By Myles Palmer
Glenn Hoddle won six in a row back in 1997, before and during Le Tournoi.
Sven-Goran Eriksson’s rejuvenated side should equal that sequence by beating Holland at White Hart Lane tonight.
They have only beaten Finland, Albania and Greece, so they’ve done nothing yet, but Eriksson could be the best manager England have had since Alf Ramsey.
I knew he would be good and I said he would be good, but I didn’t reckon he would win his first five games.
If Rio Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard and Emile Heskey were playing tonight, Engkand would paralyse the Dutch in a friendly. Let’s hope those three are fit for Munich on September 1st.
Tonight’s starting line-up is expected to be : Martyn; Phil Neville,Ehiogu, Southgate, Ashley Cole; Beckham, Hargreaves, Scholes, Barmby;Andy Cole, Fowler.
My views on England’s strikers will be familiar to regular readers.I think Heskey is a beast, Owen is a bullet, Fowler is a genius, and Cole has good movement.
I agree with Jaap Stam’s comment that Michael Owen is overrated. But he has huge drive, lots of bottle,terrific focus, does well in the air for a runt, and is playing out of his skin at the moment.He is a spearhead, a human bullet.He can have a stinker and still score two goals, as he did in Rome for Liverpool last season.
Beckham played like a zombie in the Charity Shield on Sunday. Why? Was he unfit? Was he thinking about tonight’s game? Did those 17 days in the far East do him no favours?
Bayern boss Ottmar Hitzfeld says Owen Hargreaves is too young to get his first cap at 20.
That’s typical Hitzfeld.He is a deeply conservative coach who has never been comfortable working with young footballers – the opposite of Arsene Wenger.
Last Friday Wenger dropped a large hint that he fancies Hargreaves, perhaps to replace Patrick Vieira in a year’s time.
Hargreaves, having enjoyed training with England at Arsenal’s luxurious Shenley Training Centre, and been looked after by physio Gary Lewin, might find playing for Arsenal a very attractive idea.
He is a tough-tackling, zippy player, a wiry David Batty-type. I expect him to be one of England’s best players tonight, even on his debut, and even against the ferocious Edgar Davids.
Personally, I think Kluivert still misses Bergkamp, who gave him the passes for many of his 33 internatioinal goals.
But it should be fun to see van Nistelrooy, van Bronckhorst, and the two Owens.
England have proved to be far better without Shearer, who was too slow, Keegan, who was too emotional, and Wembley , which was too daunting.
Eriksson is bold,consistent,logical and calm. It’s surprising that he has won five out of five by playing 4-4-2, by playing without split strikers.
I still have not figured out quite how he has done that, since I think it’s wrong to play that way. Sven has proved me wrong and I love people who do that. They make life more interesting.
15th August 2001.