Steven Gerrard pays back the confidence of Fabio Capello The flair of the England captain and Wayne Rooney is essential but they need better order around them http://gu.com/p/2hkxe Kevin McCarra, Guardian No one likes a know-all. Well, perhaps with the exception of an oracular Fabio Capello. The England manager had announced that Steven Gerrard would prosper at the World Cup despite his hard times at Liverpool. Maybe the Italian foresaw it would be a liberation for the midfielder to be freed from the poor results and unsatisfactory team-mates at his club. Capello's reputation for clairvoyance was, of course, imperfect and he cannot have anticipated the nerve-ridden state of Robert Green, who had little to do before he ushered Clint Dempsey's attempt into the net for an equaliser, but it was disturbing that a confidence in the new-found durability of Ledley King also turned out to be overstated. The seeming recurrence of James Milner's illness was unhelpful, too. Amid that confusion in Rustenburg, the roles of Wayne Rooney and Gerrard were all the more significant. The pair embody the spontaneity and explosiveness essential to any prospect England now have of impressing despite this result. The side has counted on Rooney, whose nine goals steered the team towards the World Cup. Further assets, however, were essential for the steeper challenges in South Africa. Gerrard was being willed towards excellence and Capello's judiciousness fostered helpful circumstances for him. There was never any prospect of hand-wringing over the supposed quandary of a partnership that had to be composed of Gerrard and Frank Lampard while Gareth Barry is absent. The pair have been regarded as so incompatible a duo it is a wonder that they have never been sent for marriage counselling. Capello, of course, is particularly unlikely to concern himself with anyone's opinions and had his own view of the relationship. Predecessors have fooled themselves into believing Gerrard and Lampard could be left to work out matters in the field, with one sitting when the other gets a notion to attack. No such woolliness is feasible for Capello and when England were in possession it was Gerrard's task to get close to the attack while Lampard exercised discipline and stayed nearer the centre-halves. The Liverpool player has been a beneficiary of Italian tailoring. Gerrard was so far advanced that he went clear to put England ahead in the fourth minute. Close to the half-hour mark he was still causing havoc as he turned Michael Bradley in a promising area. Individualists like Gerrard depend on a solid context, but England's organisation crumbled and not only because of King's trouble. Rooney, seeing the confusion, may not so much have been nondescript as intent on distributing passes that would bring about some order. In the 18th minute his judicious ball to the right had Aaron Lennon haring in to spark panic among the opposition. There were too few such moments and pre-match assertions came back to mind. Retired footballers have no fate left to tempt and can speak with complete freedom. "This is definitely the easiest group the USA have been drawn in at a World Cup," Alexi Lalas said in advance of the game. In case anyone had not got the message, the former USA defender added that England were "ripe for defeat". Gerrard's cross almost found the head of Rooney as the second half moved into its latter phase, but the midfielder had still waned somewhat. A painful foul by Robbie Findley led to a caution, but also a sore ankle for the midfielder as the game edged nearer the end. By then Gerrard was waning and the prospect of a breakthrough lay with a slightly more effective Rooney. The Manchester United striker was in his sixth appearance for Capello before he struck his first goal for him – against Croatia in Zagreb. Given the slow start under the Italian it is all the more notable that he had scored 11 times in 20 appearances before this game. The climb in the strike rate reflects the fact that, at 24, he is more mature, give or take the odd foul-mouthed complaint to a referee, but Capello has also struck a balance by keeping Rooney in dangerous areas without obliging him to put up with the drudgery of being a target man. Here, all the same, was definitive proof that mercurial presences, such as Rooney and Gerrard, need better order around them. It was confirmed with this outcome that the two men with flair are not only essential to the line-up but also that England will fail if they fall prey to the fitfulness that affected them here. -- Football's coming home --

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