When Rooney went off after 27 minutes, we didn’t know what to do

The most disturbing thing about England’s defeat by Portugal was not in our failing in yet another penalty shoot-out. It was in our showing, as a team, that we have no plan B. Plan A, of course, was to allow Wayne Rooney to play opponents virtually on his own, filling up all the space between the forwards and midfield, as well as scoring most of the goals.

When Rooney went off after 27 minutes, we didn’t know what to do. We lost all shape and there was no link-man to the forwards. It’s slightly disconcerting, when you consider that all that happened was we lost an 18-year-old boy, albeit one who has grown into a world-class player.

As a team, England looked jaded. They couldn’t keep the ball and, once again, defended so deeply that the back four were practically on David James’ toes. The equalising goal by Helder Postiga perfectly showed that to be poor strategy.

When the Portuguese moved the ball out to the left, the England defenders should have pushed out. In fact, James should have screamed them out, because even if Postiga had still got a free header, it would have been difficult to convert from ten yards out.

As it was, the whole back four just stood five yards from goal, where any sort of contact on the ball from an attacker is likely to give him a good chance of scoring.

England made that mistake throughout the tournament and I kept waiting for them to get it right. It’s just basic stuff, and you have to raise a question mark about the coach when such things are continually allowed to happen.

We looked vulnerable from every set piece in every game and it left me wondering whether they practise defending them in training.

I also did not agree with England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson’s decision to replace Rooney with Darius Vassell. He’s so similar, in many ways, to Michael Owen — both preferring to play off defenders’ shoulders — that it left us short of anyone to link up the play.

If you are already defending deeply, it does not make sense to use two forwards who both like to turn away from the midfield players, to make their spins and runs behind opponents. Also, Owen and Vassell are not the tallest strikers. So if you are hitting balls high and long, why not at least put someone up front who might actually win one? That’s why, under the circumstances, I believe Emile Heskey would have been a better bet.

England also suffered from having, in David Beckham, a captain who was clearly not fit. Whenever I have watched him in the past, there has always been a sharpness to his game. But he had a very poor tournament, and that was down to a lack of conditioning. To put it bluntly, he was off the pace.

He has almost certainly been affected by things on and off the field over the past few months, but he was a shadow of the player I saw in his first six months at Real Madrid.

In that sense, Eriksson made the same mistake as in the World Cup two years ago by using a player not 100 per cent fit, which you cannot get away with in a major tournament.

Having said all that, it is not all doom and gloom, because I really believe we have the makings of a successful side. Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole were outstanding against Portugal and Sol, who was prodigious throughout, still has some top years ahead of him.

Michael Owen looks sharp again and will always deliver when it matters, as he proved. Steven Gerrard is going to be very good, Paul Scholes is top drawer and Frank Lampard was a bonus. He struggled in the Portugal game, like all of the midfield players, but he had a great season at Chelsea and scored two goals in these finals, which will give him a lot of confidence at the international level.

John Terry was a disappointment, but then he did not look fit either, which may explain why he took up such deep defensive positions. He is unlikely, in any case, to prove first choice in the centre of defence when Rio Ferdinand returns from his ban and Jonathan Woodgate is fit again.

Then, of course, there is Rooney, who could be anything by the time the 2006 World Cup comes round. So assuming that most of the same players will be maturing by then, we should go into that tournament full of hope.

But whether or not we end all those years of hurt, please spare us the agony of another penalty shoot-out.