Anybody who seriously believes England are going to win next year’s World Cup needs to take a quick dip in the sea of reality.

After Wednesday’s shambolic performance against a very average Denmark, we will be lucky to qualify for the tournament, let alone win it.

Some may think I am being overly critical. After all, it was only a friendly and not a match that matters. But the display was symptomatic of the two main things which are wrong with the current England team.

Let’s be honest. The starting 11 which Sven will probably pick from here to Germany is probably the best first team England have had for several decades. It has the right combination of strength in defence, creativity and toughness in midfield and flamboyance and speed in attack.

But the first problem is in the squad’s depth. There isn’t any. Take away any of the first choice 11 and cracks appear like magic in all areas of the park.

Surely there has to be a better reserve right back than Glen Johnson, a player who is shown up time and time again at international level? And Owen Hargreaves can certainly run a lot but is he an able deputy for Lampard? I think not. And what about in goal? David James as second choice? You might as well put a circus clown in the net. At least they have oversized shoes and gloves.

England have a darned good first team but lack the numbers that would enable them to perform when they are missing certain players. That’s a fact.

The second, and more crucial problem, is the tactics. Say what you like about Sven – and many do – but his managerial successes have been mostly based on good fortune rather than astute tactical genius.

The man does have a remarkable competitive record with England but so many of those wins have been against lesser opposition and in somewhat unconvincing fashion.

On Wednesday, England tried something which was, both to me and to the players apparently, completely new. For the first half an hour they tried to play the ball between defence and midfield in a calm and intricate attempt to build up towards attack.

So alien was this to the players that not only were they all running around trying to intercept each other’s passes but Wayne Rooney often turned up in his own half trying to see what the devil had happened to the ball.

Where was the blood and guts approach to football that is the hallmark of a good England team? Where was the pace and strength that make the English league one of the most exciting in the world? Nowhere to be seen.

Friendlies are the right place to tinker with systems and tactics in order to see if they may work in competitive matches. I think we are all agreed on that. But, if Sven knows his first choice team, doesn’t it make greater sense for him to work on getting them to play as a team?

In contrast to previous opinion I have decided to give the Swede the benefit of the doubt until next summer. I don’t like his approach and his tactics, but when he was hired it was with the main of objective of winning in Germany.

He certainly has the players at his disposal to do that now. But we can only hope England’s biggest defeat for a quarter of a century was just a blip on the route to glory.

But I wouldn’t hold your breath.

Michael Owen

Wonders will never cease.

Michael Owen looks set to re-sign for Liverpool just one season after leaving his beloved club for the bright lights of Madrid.

What makes the move all the more remarkable is that it would appear Reds boss Benitez doesn’t really, really want Owen back at the club.

But with Baros nearly gone and rumours that Cisse may be on his way too, it look like a case of ‘need’ rather than ‘want’ for Liverpool.

For Owen it would probably be the dream move. Despite interest from Newcastle, Manchester United and Lyon you always got the feeling he would rather return ‘home’.

So, all things being equal, Michael will be back in the red of Liverpool next season, that much richer and that much more tanned for his year’s sabbatical...

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