Firstly: full credit to Algeria for closing us down very athletically, denying us space and making us look stupid. That said…

If you are facing a hard wall, you need your best drill. If you have a diamond-tipped drill, why use a drill-bit best employed on wood? Most especially, when things are going wrong, why do you shift your diamond tip out on the left wing?

The team seem to have lost belief – either in themselves or in the coach – and I would put it down to using the wrong formation. Capello is, I think, starting to realise his lack of experience at this level, most especially (and I laughed heavily) when he said that the team didn’t reflect what he saw on the training pitch. Well, duh! He needs to put the players in their best positions, where they feel most comfortable, and he needs to bring on Joe Cole, a proven performer at this level who also has a lot to play for (like a move to Man Utd) – and who also isn’t exhausted by the over-long Premiership season.

Unless Capello shifts to the formation I recommended (!) then we will not score against Slovenia – and then we’ll be on our way home, and deservedly so. Grrrrr….