McClaren Hints at Crouch Selection

Steve McClaren today hinted at making changes to the England team from the one that defeated Israel with ease last Saturday, as he plans ahead of the crucial Euro 2008 qualifier against Russia tomorrow.

The England coach praised his players for forming "good partnerships all around the field" against Israel, but said Russia represent a "tougher challenge" to which his team might "have to adapt". "Russia play a different system," said McClaren. "As much as we'd like to keep the same system, we have to adapt."

There was a suggestion that Peter Crouch, returning from suspension, could reclaim his place in the team at the expense of Emile Heskey. "Crouch is a big player," stated McClaren. "He scores goals and it's great to have that option."

A relaxed McClaren added that the spirit in the squad was high. "There's great confidence and self-belief in training," he smiled. "If we can transfer that on to the pitch, I'll be well satisfied. We can win all four games and win the group. If we play like we did on Saturday we have every chance."

The England captain John Terry had earlier dedicated England's 3-0 win over Israel to McClaren for his "brave" team selection, but McClaren was quick to shrug off the plaudits. "I don't know about that," he said. "You've got to make the decisions. When it works you're brave, when it doesn't you're a fool. It wasn't brave to pick Emile Heskey, for example: it was necessary.

"We came to this double header with many people moaning about the injuries, the dropouts, the people who couldn't play. Some asked if we could get a team out. Well we did, and they got through on Saturday. The likes of Gareth Barry and Heskey took their opportunity. So yes, we are strong. We've got depth and competition for places. It bodes well for the future - but we're concentrating on the Russia game.

"This is coming to the nitty gritty, we can't afford any slip-ups. The players know that. They are fully focused. We got three points but we need to follow it up. We can see the finish line and our players are good at that. A win tomorrow will put us in a good position in the group."