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England vs. Slovenia - Tactical preview
Wednesday 02 September 2009
England warm up for their potentially decisive World Cup qualifier with Croatia by taking on Slovenia at Wembley in a friendly. A win against Slaven Bilic’s men will guarantee England a place in South Africa, and Slovenia have been carefully selected as opponents due to their similar style of play to the Croats. England’s last international was the respectable 2-2 draw in the Netherlands, while their last qualifier saw them put six goals past Andorra. The Three Lions are yet to drop points in qualification, having played 7 games, whilst Slovenia sit third in their group. Their last away game saw them lose 1-0 in Belfast, but they followed that with a morale boosting home victory over San Marino. They come to London to prepare for their crucial World Cup tie against Poland. This is the first meeting between the two sides since the Slovenian team was founded.
England - Fabio Capello has the luxury of choosing from a fully fit squad - all 24 players reported for training on Tuesday morning. This game is the last chance for the manager to perfect his tactics before taking on Croatia, and he will want to see his team put in an impressive performance. In goal, Robert Green looks set to continue, although Ben Foster’s early season form means he may be in contention for a start. Manchester United centre-half Rio Ferdinand is injured, with Matthew Upson likely to take his place alongside captain John Terry. In midfield, Steven Gerrard returns to the squad after withdrawing from the previous one, while two in-form players, Aaron Lennon and Shaun Wright-Phillips, will battle for the right-wing berth. Up front, Jermain Defoe’s early season exploits with both club and country may see him pip Emile Heskey as Wayne Rooney’s strike partner.
1 Green
2 Johnson - 5 Upson - 6 Terry - 3 Cole
7 Lennon - 8 Lampard - 11 Barry - 4 Gerrard
9 Rooney - 10 Defoe
 Slovenia - Matjaz Kek brings his Slovenia side to Wembley for the first time, and they will be a relatively unknown prospect to English fans. Udinese’s Handanovic is the first choice goalkeeper, while experienced internationals Bostjan Cesar and Matej Mavric are expected to line up in front of him in defence. West Brom’s Robert Koren is the only player in the squad to ply his trade in England, and he will be the man to watch in midfield, while Matjaz Kirm has emerged as another important player for Slovenia in the centre of the park. Up front, Ljubijankic is expected to lead the line, having scored in their last match against San Marino. Currently 60th in the FIFA World Rankings, they should provide a stern test for Fabio Capello’s men.
1 Handanovic
2 Brecko - 5 Cesar - 6 Mavric - 3 Jokic
10 Radosavlevich - 8 Koren - 4 Kirm - 7 Pecnik
9 Ljubijankic - 10 Novakovic
Fabio Capello will be confident of beating Slovenia, but he will no doubt be equally pleased if England can cut out the mistakes which were evident against the Dutch in their last match. A lack of match practice was the reason given for those basic errors, but there can be no such excuse now, particularly with more than one first team place for the Croatia game still seemingly undecided. If England can dominate the midfield then there should be no reason why they cannot score a few goals, but concentration must not drop as Slovenia - like Croatia - have players in their squad with an eye for goal - Koren the prime example. A good home performance would be the ideal preparation for the Croatia match, which is what the majority of fans at Wembley will be expecting to see.
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