When Rooney? The big question

There are bigger issues at play and at stake tomorrow but most of those have been pushed aside by the War over Wayne.

There are bigger issues at play and at stake tomorrow but most of those have been pushed aside by the War over Wayne. The England star has not played a competitive match since fracturing his metatarsal but his inclusion in the England squad sparked another row between his club, Manchester United, and the English FA.

If he does play, that war could escalate into a full-scale battle. Today England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson refused to allay fears of that row with a typically forthright statement. 8220;For me, he is match-fit8221;, Eriksson said. 8220;Will he play? I shall sleep on it.8221;

It8217;s not as simple as that, of course. One expert treating Wazza8217;s foot has said he shouldn8217;t play, period. Another expert not treating his foot has said he shouldn8217;t play, not tomorrow, not in this tournament. Two more experts treating foot are due to arrive on Friday. The Man United fans chat group has revealed a rumour, quoting hospital sources, that the fracture hasn8217;t healed. And the FA has reportedly told Eriksson to think it through.

Rooney himself was like a caged panther at today8217;s practice, involved in everything with usual enthusiasm. Rooney went in crouching, focused, intense. Wearing a cutaway vest, he looked even more like a boxer that is his family8217;s trade. And as a reminder that the artist lurks somewhere near the surface, one shot lazily struck from the halfway line, almost as an afterthought, hit the bar.

He8217;s up for it mentally, but there are some things in football even Wazza can8217;t control. Away from Wayne8217;s world, England have a match on their hands. They must grapple with their own miserable form against Paraguay, Trinidad8217;s eagerness to do well 8220;the game of their lives8221;, said Eriksson and the sapping heat.

Eriksson is aware of the importance of a good win tomorrow, if only to keep the press at bay and reduce the incredible pressure. He appeared positive, trotting out statistics 8212; 8220;official FIFA stats, not mine8221; 8212; to show just how good England were on Saturday.

True, they had possession, and true they had shots on goal but they only scored via an own goal before losing their way in the second half. Another problem is the lack of creativity outside David Beckham8217;s right foot. Eriksson sought to play this down, saying that Gerrard, Lampard and Cole were goalscorers, as was Michael Owen.

Story continues below this ad

Finally, there is the Trinidad team, for whom this is some sort of derby match. Most play, or have played, in the English leagues, and as their coach Leo Beenhakker said, they are really looking forward to impressing their fans back home 8212; both homes. Did they shoot their bolt against Sweden and have nothing in reserve? The Dutch master tactician disagreed but to raise their game to that level two matches in a row would require extraordinary powers.

Then again, isn8217;t that why they are here in Germany?