England face Slovenia in what is a winner-takes-all final Group C game Wednesday. A draw will take Slovenia through but only a win is good enough for England, who have struggled to hit top form. While the game could be tense and cagey, England need goals, so it promises to be a fascinating encounter – if not a goal-fest.
Game strategy
England have been in turmoil ever since Robert Green spilled Clint Dempsey’s shot into his own net 10 days ago. And the unrest has only intensified since Friday’s dire 0-0 draw against Algeria.
With John Terry unhappy with the Capello regime and talks of a coup backfiring on the former England captain, this team is in danger of becoming the new France.
Following Terry’s emergence as England’s unsuccessful mutineer, Capello has almost taunted the man of whom he stripped of the team captaincy earlier this year.
"When you speak you have to speak privately," the England coach told Britain’s ITV. "This is the big mistake - a very big mistake. It's not revolution. It's the mistake of another player."
This was after Terry had said players had “things to get off their chest” and that some of the England squad could follow France’s Nicolas Anelka in catching the next flight home.
But the England players must put politics aside if they are to avoid the airport.
It remains to be seen whether Capello will change his tactics to bring Chelsea’s Joe Cole into the starting 11, with England’s current forward line of Emile Heskey and Wayne Rooney struggling to find the net.
England are set to stick with David James between the posts, but the suspended Jamie Carragher is replaced by Matthew Upson in defence – Terry’s third central defensive partner in as many games.
Slovenia have quietly gone about their business of topping Group C with a win against Algeria and a draw against the USA.
The Slovenians are known for their tidy passing game and ability to keep the ball for long periods, with the likes of Robert Koren and Valter Birsa key to their hopes of sending England home.
Koren, their captain, is a man full of confidence in his side's goal to dent the egos of England's Premier League stars.
"It was a big achievement for the country to come to the World Cup but now everybody wants to improve," he said.
"When we arrived in South Africa we said we wanted to go through the group stage and we are full of confidence that we can. We already expected before the tournament to go through the group stage, and this is still the same.
"We all know that England is a really good team with big players in their squad, but we are not thinking too much about England - we will concentrate on ourselves and the way we want to play."
Players to watch
England – Steven Gerrard
In what has been a dismal World Cup for the English so far, Steven Gerrard has been one of the few players to have hit the heights of his club form, with that brilliantly crafted and finished goal against the USA.
Gerrard tends to thrive as captain, as he does at Liverpool. If he is played in the more advanced role that many think he should play in against Slovenia, he is likely to be a key influence and goal threat for England.
Slovenia – Milivoje Novakovic
Novakovic, who plays for German side Cologne, is a lanky, long-haired beanpole of a striker whose sly, predatory penalty-box skills have seen him bag 14 goals in 39 international games.
Not quite as tall as Peter Crouch, but just as awkward to play against.
Know your enemy
The last meeting between these two sides was a closely-fought friendly at Wembley Stadium in September 2009. England earned a 2-1 victory that day with goals from Frank Lampard and Jermain Defoe proving enough to clinch victory.
England’s central defenders, Matthew Upson and John Terry, had a hard time defending Novakovic, who was a handful in attack.
But Slovenia, despite not coming away with the win, reduced England to a style that didn’t please Capello.
“The concentration was not good in the last four or five minutes,” Capello said. “We were too slow and tried to play a long ball. This is not how I want us to play. It was not good concentration from us — I want us to focus in every moment.”
Stat attack
On paper, the game is something of a mismatch. England has over 4,000 registered professional players, whilst Slovenia has 429. England have 42,490 different football clubs, whereas Slovenia has 257. And while Fabio Capello earns $10 million a year, Slovenia’s coach Matjaz Kek earns a measly $500,000.
Jermain Defoe played his 41st match for England against Algeria, but has never played a full 90 minutes.
Wayne Rooney has scored no goals and has no assists in seven appearances (523 minutes) at the World Cup finals.
England have drawn 10 games 0-0 at World Cups, more than any other team in World Cup finals history.