England's Artists Content to Draw

Another disappointing... uninspiring... lacklustre... bland... typical England performance did nothing to encourage the nations' faith that Capello is taking his England forward. But this is not the time to point fingers, or publically criticise, because we are a team, a nation, and we all need to get behind England away to Croatia, because they need all the help they can get.

I don't want to dwell on it... but again the nation is wondering why Joe Cole did not start against Andorra. Surely he must play against Croatia, Cole has been England's best player over the last two seasons, and he is proving to be very useful infront of goal too - something that Jermain Defoe, Emile Heskey and Wayne Rooney are not in England shirts. However I am concerned by the comments coming out of the England Squad, particularly from Cole and Defoe.

"We're working on being strong and hard to break down and we have got the players to do that" Joe Cole

Too often recently, England have played as if it were their God given right to be in the England team, and to win every major tournament they enter. However this arrogance has been the death of English football. The naivty of some of our so-called top players that because they play in the best teams in the country, in the best league in the world, they are better than the rest of the world, has resulted in an embarrasment of complacency - the kind of complacency and lack of creativity that leaves England struggling to half-time 0-0 away to Andorra twice. Therefore it is refreshing to hear that England feel the need to work hard for this game in Zagreb, that they can finally appreciate that there are other nations in the world that are better than them. Croatia are the better side, they beat England home and away recently, and that had the opportunity to be a brilliant wake-up call... however... as refreshing as it is to hear England ready to fight in Zagreb... I feel their hard work is mis-directed.

"Without wanting to sound negative, a draw would put us in the driving seat but we'll go out there to try to win the game." Joe Cole

"A draw would be a great result in Croatia" Jermain Defoe

It is great that England have this new found respect for the rest of the footballing world, but they've used this respect in all the wrong ways. A draw would not be a great result. This is a classic case of hyperbole. A great result? A draw would leave England in the driving seat, but a win would be a great result. Any side that enters into a game feeling a draw would be a great result has already lost the mental battle.

It's reassuring to hear from Cole that England have been working hard... but whilst we do have the players to work hard and defend, in Cole and Rooney we have the players to work hard and attack, something that Capello is keen to iterate to the two of them.

England will perform better, because there will be a part of them that feels like the underdog. Somewhere deep down they will feel like they have something to prove, and that often gets the best out of England's players. But a positive result in Zagreb will only over inflate their egos again, and they'll be back to feeling they are owed qualification rather than earning it.