England question marks remain

As with most international friendlies, last night's game against Egypt provided more questions than answers. Yes, the home team ran out 3-1 winners in the end, but the first half performance was pretty dreadful. One of the few facts manager Fabio Capello can take out of the game is that Wayne Rooney and Jermaine Defoe cannot play together. The pair have not scored when they have started together upfront and it's unlikely Capello will try this expect again. However, even this answer leads to another question. If Defoe won't start with Rooney, who will?

The most obvious answer is still Emile Heskey, but he seems to be out of favour at Aston Villa and could face the international axe as a result of this. Peter Crouch did well to grab two goals last night, but several question marks still hang over the giant forward. Things are even worse at the back, Matthew Upson was shown up by a strike force he should have really helped keep quiet. If injuries continue to ravage England's defence, then Capello could find himself having to make some awkward compromises in the run up to the World Cup. England's World Cup 2010 betting odds make them third favourites, but I feel they will once again struggle to get past the quarter final stage.