EMILE HESKEY THRIVES AGAIN
See how all the England players rated - and have your say
EMILE HESKEY continues to be England's man for the small occasion.
Some players wilt at the prospect of these ghastly little trips to the far-flung bobbly pitches of Eastern Europe. Heskey thrives on them. That is why the conventional rules of international selection never apply to the Aston Villa forward.
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Club form? He would struggle to make a reserve squad on the basis of five months of anonymity at Villa. Goals? Heskey has invented the role of a striker who is a bit-part goalscorer. A strike-rate is ignored in favour of miles run for the cause.
Efforts like his strike against the Kazakhs are a bonus. This was his first competitive goal for England in seven years. It does not matter to Fabio Capello.
The Italian is the latest coach to believe he has unlocked the inner beast of Heskey, succeeding where his predecessors failed to make him a pillar of consistency.
Whenever a courageous battering ram is needed against bullies with unpronounceable names, Heskey is asked to turn into an animal ready to take on an entire continent.
But there is a danger he will slip comfortably back into the image of mild-mannered gentle giant once the hard work of qualification is over.
Capello needs to be careful he is not being lulled into the all too familiar trap the likes of Houllier, O'Neill, Eriksson and McClaren fell into.
The Heskey playing so effectively now may be unrecognisable to the one in South Africa next summer. His career is a mirror image of our national team, shining moments in the build-up to big events but disappearing when it matters.
Heskey terrorised the Germans in Munich in 2001 but it is hard to recall any meaningful contribution in Japan the following summer.
As the flak was flying in the aftermath of heartbreaking defeats to Portugal, Heskey's towering performances to take England that far had long drifted from our consciousness.
"He used to be s***e but now he's all right," sang the fans last night. Wrong. He's sometimes great, often awful, then great again.
Capello must not get a blind spot and has to assess alternatives.
Otherwise when he needs a powerful target man to terrorise Brazil or Portugal in a World Cup quarter-final, he may find Heskey's most telling move is limping towards the touchline when the moment of truth is upon us.
ROBERT GREEN 6
HAD the opportunity to stake his claim as permanent No 1 but he endured a nervous start.
The West Ham man was grateful to the linesman when he was caught out for a disallowed goal as he flapped unconvincingly from a free-kick.
Following a slightly frantic opening, Green was mercifully less employed from then on.
There is no compelling argument one way or another whether he is the natural successor to James. He is probably the only England fan in the country who wants his goal peppered so he can show what he can do.
Mins on pitch 90; saves 1; catches 0, clearances 4
GLEN JOHNSON 6
NOW established as first- choice right-back, the Portsmouth ace is usually perfect in fixtures against lesser teams.
He would have been anticipating the freedom to rampage forward but found he had more defending to do than expected. Johnson did not look comfortable against Nusserbayev as he was surprisingly outpaced a couple of times.
Was at most vulnerable in the first minute when the Kazakhs nearly scored but it proved a brief scare. Made amends by creating Rooney's goal.
Mins on pitch 76; pass completion 80%; tackles 5; shots on/off target 0/0
JOHN TERRY 7
THE skipper was called into action straight from kick off to prevent Ostepenko grabbing a famous goal.
Chelsea star Terry's cool head was needed to steady the ship during an anxious opening.
Strolled through the second half easily enough and will be pleased to emerge with a clean sheet.
There are question marks at the back, especially if Ferdinand's injury worries persist.
Against Messi, Ronaldo or Kaka, this back four could be exposed.
Mins on pitch 90; pass completion 96%; tackles 1; shots on/off target 1/0
MATTHEW UPSON 6
JOHN TERRY'S plea for Jamie Carragher to end his England exile was hardly the endorsement Upson needed heading into this fixture.
England may be more vulnerable at centre-back than many believe.
Upson was wasteful in possession and was troubled in the first half. The jury is still out on whether an excellent Premier League player is truly international class. To his benefit, he poses a threat from set-pieces in the opposition box.
