Afterthoughts on England vs Israel Match

For Steve McClaeren's 13th match in charge of England, it is anything but unlucky for him. England coasted to a 3-0 victory over Israel. I wouldn't say that he has scored a tactical victory, it is more like circumstances forcing his hand and the set-pieces falling into place for him.

With injuries to Wayne Rooney, David Beckham, Owen Hargreaves, Frank Lampard, Gary Neville, Ledley King, Aaron Lennon, Johnathan Woodgate and Wayne Bridge, he has his back against the wall and can only call on Gareth Barry.

Fortunately, the Aston Villa captain turned out to be a revelation against Israel. His slick partnership with Steven Gerrard may have finally solved England's midfield troubles. If McClaren is not sleeping during the match, he should have realized that Lampard and Gerrard's partnership since 2004 is a failure and both players cannot be in the same team together.

I think based on this performance, Barry should be featuring prominently in the rest of the qualifiers, even if Lampard recovers in time. But will McClaren feels the same way?

He is embarking on the same path as Sven by picking the best man for the job and not the best team. Just select the players who are on form at the moment into their favorite positions and let them work their wonders; the manager can then sit back and relax. How easy that would be!!

However, things do not work out in this manner. If the players do not have a strong team ethics and cannot cast individual glory aside, then it is time to wield the axe, regardless of how talented each of them are. Prima-donnas have to be go, period. Look at Netherlands, their best team always self-destruct and fall to the underdogs.

McClaren has the luxury of several raw talents in his hand and he should not be afraid of using them, instead of worrying about stepping on the toes of the more senior players. Bearing in mind that the next game is against Russia, masterminded by Guus Hiddink, England should not be complacent; winning a match against Israel is after all a stroll in the park.