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What about Walcott?

Image: Walcott: should he be dropped?

Alan Smith says Stuart Pearce has a dilemma over Theo Walcott ahead of England's clash with Spain.

England must play better - but will formation change?

It's no secret that England didn't play well in their opening game against Finland. In the first half in particular they just didn't get going. Finland caught them by surprise with the direct nature of their football and England found that hard to handle. We scored against the run of play, then dropped off and Michael Mancienne made a bad mistake to give away a penalty and get himself sent off. That forced Stuart Pearce into a change at half time, with Fraizer Campbell replacing Theo Walcott, and the coach deserves a lot of credit for that positive move. In many ways England looked better with 10 men than they did with 11 and they came away with a great result following Micah Richards' second-half winner. However, there is plenty of room for improvement. I'd like to see them move the ball about better, as Spain and Germany did in their match. In an ideal world you would like to see them win the first game in style, but in tournament football it's important to get the win and then move on. Those three points are in the bag and they aren't fighting the tide going into the Spain game, they know a win in this game isn't totally vital.

Formation

It will be interesting to see what formation Stuart Pearce opts for against Spain. The lads have played 4-3-3 in many of the recent matches, but they didn't look comfortable in the first half on Monday. Things improved when Campbell came on to play alongside Gabriel Agbonlahor. When it was James Milner and Theo Walcott supporting the lone striker, they didn't seem sure what to do with the ball in the middle of the park. Campbell worked hard and looked a threat when he came on so I think Pearce will be loathed to leave him out. He certainly warrants a start after his second-half performance. So it will be interesting to see what Pearce decides to do with Walcott. He had a very quiet first half against Finland, but if Pearce leaves him out after all of the furore over him going to Sweden then I don't think Arsene Wenger will be very happy. It's a tricky decision because Theo's confidence looks low and he didn't contribute anything in the first match.
Lacking
In midfield, Lee Cattermole and Fabrice Muamba worked very hard, but I think we were lacking a bit of creativity. They didn't have many options when they did get hold of the ball in the first half and that was possibly down to a lack of movement up front. In a tournament you have to be able to adapt your tactics and I'm sure the lads wouldn't have a problem if Pearce decided to play 4-4-2 against Spain. Perhaps that would get them into their stride. There will definitely be at least one change in the back four due to Mancienne's suspension and Pearce has options there. I thought Martin Cranie did really well at centre-half, arguably man of the match against Finland, and he could cover in that position. But Nedum Onuoha is back and seems most likely to slot in alongside Richards (as long as he is fit) with Cranie reverting to right back. The defence looked much better in the second half and I think they have enough experience to cope with Spain.
Force
Spain probably lost on points to Germany in their first game, but they came away with a draw. The Germans definitely edged the match and look like they will be a real force in this tournament. Spain were not at their best but they did create one or two chances. They started with Bojan through the middle on his own and I don't think that worked - so we could see changes from then as well. The captain, Raul Garcia, is a very good player, as is Gonzalez Sisi on the right who looked like a handful. They have a team full of small, technically gifted players and a bit like the senior team they will hurt you if you give them space. It will be vital that England keep their shape against them. Having drawn their first game, Spain will be looking for a win so it should give us a good game. A draw wouldn't be a bad result for England, but I think they are at their best when they go out with a positive attitude and try to win the game. SMUDGER SAYS
Draw - If we play like we did against Finland I think we'll get beaten, but I think they will improve. England tend to play better against the better teams and I think we could see a draw. I'll go for 1-1. SMUDGER'S STAR MAN
Fraizer Campbell - He takes up good positions and he loves to get in behind defenders. That could stretch the play out and give us a little bit more room in the middle of the park. He might not play, but I think he has a good chance and if he does he could be very important for us.

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