England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson says 10 of his internationals would make it into the world's top 50.
 |  If England came up against a really good side then they would be in trouble |
That is open to debate. But he should not be worried about that. He should be worried about how his team are playing at the moment. No matter how many quality players you've got in your team, you have to get the best out of them.
They may have beaten Austria on Saturday, but England have really struggled in their one friendly and three competitive games this season. And with all due respect, they have not exactly been playing the best in the world.
You just feel that if England came up against a really good side then they would be in trouble.
Eriksson needs to look at how to fill the gaps when injuries or suspensions strike in his team.
Wayne Rooney was sorely missed against Austria. If he is not available in the future, one option for Eriksson is to push Steven Gerrard up to play just off Michael Owen.
I watch Gerrard play week in week out for Liverpool and he has a free attacking role in the final third of the pitch.
That is his best position, to wander and attack, similar to the area in which Rooney plays.
It is a dilemma. Eriksson can play Jermain Defoe along Owen, but then there is a lack of height up front.
Darren Bent has got more height, but little international experience.
| There is no reason in the world why England cannot be positive |
The England coach tried Peter Crouch on Saturday and he did not play that badly, but he is not that mobile. The most important thing is that Eriksson cannot afford to leave any of these players isolated and on Saturday that happened too much.
The number of times England attacked and still had six or seven behind the ball - against a very poor Austrian side - was alarming.
Sure, if you are playing against the Brazilians, you would have to be more cautious.
It does not seem natural for these England players to be negative and get men behind the ball.
It does not lead to panic, but it does not seem to come naturally to them and they start to get a bit wary about what is happening. That happened in the last 10-15 minutes against Austria, and they have to get away from that.
They have to get back to the 5-1 against Germany in 2001 where they pressed all over the pitch, they were committed, they went forward and they were successful.
Obviously I am not saying you should expect to beat the likes of Germany 5-1 every time you play them, but that is the level of performance which England should be aiming to achieve.
You have to ask why England are not able to do that right now. There is not a team in the world that does not have a bad performance, but to have three in a row, just nine months away from the World Cup, is a real worry.
England have to eradicate the memory of these displays, and they can start with the match against Poland on Wednesday.
They need a convincing victory after which the players - not the press or the media - can turn to each other and say 'That went really well'.
I do not think they can be saying that at the moment.
Yet there is no reason in the world why they cannot be positive.
They have qualified for the World Cup. On Wednesday, they must maintain the fundamental defensive principles, but they have to press the play and get after the Poles.
The players should be saying 'Let's show that England are a team that everybody else in Germany should be worried about'.
The way England have played in the last three matches, nobody is going to be thinking that. That is for sure.
MMIX
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