Why there's still plenty of reasons to watch England

Oct 12 2004 By Mark Lawrenson, Daily Post

THERE has always been a school of thought that for supporters of Liverpool and Everton, watching England comes a poor second in their affections.

In fact some people have said to me that it comes about 20th on their list of things to do on an international weekend.

Given that there is a reduced Merseyside presence in the squad at the moment - just Jamie Carragher, with Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen moving to pastures new and Steven Gerrard injured - I suppose there is an even greater temptation to turn your back on Sven's men.

For me though, it is still exciting to see some great players - no matter who they play for and especially when they play as well as England did on Saturday.

On top of that, you only have to see how the nation as a whole reacts when England enjoy a modicum of success. The England team galvanise football supporters everywhere, and I can't believe that Merseysiders are any different. They should always look fondly on former players' efforts, no matter what club they are with now.

Okay, your own team comes first, but when England are successful it is a boost to every club in the Premiership.

About the only people with any interest in the Premiership who will not have been delighted with the result were members of the Welsh squad, who were comprehensively outplayed.

England were about as comfortable as I have seen them for some time and they are home and hosed now as far as the group is concerned, although that says as much about the quality of the other teams as it does about England. In my opinion, 4-0 would not have flattered them at Old Trafford.

A lot of that is down to the system Sven decided to employ, with Wayne Rooney floating behind Michael Owen and Jermain Defoe. The experiment worked well and the trio's movement was excellent to create plenty of chances, although it displayed Sven's indecisiveness as much as his tactical nous.

Given that Rooney was a certainty to play, the choice was between Owen and Defoe for the other striker's berth, but he decided not to make that choice and played both of them. I am sure there were sound tactical reasons for that, but with Sven, you get the feeling - as Nancy Dell'olio said - that he avoids conflict if he can.