IT MAY be more than 4,000 miles from London to Port of Spain, but FA scouts had to hop only eight stops on the London Underground from Soho Square to Loftus Road last night to run the rule over Trinidad & Tobago.
The last team to book a place in the World Cup finals this summer will be England’s second opponents in group B, in Nuremberg on June 15, and Dwight Yorke and Co were eager to show that they will not be going to Germany to make up the numbers. A blistering start and a routine 2-0 victory against an Iceland team that failed to qualify suggests that England will need to be wary of the Soca Warriors, although a shock defeat is unlikely.
The Caribbean nation, population 1.1 million, is the smallest country ever to qualify for the finals and much of the credit must go to Leo Beenhakker. The 63-year-old former Holland and Real Madrid manager has turned a group of underachieving players into an unconventional force since he was appointed head coach 12 months ago.
“I am very happy with the result,” Beenhakker said. “We still have to do a lot of work to be successful in Germany, but I was very pleased with our performance and I could not have asked any more from my players.”
Hermann Hreidarsson was at fault for the opening goal when the Charlton Athletic defender allowed Yorke to bring down a cross by Collin Samuel and volley past Arni Arason. The Trinidad captain was a constant thorn in Iceland’s side, dropping deep to escape the attentions of his markers and displaying a turn of pace rarely seen since his glory days at Manchester United.
Yorke, now with Sydney FC, doubled the advantage early in the second half from the penalty spot after Stern John was pushed by Ivar Ingimarsson, the Reading defender. His penalty-taking technique will be familiar to millions: a nonchalant chip was enough to wrap up victory.
Trinidad had started in a 4-4-1-1 formation but with Yorke roaming wherever he could find space and defenders taking it in turns to forage forward, Beenhakker’s philosophy of total football was writ large on his team’s display. One minute Dennis Lawrence was making last-ditch tackles in his penalty area, the next the Wrexham defender was dribbling at the other end of the pitch.
While Lawrence roamed, Chris Birchall stood firm in front of his defence. The Port Vale midfield player did not put a foot wrong in the holding role and his tough tackling and neat link-up play should give Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard something to think about this summer.
Beenhakker has identified the left-hand side of his team as a concern and the head coach claims that Samuel is the only left-footed player that he has at his disposal, but on the evidence of this display, Gary Neville will have to be alert to the danger posed by the Dundee United winger when their paths cross in June.
Defensively, Trinidad look sound, but Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney are likely to pose more of a threat than Iceland could muster and FA scouts will have noted Lawrence and Marvin Andrews’s preference for playing their way out of trouble rather than launching the ball into row Z.
According to Beenhakker it will be an honour for his team to play against Sven-Göran Eriksson’s side because “for everybody that lives in the football world, England is a team with great history”. David Beckham and his team-mates would do well not to let diplomatic words lull them into a false sense of security.
By the time that Yorke was replaced by Russell Latapy after an hour, choruses of “Are you watching Eriksson?” were ringing out around Loftus Road. The England head coach was otherwise engaged, but he will find the video interesting viewing.
THE LOWDOWN - TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
KEY PLAYER: Dwight Yorke may have lost some of his pace, but the former Manchester United forward still possesses the guile and touch that made him a favourite at Old Trafford.
STYLE: Fluid. With Yorke playing, 4-4-2 can become 4-5-1 or 4-3-3.
STRENGTHS: Germany was a distant dream when Leo Beenhakker replaced Bertille St Clair as manager in April. The Dutchman’s tactical acumen should not be underestimated.
WEAKNESSES: Marvin Andrews and Dennis Lawrence are cult heroes at Rangers and Wrexham, but the central defenders may struggle to cope with the striking talents of Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney.
VERDICT: Three points in the bag for England.