England 1 USA 1: Questions remain as Capello is forced to re-adjust

Fabio Capello showed his ruthless streak in Rustenburg Saturday night – now England's coach must decide whether to take the ultimate action and dump his goalkeeper after just one game.

Capello took an age before deciding Robert Green was worthy of starting the Group C opener with the United States.

Presumably the intention was to stick with the West Ham stopper for the remainder of the World Cup.

Capello could not imagine his trust would be rewarded with a blunder the like of which has rarely been seen on the biggest stage.

Plenty of England goalkeepers have been in the stocks before and David Seaman, Paul Robinson and Scott Carson would all have watched last night's game with the knowledge of someone who has been there and suffered.

This time though, it falls on Capello to decide whether to hand Green a second chance, or drag him out of his side and complete the most fundamental U-turn by picking David James or Joe Hart instead to face Algeria in Cape Town on Friday.

Considering he only informed Green, he was playing two hours before kick-off Saturday, Capello is unlikely to reveal his hand anytime soon. And his initial response was typically non-committal.

"Goalkeepers make mistakes. This is part of football," said Capello. "You have to accept that, just the same as you do with a referee or a striker.

"I decided on Green because he played very well in the last game against Platinum Stars and also against Mexico at Wembley, and in the second half last night he played very well and made a really important save. But a mistake remains a mistake.

"Now I have to speak with him, then I will decide what to do."

If he feels decisive action is required, Capello will not be scared to take it, a fact he proved Saturday night by replacing James Milner after barely half an hour.

That move itself must have been a chastening experience for the Italian considering he has spent this season championing the Aston Villa man's versatility.

He was not up to keeping Steve Cherundolo quiet though, or subduing Landon Donovan down an American right flank which was able to attack at will.

Under the circumstances, the departure of Milner so soon was inevitable. The surprise came in the arrival of Shaun Wright-Phillips as his replacement rather than the scheming talents of Joe Cole.

When Capello decided Theo Walcott was surplus to requirements, there was an argument Adam Johnson's natural ability to play on both wings should have been a telling factor in who filled the vacancy.

That debate will now be reignited but the preference for Wright-Phillips ahead of Joe Cole, who must have thought he would start after completing the full 90 minutes against the Platinum Stars last Monday, was totally mystifying.

The return of Gareth Barry for England's second outing should at least solve that problem as goalscorer Steven Gerrard is now expected to fill the left-sided slot which was so productive during qualifying.

Another issue surrounds the replacement in central defence for Ledley King, who has already been ruled out of the Algeria encounter with a groin injury.

Capello turned to Jamie Carragher Saturday night but the Liverpool veteran looked distinctly uncomfortable, was booked – meaning he is just one more away from an automatic ban – and might easily have been sent off for grappling with Jozy Altidore.

His only other options are Tottenham's uncapped Michael Dawson and Matthew Upson, who has started nine times for Capello, including the hammering of Croatia at Wembley and the defeat of Germany in Berlin.

Capello is unlikely to let the external naval-gazing distract him from a path he has given the impression was certain to lead to a place in the latter stages.

In truth, it probably still will.

And, for all the issues Saturday night's disappointment raised, the Italian still saw enough to make him feel quite confident of progress through the tournament.

"I saw the spirit of England and the spirit of the team," he said.

"I saw that they fought every time to win back the ball.

"Also I am not worried about the physical condition of the players because we ran a lot.

"Overall I am very happy with the performance of the team. Only the result was not good.

"But we are in a good moment and I think in the next game will be better."

Steven Gerrard had given the Three Lions' World Cup campaign a flying start with a fourth-minute opener.

Glen Johnson and Frank Lampard were both involved in the initial stages of a move that ended with Emile Heskey doing what he does best, allowing a team-mate to score.

Usually it is with brawn. This time it was the silky touch of a delicate through ball for Gerrard, who had motored into the box.

The new England captain steadied himself, then tucked a precise finish under Tim Howard and raced away to the far corner flag pursued by a posse of ecstatic white shirts.

Unfortunately, it was not long before the smiles turned to worried frowns.

England still kept creating chances but the United States were causing England a major headache and Green's moment of madness came five minutes before the break as Dempsey turned Gerrard neatly and took aim from 25 yards out.

The new Jabulani ball made the effort worthwhile. There is no way it should have ended up in the net though as it bounced of Green and into the net.

Heskey then missed a great chance and Wayne Rooney went close, but England were left to settle for a point in their opener.

MATCH FOCUS

Hero: Clint Dempsey

The Fulham striker really could not have believed that his weak shot was going to end up in the net. But as Robert Green fumbled, the American wheeled away in delight and immediately became a national hero in the States.

Villain: Robert Green

Sadly there is only one candidate for this award. He may have got the nod late on as first-choice No1, but Robert Green can have no excuses for the way he allowed the ball to slip from his grasp and enter the net.

Key moment

40th minute: Clint Dempsey twists and turns on the ball just outside the England penalty area before firing a weak shot that should be collected easily by goalkeeper Robert Green, only for it to squirm from his grasp and give the Americans a way back into the opening Group C encounter.

Ref watch

Carlos Simon (Brazil): Very strict and gave a few harsh yellow cards for Steven Gerrard and James Milner which could be costly.

Verdict

Watching England in a major tournament is never easy, so really this kind of result and display should have been expected. Not the worst by any means, but it must get better if England are to have hopes of progression.

Quote of the day

I want to put the mistake right in the next game. I'm mentally strong enough to play. I want to play in every game.

– England goalkeeper Robert Green reveals his ambition to put things right.

Next game

England travel to Cape Town on Friday for their next game with Algeria, losers against Slovenia.