Anyway, the temptation to hit a long pass into space to exploit the speed of Michael Owen and Emile Heskey must be pretty great. A pass of such banality that it can only be described in banal terms - it s known as switching play and it usually accomplishes nothing at all. But England, at last, have in Rio Ferdinand a central defender who prefers to play the ball, rather than whack it, out of defense. They have a lively left back with excellent attacking and dribbling skills in Ashley Cole. Up front, both Owen and Heskey have speed - to which Owen adds ball control, and Heskey adds power.
Midfield is still unimpressive.
Gerrard is all grit and determination, Scholes has little imagination to offer, ditto for David Beckham.