So far in South Africa, we've posed absolutely zero threat from dead ball situations. Without David Beckham loading up the ammo from free-kicks and corners we look lost.

Aaron Lennon hasn't provided anything like the consistency we need from corners, barely whipping it past the first man on the post. And Frank Lampard's free-kicks have been just as wayward as they were four years ago.

The Jubalani ball must take some of the blame. It has caused plenty of problems for the world's best during this tournament and England, who have had just a few weeks to get to grips with it, have clearly been rattled by it's irregular flight and bounce.

The loss of Beckham, too, must be a factor. No-one possessed a sweeter right-foot when it came to a stationary ball and we are missing some of that magic.

But England were never planning to use Beckham as a first choice player at this World Cup anyway (although the clamour for his inclusion if he was fit by now would have been loud and lusty), so it doesn't really follow that his injury should be such a major blow.

I hope that among the aborted training ground coups and the video anaylsis of our failures to this point, Fabio Capello's drills have involved plenty of work on an area that has let England down terribly to this point.

Elsewhere, much has been made of the change of formation. Personally, I remain unconvinced by the argument for playing Steven Gerrard off Wayne Rooney. The World Cup finals aren't really the time to be revisting something that didn't work when it was tried two years ago.

My solution would be to drop Frank Lampard, move Gerrard into the centre alongside either Michael Carrick or, my preference if he has managed to shake off the ring rust, Gareth Barry. Up top I'd have Peter Crouch alongside Wayne Rooney because England need goals, and the Tottenham man provides them. It has been reported that Capello fears England go long ball when Crouch is on the field but if they really can't be trusted not to resort to that pass, they shouldn't be international footballers.

At the back I would have preferred Michael Dawson but I can understand the argument for Matthew Upson. Despite his poor form he has international experience and has operated well alongside John Terry in the past.

England really should have enough for a country that, as it was pointed out on Twitter by a fellow journalist today, has more brown bears than professional footballers among it's 2,000,000 population.

It'll be alright on the night. Won't it?