Soccer: England draw with Netherlands

UPDATE - England had to settle for a 0-0 draw with the Netherlands today in a closely-fought but uninspiring soccer friendly at Villa Park here.


The best chances all fell in the opening 45 minutes. Dutch forward Dirk Kuijt hit the post and England missed three great opportunities, two of which fell to Shaun Wright-Phillips on his first start for his country.


Both managers looked to experiment before next month's World Cup qualifiers, with England playing with an unconvincing 4-3-3 formation and giving debuts to striker Andy Johnson and left-sided midfielder Stewart Downing.


The Dutch, playing in a special black and white anti-racism strip, proved to be a threat despite missing Premier League forwards Ruud van Nistelrooy and Arjen Robben through injury.


England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson felt his team had moved up a gear after a below-par performance in November's 0-1 friendly defeat against Spain in Madrid.


"It was a much better performance today than in Spain," he said.


"We created a couple of good chances in the first half and should have scored. For a friendly, I think it was good."


As for using Wayne Rooney on the left up front, Michael Owen in the middle and Shaun Wright-Phillips on the right, he said: "If you have Wright-Phillips and you want to play him, I think it's a very good system.


"Wayne Rooney is used to playing on the left for Manchester United and you have three extremely good players in central midfield and during long periods today they showed it."


Dutch coach Marco van Basten had also been wary of England's midfield, saying: "Outstanding players like David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard are all very capable of passing the ball behind our defensive line.


"And with quick forward players like Owen, Wright-Phillips and Rooney they are very, very dangerous.


But he added: "I think we did our homework well. They didn't create a lot of chances, so in the end we can be satisfied with our defence tonight. "


The Dutch applied the early pressure and could have taken a 10th minute lead when England gave the ball away and Kuijt hit the left-hand post with keeper Paul Robinson well beaten.


England responded immediately, with Rooney teeing up Gerrard for a shot well over the bar and Wright-Phillips missing the target from a neat Beckham cutback.


Wright-Phillips then failed to get in a clean shot from point-blank range, as Eriksson's men gradually began to open up the Dutch defence.


Midfielder Romeo Castelen and wingback Jan Kromkamp caused plenty of problems for England's left side but the Dutch, missing Chelsea's Robben and Manchester United's Van Nistelrooy, lacked the final touch.


The Dutch were again sharper at the start of the second half with Roy Makaay coming close after a well-worked move.


Johnson and Downing came on to make their debuts after an hour, when England's shape varied between 4-3-3 and 4-4-2 but the game remained in the balance and neither made much of an impression.


Dutch substitute Mark van Bommel came closest to breaking the deadlock with a dangerous shot which deflected away to safety off Ashley Cole, while England had possession but failed to create clearcut chances.


World Cup qualifying resumes for both sides in late March, when England meet Northern Ireland and Azerbaijan in group six and the Dutch play Romania and Armenia in group one.


- REUTERS