England stumble, got play its best

Baden Baden: England's critics have been made to hold fire after a 1-0 victory over Ecuador booked Sven-Goran Eriksson's stuttering side into the World Cup quarter-finals.

A master-class free kick by a dehydrated David Beckham settled Sunday's drab encounter in Stuttgart, sending them through to face Portugal in Gelsenkirchen on Saturday.

England are developing an unlikely consistency in Germany, having also laboured to take seven points off Paraguay, Trinidad & Tobago and Sweden in Group B.

In each of their four games, England have played well below-par, got the result they needed and promised afterwards they would play better in their next match.

In public, Eriksson insists England are getting better - though even the Swede was not entirely satisfied with their display at the Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion.

"We all know we can play better football," he conceded, before adding: "The best will come, I'm quite sure about it."

Striker Wayne Rooney was more robust in his defence of the side: "I don't think we have struggled. Four games, three wins and draw. I don't think the performances have been too bad."

Whether the 4-5-1 formation used on Sunday will be the one to make things less terrible is open to question.

Rooney, looking his sharpest yet since returning from a broken foot, is at his best when picking up the ball in the final third and driving into the penalty area.

Playing him with his back to goal as a lone striker, waiting for Steven Gerrard or Frank Lampard to arrive in the box, means sacrificing some of that precious talent.

Michael Carrick was a solid holding midfielder, showing an array of short and long passing and nearly threading a killer ball through Ecuador's defence in the early stages.

Yet England's favourite line-up is still a 'meat and two veg' 4-4-2.

Rooney can play off his two-metre strike partner Peter Crouch, Lampard is still free to roam and Gerrard acts as the midfield enforcer, policing the front line of England's defence.

Whatever the formation Eriksson uses on Saturday, England simply need to get their usual rhythm and fluent passing back to move up a level in performance and progress against Portugal.