Graphic: Tinkerman McClaren pays the price

Goalkeepers

Like the British shipbuilding industry, English goalkeepers were once the envy of the world. And now? They are a joke. There is far more wrong with the team but, at the risk of oversimplifying the matter, England probably would have qualified with a reliable goalkeeper. Paul Robinson was meant to be a safe pair of hands after David James, but he proved a liability. Scott Carson is young and proficient, but he will be scarred by a gruesome competitive debut at Wembley.

So what is the answer? Chris Kirk-land or Robert Green might have offered one but for injury and the best bet may be Ben Foster, even though, sidelined by injury this season, he has yet to play for Manchester United.

Expert View

The faults that lie deep within the nation's football will not be cured simply by handing Steve McClaren his P45

Martin Samuel

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BACKGROUND

• O’Neill rules himself out of running

• Same old routine for Barwick and Co

• £2.5m for worst English manager

• English game paralysed by fear of the unknown

BACKGROUND

• The contenders

• Defeat puts paid to hopes of £2bn bonanza

• McClaren's epitaph: ‘Worse than Graham Taylor’

• Former coach faces fight to rebuild reputation

BACKGROUND

• From 1 to 11: why number was up for England

• Beckham is the blueprint by which to rebuild national game

• Talisman expects backlash but is not retiring

• Carson hoping to bounce back

BACKGROUND

• Wembley authorities unable to explain quagmire

• England were a shower but I’d do it all again

• Time to support the other red and whites

• England got what they deserved, says Corluka

BACKGROUND

• England among also-rans in World Cup seedings

• Players’ egos responsible for failure, says Keane

• Own Goal

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Defence

Do you remember thinking not so long ago that England were well off in central defence? Bet you were not thinking that as you watched Sol Campbell and Joleon Lescott on Wednesday. Beyond Rio Ferdinand and John Terry there is an alarming lack of quality and, with the notable exception of Micah Richards, little fresh talent emerging. Jonathan Wood-gate, Ledley King and Wes Brown, outstanding in their youth but since troubled by injury, have not fulfilled their potential. If only Jamie Carragher had not retired from international football.

Richards excels in central defence for Manchester City but remains too raw to play there at the highest level. Gary Neville could reclaim his place at right back, leaving Richards to play elsewhere, but only if he can get over the injury problems that restricted him to two appearances in qualifying. Ashley Cole needs to recover the form he showed at Arsenal.

Midfield

In the words of Slaven Bilic, the Croatia head coach, England need to wake up from the belief that their big-name players are superior to the likes of Luka Modric. The final two qualifying matches, against Russia and Croatia, were a throwback to the early 1990s, when England players were routinely embarrassed by more technically proficient teams from all over Europe.

Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard are fine players of a type – a similar, very English type – but not at keeping possession or performing with guile. Both were defensive midfield players in their teens but are now hap-pier going forward, a trend replicated in the less spectacular career paths of two other English midfield players, Joey Barton and Kevin Nolan.

Why are the most basic disciplines required of a central midfield player suddenly so alien? When will we see an England team playing like Croatia, Russia or the Czech Republic, never mind Italy, Portugal or Spain? When will we see a young English player with the confidence of Cesc Fàbregas or Xavi Hernández? Not until we start to produce intelligent players who are happy to caress the ball rather than leather it.

Attack

Can Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney play together? They were available to do so only twice in the entire campaign. Had even one of them had better luck with injuries, it might have been a different story, but that merely exposes a dearth of striking talent. In the 1995-96 season, seven English centre forwards (Alan Shearer, Robbie Fowler, Les Ferdinand, Teddy Shering-ham, Ian Wright, Stan Collymore and Andrew Cole) scored a total of 140 top-flight goals. Last season, only five English strikers (Rooney, Darren Bent, Jermain Defoe, Andrew Johnson and Bobby Zamora) got into double figures.

At various stages, McClaren turned to Peter Crouch, Johnson, Defoe and Bent. Only Crouch showed any reliability while Emile Heskey performed admirably in two games before succumbing to injury. Alarmingly, he may be worth a place in the squad unless a younger striker – Gabriel Agbonlahor or Theo Walcott, perhaps – can step up their progress.

The future

There are so many recurring themes: poor technique, mental fragility and a lack of quality in all positions. All are symptoms of an English disease that threatens to reach epidemic proportions as overseas players come to dominate the Premier League.

Picking an England team for the future has been an enjoyable pursuit, but not now. If José Mourinho is mulling over the attractions of the job, I challenge him to scribble down an England team that is guaranteed to reach the next World Cup finals and then flourish. There is no such guarantee. There will be a temptation to axe members of the old guard, but, until some high-quality youngsters emerge, it will feel like a token gesture. And that, surely, is the most depressing aspect of all.

England team to start 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign: B Foster – M Richards, R Ferdinand, J Terry, A Cole – S Gerrard, O Hargreaves, F Lampard, J Cole – W Rooney – M Owen.