Hope Powell found wanting in the tactical department

by Sandra Biggs
(London)

Whilst it may be a little harsh to have a go at Hope Powell, and to be fair, she's a pretty easy target, I have to say that the substitution she made at half time was totally baffling.

I think England had managed to frustrate the Americans until half time, and the change was really not warranted at all.

Although Aluko had not seen an awful lot of the ball, when she did get into forward positions, her pace did seem to unsettle the Americans, who were very quick to muscle her out of the game.

To remove her from the game and replace her with Yankey only served to remove any directness from Englands play, and the good work of the first half was quickly squandered.

It is difficult to be critical of the girls' efforts, but I'm willing to bet they're all regretting not giving the Americans more of an attacking threat to deal with.

In the end, the USA were too powerful, and ended up bullying our girls out of the game. A little more belief, and a little more intent from Hope Powell could have made a big, big difference.