Mins on pitch 90; pass completion 88%; tackles 0; shots on/off target 0/1
ASHLEY COLE 7
LIKE Johnson, the Chelsea left-back would have hoped for more chances to pile forward.
Had more fun in the later stages when the hosts predictably tired and could have scored but for some acrobatics from the home keeper.
Was steady rather than eye-catching but Capello will settle for that given Johnson's defensive troubles.
Cole's place in the side is cast-iron. But after his last encounter against the Kazakhs at Wembley, he'll be glad to see the back of them in this campaign.
Mins on pitch 90; pass completion 94%; tackles 1; shots on/off target 1/0
THEO WALCOTT 5
SHOWED his searing pace straight away but needs to impose himself on games much more.
Too often the Arsenal flier gives the impression he is waiting for things to happen - sticking rigidly to a wide position when the game demands he hunt possession and be brave enough to use his own initiative.
Capello wisely opted to save him for another day, subbing him after a quiet first half. He still has a lot to learn about international football.
Mins on pitch 45; pass completion 100%; tackles 1; shots on/off target 0/0
FRANK LAMPARD 7
HIS penalty put a gloss on a patchy display where he had to wait until the last half-hour to expose the gulf in class.
Capello will study the early exchanges when Lampard and Barry struggled badly.
In their defence, the pitch looked horrific and any aspiration to play a passing game was doomed.
Once they settled it was a different story, yet there is still much to ponder about the balance of midfield.
Mins on pitch 90; pass completion 88%; tackles 6; shots on/off target 1/1
GARETH BARRY 7
FOR a brief moment, it looked like Barry was carrying a bit of extra weight. But he may have accidentally carried his wallet on to the pitch.
This was the midfield ace's first competitive game since a lucrative move to Manchester City.
Picked up an early yellow card and a ban against Andorra, which was a reflection of how much he struggled in the early stages.
The former Aston Villa man recovered to score the crucial first goal, giving his side the platform for a much-improved second half.
Mins on pitch 90; pass completion 87%; tackles 4; shots on/off target 1/0
STEVEN GERRARD 7
BACK in familiar territory featuring in a couple of different positions every game, Gerrard continues to make a difference when England need inspiration.
He played the key role in the decisive opening two goals, first crossing for Barry and then seeing his deflected effort cause enough havoc for Heskey to strike.
Capello will need to keep working on the fluidity of his system to keep getting the best from Gerrard and Rooney, who are key to his ambitions.
Mins on pitch 90; Pass completion 72%; tackles 1; shots on/off target 0/2
WAYNE ROONEY 7
HIS partnership with Gerrard makes England one of the most exciting attacking sides in the world now.
But the teething troubles are still there to see in the formation. Their switch of roles can annoy them as well as their opponents.There were signs of frustration at the start of the second half.
But Rooney got his reward for perseverance and patience with a stunning overhead kick for the third goal.
Mins on pitch 90; pass completion 66%; tackles 0; shots on/off target 5/1
EMILE HESKEY 7
HE defied the pre-match predictions and was preferred to Peter Crouch.
Heskey then duly delivered the kind of display which must have Aston Villa fans scratching their head.
Capello must take care not to resist the chance to assess alternatives before the World Cup given Heskey's erratic club form.
He was excellent here and thoroughly deserved his goal.
Mins on pitch 81; pass completion 44%; tackles 0; shots on/off target 2/0
SUBSTITUTES
WRIGHT-PHILLIPS (for Walcott 45). Had plenty of time to shine where Walcott had struggled and SWP (left) took advantage of tiring defenders in the second period. 6
BECKHAM (for Johnson 76). His cameo appearances make the more cynical viewers query if the FA receive a fee from the excited hosts for providing a glimpse of the No 7.
There was little time for the former England skipper to do much.5
DEFOE (for Heskey 80). The same applies to Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe, who will struggle to be anything more than a sub in Fabio Capello's system.5
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