Rooney absence England's key concern
Marc Fox
While England's new era under temporary manager Stuart Pearce was never likely to offer too many revelations, the national team did undercover a handful of possible Euro 2012 squad candidates and confirm one well-established fact during last night's friendly defeat to the Netherlands.
Pearce, one of Fabio Capello's trusty lieutenants during the Italian's recently ended reign, was never likely to deviate too far from the side that Capello might himself have picked, but he showed bravery in both his choice of captain and in the way he sent England out tactically, offering food for thought for the yet unidentified permanent manager.
The eventual 3-2 loss to a superior Dutch side that boasted nine of the starters from the World Cup final in 2010 was credit to England's experiential line-up on the field and Pearce's decisions on the touchline.
Undoubtedly, with 99 days to go until Euro 2012 kicks off in Poland and Ukraine, the Netherlands are in the best shape of the two sides. They will probably consider themselves among the favourites if Arjen Robben shows the sort of penetrative attack play in the summer that he did under the Wembley lights.
England, by contrast, will for once not be considered front runners for silverware whoever takes the job on a permanent basis.
Pearce admitted that while he would be happy to take charge for the Euros, his short-term aspirations are not to lead the senior England team.
However, the former international defender might ultimately be best remembered for selecting Tottenham's Scott Parker as captain ahead of Liverpool's Steven Gerrard despite the clamour for the latter to be given the armband.
It would be easy to draw parallels with another England caretaker manager Peter Taylor, who famously handed David Beckham the captaincy in 2000. Beckham went onto skipper the national team on 58 occasions.
Parker may well never captain the side again. But he blossomed as the night progressed, and the case for him and against Gerrard couldn't have been clearer
The Wembley crowd's reaction to the announcement of Parker's name before kick-off gave some measure of their response to Pearce's surprise choice, and the Tottenham midfielder played a captain's role from the start.
If Harry Redknapp, the current Spurs boss, is to be England's No.1 choice to replace Capello, Parker might well get the job full-time.
At the other end of the scale, Gerrard's night was one to forget. A draining 120 minutes in the Carling Cup final on Sunday showed in his uninspired passing before he was substituted with a tight hamstring after a half-hour.
In truth, the Liverpool captain seemed in the minority in wanting to get the ball forward as quickly as possible - apparently in contrast to Pearce's pre-match demands for patient possession.
Perhaps as never before, while Parker's position in the base of midfield seems to be cemented for the Euro 2012 opener against France on June 11, Gerrard's position is surely less certain than at any time in his England career.
Parker is in sparkling individual form for Spurs, has been injury-free all season and is playing for a side at the top of their game.
Simply put, the same cannot be said for Gerrard.
Moreover, he is probably competing for a starting place against Wayne Rooney - banned for the opening two group matches remember - given the screening abilities of Parker and Gareth Barry in the holding roles and the hopeful participation of Arsenal's Jack Wilshire in the summer.
When Gerrard departed in the first-half, Ashley Young switched to playing behind Danny Welbeck, and despite some careless moments, scored an exquisite equaliser.
In truth, though, for all their patience through defence and midfield, England missed the creativity of Rooney at the pointy end - and that, rather than whoever is barking the orders from the sidelines - could be England's greatest Achilles' heel in three month's time.
© Marc Fox & Soccerphile.com
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