England's New Starting XI

Sven's lineup for the World Cup is revealed in today's friendly against Hungary - including the surprise inclusion of Liverpool's Jamie Carragher in the midfield holding role to release Gerrard, Cole, and Lampard.

Listening to the Radio Five commentary on the BBC through the first 25 minutes, sounds like the English pace is sluggish as they engage in "pretty ponderous buildups". No doubt they'll need some time to adjust to the formation. I like having Carragher in the mix - the boy's a true lion. But the heavy talent of the English needs to find a way to work together in attack.

More on the side, pre-match, from the Times and the Guardian.

Oh my. Here's hoping.


UPDATE, 90th minute - what sounds like a reasonable performance from the English, although no thanks to the novel formation. It was Beckham free kicks that set up the first two goals, and Peter Crouch may have answered his critics with a late strike. God love the anonymous BBC description:

83 mins: GOAL England 3-1 HungaryJoe Cole plays in Peter Crouch on the edge of the box and the Liverpool forward pivots before unleashing a right-footed shot low into the corner of the net. The goal is far superior to his dubious robotics-inspired celebration.

Looking forward to the post-game analysis. One more friendly against Jamaica before it begins next Saturday the 10th. World Cup excitement building to a fever pitch.

FURTHER UPDATE - despite the almost universal concern of the pundits that Michael Owen is poorly suited to the role as a lone striker, Eriksson seems to be indicating that he will be going forward with the 4-1-4-1. England's Robokop will serve as a substitute striker who can come on late and create a whole new threat with his height. More on this after the Jamaica friendly Saturday.