England are sitting pretty at the top of group six in European qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, having made an impressive start under Fabio Capello with four straight wins. European champions Spain and group nine leaders the Netherlands are the only other teams with a 100 per cent record, and England have built a five-point lead over Croatia and Ukraine.
Failure to qualify from that position would be a major shock, but there are a couple of issues that Capello needs to address if he is to keep England on track. In the short term, he must improve their home form in readiness for Ukraine's visit to Wembley on Wednesday night; looking further ahead, he will have to overcome the obstacle of playing crucial qualifiers in the autumn when the members of his squad are not at peak form and fitness.
England have won just over half of their home games since the last World Cup, and their away win rate has been higher at 60 per cent. Capello acknowledges there is a problem for England at home: 'Players are very reluctant when we are at home,' he said this week. 'We have to get rid of that mentality. If you are afraid of something you can't win games.' The Wembley crowd, notoriously difficult to please, is likely to be more welcoming for England after their excellent run of away results in the autumn, notably the 4-1 win in Croatia, and Capello will be keen to set the tone for the Ukraine match with a positive performance in tonight's home friendly against Slovakia.
Confidence is not the only factor that will affect England's home form. Few teams, in club or international football, can perform to a similar level home and away, and England's pace on the counter-attack in Croatia will be of little use against teams that defend deep at Wembley. Although their only home qualifier under Capello brought a 5-1 win over Kazakhstan in October, the first goal in that match did not arrive until the 52nd minute with the crowd starting to lose patience.
The good news for Capello is that England's record at this time of year is excellent. More than 12 years have passed since England's last defeat in a competitive qualifier in the first half of the year, and since then they have won 12 out of 15. A major factor is that the big players are at their peak by this stage of the season, having had a regular diet of high-intensity games in the Premier League and Champions League.
A case in point this season is Steven Gerrard, who has joined up with the England squad on the back of excellent form with Liverpool. Capello's man-management has been first-class, but now his tactical acumen will be tested by the conundrum of how to play Gerrard in the same team as Frank Lampard.
