...Carrick holds the key to success in South Africa

Fabio Capello and England finally learned some valuable lessons from an international friendly last night, but none more so than that Michael Carrick is the key to exploiting the limited strengths of our national team in South Africa, as compared to the likes of favourites Brazil and Spain.

Firstly, significantly, England’s intensity did not drop in the second half, as it has done in non-competitive matches for years now. OK, everyone is playing for their places on the plane, but it is encouraging to see a friendly in which the pace did not let up until the final whistle, as it did too often under Sven and McClaren.

Next, if we are to play two up top, i.e. Rooney and A.N Other, that man must be Peter Crouch. Defoe is an instinctive goal-scorer but is so direct that top defenders can work him out. Defoe should go but as an impact sub, when his pace will carry more of a threat, as we saw with his two goals against the Netherlands last year. Carlton Cole is unproven at international level; Heskey can’t score goals.

Also: Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard obviously cannot reproduce their club form for England, whether playing together or not. Gerrard is 29, Lampard 31. They haven’t done it so far. This may well be their last world cup. No room for sentimentality, with a coach as adept as Capello this is the best chance we have had since ’66.

I digress. The point is that England must play to their strengths. It has been proven that we can’t pass our way through teams due to an inherent lack of technical ability. The evidence is that every time we come up against a ball-playing team (Brazil and Portugal (twice) in competition, Brazil and Spain in friendlies) we are soundly beaten. No, our main strengths are these: two strong, ball playing centre-halves (if fit) in Terry and Ferdinand. One world-class forward. Pace. And I’m afraid to say that is it.

Ladies and gentlemen may I reveal the key to England’s slim hopes of winning the World Cup: the counter attack; the Catenaccio. The fact is that 46% of goals scored in open play at Euro 2008 were from counter-attacks. We are not Italy and do not have their patience, but we do have their best manager. Capello will be able to spend the longest period he has ever had with our squad just before the tournament begins. I’m not saying we must defend all game before we break (as that is not our nature), merely that the counter-attack is our best hope of scoring goals against top sides given the squad we have.

The key to the counter attack is to draw the opposing team in, win the ball and transfer it forward to the danger men as quickly as possible, in as few passes as possible, so as not to allow the opposition a chance to regain their shape. Think United’s goal away at Arsenal in the Champions League last season. This tactic involves vertical, not horizontal passes. Michael Carrick must play the holding role instead of Gareth Barry for this reason.

Carrick was a forward in his youth, his passing is forward thinking, more penetrative and more accurate than that of Gareth Barry, who spent many of his formative years at left-back. If the plan is to work Terry or Ferdinand must use their nous and aggression to win the ball, then offload it to Carrick to use his passing range to bring our pace into play: Ashley Cole (hopefully) and Glen Johnson bombing up from full-back, wingers such as Lennon/Wright-Phillips/Walcott/maybe Joe Cole getting beyond their men to add the width, Rooney waiting in the middle.

Gareth Barry has hardly put a foot wrong for England, but his slow, conservative passing style is not what we need against the best teams in the world. When Carrick came on last night England were more direct, and the goals began to flow. We may need a replacement left-back, a safe, left-footed player to provide cover for Ashley Cole. Stop hiding behind Crouchy, Gary, I’m looking at you.

You may be wondering who I would play with Carrick in the 4-4-2 England have proven themselves incapable of operating without. Steven Gerrard. Leave Lampard on the bench. In a blue shirt he would have buried the two clear-cut chances he had last night. In Germany in 2006 Lampard came into the tournament on great form with Chelsea and had the most shots of any player in the tournament but didn’t score a single goal. I for one am not prepared to let him repeat that feat. Give Gerrard a chance in his preferred position for once, but with Carrick behind him.