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England 2 - 2 Sweden

I would like to claim credit for that headline; in fact, I pinched it off BBC Breakfast News. (The best I could think of was 'Sweden steal a draw in an act of grand Larsson-y.' Hmm... maybe not).

England's performance was nearly as bad. It was a microcosm of everything the England team is. Brilliant one minute (Joe Cole's fantastic dipping shot), then calamitous the next (our defending at set plays). Still, at least we topped the group and avoided Germany, so it was mission accomplished there.

But all this was overshadowed by the knee injury of Michael Owen, which means it's 'auf wiedesehen' to his World Cup campaign. No sooner had the stretcher came out for Owen then the knives came out for the England manager. Sven Goran-Eriksson's decision to only take four strikers was always a risk, and now it seems it may come back to haunt him. With Owen gone, it leaves only Rooney, the Jolly Green Giant and someone who's only just learnt to tie up his bootlaces.

However, injuries can sometimes be blessings in disguise. Take Mexico '86, when 'Captain Marvel' Bryan Robson's shoulder went. His absence from the team meant a formational re-think, from which England started winning games (albeit briefly). Perhaps this means Sven could adopt the much-discussed 4-5-1 formation, allowing a lone frontman (Rooney) to be supported by two runners (Lampard and Gerrard).

Whatever Sven decides, he and his players need to start justifying their vast wage packets. Barring a complete disaster, they should overcome Ecuador, but Holland or Portugal would await in the quarter-finals. If they hope to lift that trophy on July 9th, they're going to have to step up a gear.

England World Cup Quiz

As World Cup fever is beginning to spread throughout the land, I thought I'd get in the spirit and put together a little quiz based on England and the World Cup. How good is your World Cup knowledge on England? (Answers are at the bottom).


1. Which of these three England players has not missed a penalty in a World Cup penalty shoot-out?

a) Stuart Pearce
b) Gareth Southgate
c) Paul Ince


2. How many England players wore the captain's armband at the 1990 World Cup?

a) One
b) Two
c) Three


3. What is the title of 1966 World Cup hat-trick hero Geoff Hurst's offical autobiography?

a) 1966 And All That
b) The Ghost Of 66
c) Playing Extra Time


4. How many times have England played a German team at the World Cup finals?
a) Twice
b) Three times
c) Four times


5. Which England player went to the World Cup finals in 1982 and 1986 but never played a game?

a) Viv Anderson
b) Bryan Robson
c) Glenn Hoddle


6. Apart from Gary Lineker and David Platt, who was the only other English player to score a goal at Italia ’90?

a) Peter Beardsley
b) Mark Wright
c) Chris Waddle


7. What year did England first play in the World Cup finals?

a) 1938
b) 1950
c) 1954


8. How many times have England been eliminated from the World Cup by the eventual winners?

a) Twice
b) Three times
c) Four times


9. Which England player scored his first international goal against Columbia in the 1998 World Cup?

a) David Beckham
b) Michael Owen
c) Darren Anderton


10. Who was the first player to score against England at the 1966 World Cup?

a) Pele
b) Antonio Rattin
c) Eusebio



ANSWERS:
b) Gareth Southgate. He missed a penalty in Euro '96
c) Bryan Robson, Peter Shilton and Terry Butcher
a) The other two are autobiographies of Martin Peters and Alan Ball
c) 1966, 1970, 1982 and 1990
a) He was second choice right-back to Mick Mills and Gary M. Stevens in respective tournaments
b) He scored the only goal in a 1-0 win against Egypt
b) They had refused to enter previous competitions
c) Brazil in 1962 and 2002, Argentina in 1986 and West Germany in 1990
a) It was from a free-kick
c) The Portugese striker scored a penalty in the semi-final

This week I have been mostly listening to...

The Flaming Lips - At Home With The Mystics. Features 'The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song'. Sadly, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' new album 'Show Your Bones' doesn't contain 'The Flaming Lips Song'.

The Aliens - Alienoid Starmonica EP. The Aliens are Robin Jones and John McLean of the Beta Band with Gordon Anderson of Lone Pigeon. Contains a song called 'Robot Man', which I guess England striker Peter Crouch must be a fan of (right).

Nick Cave - Disco 2000. The Australian's brilliantly downbeat cover of Pulp's 1995 top ten hit. Originally featured on the b-side of Pulp's 'Bad Cover Version'.