By Myles Palmer
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JOSE REYES is on C5 tonight.
Spain should thrash Scotland in that friendly at 8.50 pm.
Ideally, Sven would have used Vienna to tighten up his defence before Poland.
England MUST start keeping clean sheets.
In Portugal, Sven discovered that he could not play without a holding player.
He missed Nicky Butt.
Big mistake not to take Butt.
So he restored Butt for the Ukraine friendly and won 3-0.
Now Butt is injured and the next most disciplined player will take his place, Owen Hargreaves.
SVEN COULD HAVE a torrid time in these two games.
The back four is dodgy without Sol and Rio, he’s without his best holding midfielder,and his best striker, Rooney.
With his full team, these games might be two walkovers.
In the fullness of time I expect Scott Parker to take over from Makelele at Chelsea and then become a new Nobby Stiles for England : tenacious,a bit nasty, a good short passer.
Scott Parker can become a better player than Butt, if given the chance.
STEVEN GERRARD has a slight groin strain but should play.
New Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is quite right to say that Gerrard still has a lot to learn.
That’s what I’ve been saying for two years.
But Sven has squealed and said : Don’t slag off my boy ! Stevie is tremendous !
WE are expecting to see Cole and Cole on the left flank.
ALEX MANNINGER is in goal for Austria.
He was loaned by Arsenal to Fiorentina in 1999 and later sold.
Manninger is now on loan at Sienna.
Austria are managed by their former striker Hans Krankl, which is the fashion this year.
This summer Klinsmann took over Germany, Stoichkov got Bulgaria, and Van Basten now coaches Holland.
Klinsmann has an American wife and an American life. If it works, he can do the World Cup in 2006.
If not, Hitzfeld can take over after the sabbatical he promised his Mrs.
September 3rd 2004.