Predictable England will need to raise their game

Many would agree with Danny Blanchflower's assertion that "the game is about glory... about doing things in style, with a flourish", but for the moment England's followers will have to settle for just winning. Sven Goran Eriksson is, in his professional life at least, a pragmatist not a romantic. "Job done" was his assessment of England's laboured victory over Liechtenstein on Saturday but while that was true enough, a much sharper performance will be required against Turkey at the Stadium of Light on Wednesday to prompt a similar verdict.

While England ultimately did enough to overcome well-organised opposition given added stature by the visitors' own anxiety, they failed to dispel the growing belief that the team's talent is not being harnessed.

Discipline and structure are necessary but, if a team is to win things at the highest level, so are imagination and individuality. Yet England's footballers seem unable, or unwilling, to take responsibility or show initiative. Eriksson has constructed a team which, being designed to counter-attack, has problems forcing the pace.

This is in part because they are predictable. Liechtenstein largely nullified the early, long ball over the top to Michael Owen by defending deep. Plan B, which relies on the full-backs providing width, was curtailed by the hosts deploying a 4-5-1 formation which featured a pair of bright attacking players on the flanks in Thomas Beck, a bank clerk, and Mario Frick.

Gary Neville and Wayne Bridge, who looked very nervous, were thus wary of pushing on. Liechtenstein were able to funnel England towards the congested centre where their passing, hindered by a bobbly pitch, was rarely quick enough to find a way through.

One solution appeared to offer itself when Rio Ferdinand stepped into midfield to good effect midway through the first half, committing opponents and creating space for others. It is suspected, though, that Eriksson insists on his defenders maintaining their defensive shape and the Manchester United centre-back seemed loath to repeat his sally. With Kieron Dyer the only other midfielder prepared to take on his marker, England too often passed the ball, and the buck, sideways.

Eriksson, who said "it is always more difficult to create by passing, passing, passing," insisted: "I encourage players to take people on when it is the right moment. I think we did many times but dribbling is not the only weapon."

The goals, though, came from wing play and a set-piece. Owen headed in Emile Heskey's 28th-minute cross after David Beckham had released the latter. Heskey then won the 53rd-minute free-kick from which Beckham left Peter Jehle, the impressive Liechtenstein keeper, standing.

Owen and Beckham have now provided 21 of the 47 goals England have scored under Eriksson, recording 12 and nine respectively. The next best is Robbie Fowler with four. Eriksson insisted he was unworried by this dependence on the team's marque pair, but knows that without their ability to produce the extraordinary England will remain perennial quarter-finalists at best.

Just as troubling is that the defence continues to appear porous. Racked by tension in the opening stages and careless in the latter, they granted Liechtenstein chances which Ilhan Mansiz can be expected to take if repeated on Wednesday.

England's nervous start enabled the home side, only six of whose 14 players were full-time professionals, to settle quickly. They might have scored first had Frick finished better after a slick interchange with Andreas Gerster.

By the quarter mark England's tentative football was attracting groans from an increasingly anxious away support. "Give them confidence, you muppets" came a plaintive cry from one fan followed by an imploring shout to Gerrard to "take them on Stevie".

The Liverpool midfielder was busy playing himself back out of form and he was not the only one. With Paul Scholes playing too deep, only the energetic Beckham caught the eye, Dyer's pace down the left being negated by his inability to deliver a telling cross.

The grim prospect of a result to have Eriksson waking up in the middle of the night with the sheets soaked in sweat, a fate one of his predecessors admitted to, was looming when Owen warded off the dread. A series of chances was then missed with Beckham, Heskey and Owen all guilty before Beckham finally beat Jehle to settle the tie.

Eriksson withdrew Beckham and Gerrard, both of whom were on a yellow card, with a view to Wednesday's match and would have removed Scholes, too, had Heskey not been hobbling.

That prompted Wayne Rooney's introduction but he was overshadowed by another teenager, Thomas Nigg, who energised Liechtenstein, prompting a late rally during which Ferdinand cleared Thomas Beck's header off the line and Martin Stocklasa hit the post.

As Germany and Russia found against Lithuania and Albania respectively, it could have been worse. Said Neville: "We'll have to up our performance against Turkey but I'm sure we will. This was an England international but felt like a pre-season friendly. You look at the pitch, see only 3,000 in the stadium, and try to raise yourself for it. On Wednesday we won't need any artificial motivation. There'll be 40,000 there and we are playing the team which finished third in the World Cup.

"We can't afford to be so sloppy, to hit passes out of play, have balls roll under people's feet and me beaten in air by a midget more times than ever. These things don't happen in a big game as the edge is there."