Is international football still relevant?

I watched the England v Malta match yesterday, well it was on in the background while I was doing other things. I was amazed to see a crowd of over 80,000 announced during the coverage for a game that England should have won at a canter against a team ranked well outside of the top 100 in World football. To me it was a bit of a non-match that even the TV companies wight have thought twice about featuring. But the fact that Wembley was close to a sell-out has made me stop.

I thought before the match that international football was becoming irrelevant and that matches between the good teams and the bad were a waste of time. But 80,000+ at Wembley and millions of others on TV disagreed with me. Maybe there is something there after all.

I don't believe that the top players in the game see international football as the pinnacle of the game in the same way that they did when I was young. The big international tournaments see the best players turn up injured or fatigued beyond belief so that they don't perform at the peal of their game. I know we can point to what winning meant to Cristiano Ronaldo at the Euros in the summer with his country. But I can't see that being the same with many players. Would Ronaldo have through this way if he had never won anything at club level? It was the icing on the cake, rather than the cake itself.

The England players don't seem to play their normal game when it comes to international football. In the Premier League we are used to high tempo and a pressing game that leads to exciting football and great matches. But for whatever reason we don;t play that way in the international games. When we have pressing players such as Jordan Henderson, Jamie Vardy and Jesse Lingard then we should play that game. We need a high tempo against teams like Malta to make chances, pressurise the opposition and make the breakthroughs that change the game. It appears that players take a step back on the international stage and I don't know whether it is the players or the coach that breed that mentality. I would have loved to see what Sam Allardyce would have done with the players because I can't believe he would have let his players sit back and take it easy.

It is time for a change and I would look at wholesale change with these poor quality of opposition that we have in the group. There has never been a better time to discard the older players and look to the future. I can't see a place after the next World Cup for the likes of-

• Wayne Rooney
• Joe Hart
• Gary Cahill
• Theo Walcott

And I can't really see what any of them offer now, except for Rooney selling shirts for the FA and Cahill plugging a gap until something better comes along (Smalling and Phil Jones have never cut the mustard at the top level.) There just has to be a brighter future. The England fans that watched in their tens of thousands yesterday can be satisfied with a win but there was little else to excite. I like the way that Jesse Lingard plays the game but he needs more help. I would get Rashford and others on to the pitch and say to them "there you go, guys. You are the team for the next World Cup. Go out there and make it happen."

Links between the England game this week and my FA Coaching course

It was interesting to see the England setup from start to finish this week. There was a lot of comment relating to the sections that Sam Allardyce made in both his squad and his team. There were a lot of familiar faces in both and he came in for some criticism for not changing a lot, mainly because-

• It was a team with 8 of the players that played in the last Euro match - a defeat against Iceland
• It was a squad with only one uncapped player - Michail Antonio
• It was a very similar formation to the one Roy Hodgson had used
• Big Sam gave players like Joe Hart and Raheem Sterling a chance when they were awful in the Summer

It was the most difficult match of the campaign on paper - away to a dangerous opponent that had completely stifled us in June. But we came through with three points due to reckless tackling from Martin Skrtel and poor goalkeeping at the end. So on the face of things there was much criticism before and a small celebration after.

But I ask what possibly could have changed?

I was on an FA Level 1 Coaching course the week before and there was a lot of talk about the England DNA. The game in this country is now geared to play a certain way. It would be difficult, if not impossible, for Allardyce to anything different. Where are the future England players that are playing regularly for their club sides?

The formation suits the way we want to play football. It is something that many of the players are familiar with from their clubs. It really is almost a part of the DNA of the game in this country.

The players that form the squad will form the basis of the squad all the way to the next World Cup and beyond. WE need evolution, not revolution. If the academy system is producing players like John Stones then we have to put some faith in it to produce more.

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It is time for international friendlies and I must admit I haven't watched a lot of these since the time of Sven Goran Erikson as England manager and the amount of substitutes he used. I understand that the England manager has conversations with club managers and tries to keep them onside, especially at this crucial time of the season, but these matches must mean something to the supporters, the players and the England team. This is particularly relevant in the run up to a major tournament, so let's take a look at what England and Roy Hodgson might find out from the upcoming friendlies against Germany and the Netherlands.

With an injury to Joe Hart, this is a chance for the other goalkeepers to stake their claim as the official number two in the squad. Hart's form has been indifferent this season and he has grown more susceptible to injuries so the position as back-up has a value in the England squad. Jack Butland appears to be at the front of this queue at the moment, but I see Fraser Forster as the best keeper in the squad at the moment. It will be an interesting watch.

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The other area of complete interest in these two friendlies is the attack. Competition exists elsewhere in the team but the fans most want to see is if we can survive (or even thrive) without Wayne Rooney. His powers are definitely weakened by the year and his place is under real threat for probably the first time.

I would like to see Roy Hodgson pair Harry Kane with Jamie Vardy for as long as possible in both games to find out if these two can cut it against some of the best teams in the world. Germany away is much tougher then the Netherlands at home but both games will be test of whether these guys can get us far into the Euro 2016 tournament or fall at the first stage again.

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After the emotion, the England v France game has a meaning

After the terrorist atrocities in Paris last week, they said that the match and the result didn't matter. But for England it had to matter. The lesson in possession football and taking your chances that Spain handed out last week showed that England have a lot of work to do before the Euros next year.

With only four friendly dates available between now and the start of the championships every minute counts, let alone every game. Roy Hodgson has work to do,

He needs to decide on formation, first choice players, the makeup of the squad and which utility players to take 

I'd say that he has probably totally settled on only Joe Hart, Gary Cahill, Raheem Sterling, Wayne Rooney and Harry Kane as absolute nailed-on starters. Which leaves 6 first-choice places up for grabs. Let's have a look at them-

Right back

Nathaniel Clyne has pole position for right back at the moment but hasn't really done enough to totally claim his place yet. Clyne played against France but Kyle Walker started against Spain and has played a number of England games for Roy Hosgson.

Centre back

The second centre back with Cahill is really up for grabs. Johns Stones, Phil Jagielka, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling have all staked mild claims to the place but none have made an overwhelming case. I like Stones but it's a case of watch this space.

Left back

Like centre back, there's a few choices here. Leighton Baines and Luke Shaw both having long-term injuries has opened the door. Keiran Gibbs and Ryan Bertrand are in the current squad.

Midfield

Ross Barkley is starting to establish himself as someone that Hodgson trusts but it still not a banker for a starting place. Add to this Dier, Shelvey, Alli, Delphi, Mason, Lallana, Lingard, Henderson, Wilshere, Carrick, Milner, Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain and you can see why the positions haven't been settled. Lots of potential but not enough real top quality.

The result of the game against France may be irrelevant in the context of what happened in Paris but for England the performance of individual players will have a massive impact on what they are doing next Summer.