the most dangerous player on the field and he didn't even look to be at full strength after injuring his ankle just a quarter of an hour into the game.

With all this being said, and though it was the kind of game that may ease criticism of Steve McLaren temporarily simply because England won, in reality England's performance was not nearly as inspiring as could have been hoped for. The Three Lions did just enough to win the game and not much more. Fans should keep their optimism tempered until England host Israel in 3 months' time as that will be more of an indicator towards England's Euro 2008 future. Peter Crouch will not be available (yellow card accumulation) for that match and Israel has allowed only 7 goals in 8 games (even that is misleading because 3 of them were in the same game against Croatia).

That is in the future though; for now fans will take a bit of comfort in a 3-0 win and a favorable result in the Croatia-Russia game (0-0) which has pulled England to within 3 points of the top two teams in Group E for Euro 2008 qualification.

Updated Group E Standings:
1. Croatia (17 points, +12 Goal Differential, 7 Games Played)
2. Israel (17 pts, +10 GD, 8 GP)
3. Russia (15 pts, +10 GD, 7 GP)
4. England (14 pts, +10 GD, 7 GP)
5. Macedonia (7 pts, -1 GD, 7 GP)
6. Estonia (0 pts, -14 GD, 7 GP)
7. Andorra (0 pts, -27 GD, 7 GP)

Note: Top two teams qualify for Euro 2008 (cohosted by Austria and Switzerland)

England-Brazil Recap, England-Estonia Preview (Edition 2)

The international friendly played at the new Wembley in London ended 1-1, with Brazilian substitute Diego snatching the draw for his side with a header in 2nd half injury time. Center back John Terry scored his third goal for England via a header from a well-placed David Beckham free kick in the 68th minute to give England the short-lived 1-0 lead. Seems a bit ironic that the embattled former England captain set up the current England captain for a goal, does it not?

In truth, Brazil certainly deserved the equalizer and probably should have won the game outright. England's performance was uninspired, to say the least, and with the critical Estonia match to be played in 4 days' time they did not bring much relief or hope for their supporters. One would've thought that England definitely would have brought their A-game to their first international game at the new Wembley, especially in an attempt to tune up for their important clash with Estonia next week. Steven Gerrard won the official Man of the Match honors though I personally believed David Beckham was the best player on the field before he was substituted in the 77th minute in favor of Tottenham's Jermaine Jenas. Gerrard and Beckham were easily England's two top players and Gerrard came up with a brilliant, potentially goal-saving tackle to deny Brazil but on the scoresheet he was blanked. Beckham had the go-ahead assist and played very well on the flank during the run of play. He came up painfully empty on a couple of other free kicks, either shooting and just missing or serving balls in that his teammates just couldn't get a body on. If you say that Beckham and Gerrard played a pretty even game, Beckham should've gotten Man of the Match honors because he factored in on the scoresheet.

Anything short of a victory in Estonia on June 6 will probably result in the firing of England coach Steve McLaren. The English fans are restless with consistent disappointing performances on the international level and quite justifiably so. England has some of the best players in the world and simply are being mismanaged. McLaren's squad selection leaves many questions and his positioning of players on the field also is often baffling. Some may even go so far as to think it's in England's best interest to not win against Estonia and cause a change in management. Steve McLaren isn't the man for the job and when the World Cup, which is still 3 years away, is your country's main goal, you want to have the right person in charge. Euro 2008 qualification wouldn't be impossible without a win but it would be considerably more difficult, especially with Russia's 4-0 victory over Andorra today.

England simply cannot afford to underestimate Estonia. Their performances lately have been nothing to draw much praise or approval from and Estonia is coming off a narrow 1-0 loss to Group E leader Croatia today, which can be looked at is a positive step forward for the Eastern European team. England themselves lost 2-0 to Croatia the first time around, and while I'm not saying that scores can be compared through some transitive property, I don't think England will have as easy of a time dispatching Estonia as they believe. As far as Steve McLaren's future goes however, this is a must win game.

Updated Group E Standings:
1. Croatia (16 points, +12 Goal Differential, 6 Games Played)
2. Russia (14 pts, +10 GD, 6 GP)
3. Israel (14 pts, +8 GD, 7 GP)
4. England (11 pts, +7 GD, 6 GP)
5. Macedonia (7 pts, -1 GD, 7 GP)
6. Estonia (0 pts, -11 GD, 6 GP)
7. Andorra (0 pts, -25 GD, 6 GP)

Note: Top 2 teams qualify for Euro 2008 (cohosted by Austria and Switzerland)