Owen Hargreaves played really well. I wondered why he'd been in the team on previous occasions, but this World Cup he played with .

I think the question was not why he had been in the team before but why he was ever excluded from it.

For it tends to be forgotten that up to and during the European Championship finals - he was a regular first choice team member and playing with skill and conviction, until he was injured early on. After that - for some reason - he was thought only good enough for bit parts, mainly playing out of position and as a result, not getting very good write ups.

I suppose international managers have many problems that club ones do not. The first option is to always choose the best and in form players in their favoured position or to attempt to build a team (and team spirit) from players who get on and who can adapt.

The second option is the best one for teams with fewer players to choose from. England's problem is always that it has enough players to provide at least two equally talented sides but now seems unable to produce the one great one.