England 2 - 2 SwedenI 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.
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