England too good for Wales

Wales 0-2 England

The gulf in class between England and Wales was clear for all to see as the away side cruised to victory at the Millenium Stadium.

England were never in any sort of problems, with the midfield duo of Jack Wilshere and Scott Parker particularly influential in the win.

Wilshere just never gives the ball away and won his midfield duel with Arsenal team-mate Aaron Ramsey hands-down.

New Wales captain Ramsey looked rusty, although he came into the game a bit more in the second half, and looks like he still needs more match-time to recover from his sickening leg break.

Looking at the Wales side, it's difficult to see which players would get anywhere near the England set-up.

Ramsey is a top talent and would be there or thereabouts, but after that, not many would even come into the thoughts of Fabio Capello.

Wayne Hennessey is a decent goalkeeper, but would not be anywhere near the England squad yet.

A few years ago, Craig Bellamy would have definitely been good enough for England, but not any more.

Age is catching up with him and it just seems a matter of time before he brings his international career to an end.

James Collins is a good defender but not in the same class as John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, Michael Dawson, Phil Jagielka or Gary Cahill.

Andy King and Joe Ledley are two who could become good players, but they found it difficult to cope with the experience and tactical nous of the England team.

Of course, had Gareth Bale been playing, it could have been a different story.

His lung-busting runs down the left would be a problem for any team, and would certainly have limited Glen Johnson's opportunities to get forward.

Bale is one player who would walk into the England side, but even he probably wouldn't have been enough to give Wales a chance in this game.

To be fair, it is very difficult for Wales to discover footballers.

There, rugby is neck-and-neck, if not more important, than football. Youngsters are more likely to go down the rugby route as they see the success the Welsh national rugby side has.

The size of the country is also not big enough to expect it to compete on the world stage.

There is simply not a big enough pool to choose from and therefore it will be very difficult for a Welsh side to ever qualify for another major championship.

As for England, there was nothing other than positives to take from this game.

John Terry's return as skipper was seamless; he didn't put a foot wrong all game and seemed to help keep the side concentrated and undaunted by the atmosphere.

Wilshere again showed why he is one of the most talked-about prospects in the world game with a display of immense passing and showed a great work-rate.

Fabio Capello should build his team around Wilshere now as his like don't come around too often.

Scott Parker vindicated Capello's decision to pick him ahead of Gareth Barry, and he now has an opportunity to make the position his own for at least the next two years.

He has waited a long time for this chance and is beginning to prove that he can reproduce his West Ham performances on the international stage.

Glen Johnson's pass which eventually led to the second goal was one of the highest quality.

He curved the ball with his right foot expertly into the path of Ashley Young, who in turn laid the ball on a plate to Darren Bent.

Johnson is starting to show some great form and seems to have been greatly influenced by the appointment of Kenny Dalglish at Liverpool.

He now plays left-back at Liverpool but his confidence is visibly growing and he is becoming a key member of the England side.

Frank Lampard had given England an early lead with a well-taken penalty, after James Collins bundled over Aston Villa team-mate Ashley Young in the box.

Young was impressive and is starting to take his club form onto the international stage.

As with Parker, he has waited a long time for this chance and is starting to prove his worth.

When Steven Gerrard returns to fitness, it would be a cop-out for Capello to recall him to the wing.

If Capello chooses to bring him back in, it should be a straight choice between Gerrard and Frank Lampard.

That would be for the good of the team and prove Capello doesn't pick on reputations, he picks on what he sees.

Wayne Rooney was committed in Cardiff but still seems to be lacking something.

To be fair, he was playing in a wide role which limits his ability enormously.

But he let his commitment spill over when he got booked for two needless, reckless challenges which were nothing short of cowardly.

He needs to eradicate this from his game, as one of these days he will be sent off and seriously injure an opponent if he is not careful.

But overall, England should take a lot of positives from this game.

England fans should be a lot more optimistic about the future now as this current crop looks like it could be moulded into a decent team.

But fans will take a lot of persuading before they are convinced this is a side capable of winning tournaments, as they have been promised a lot in the past and the team has never delivered.

2012 will be a big year and the team must perform in Poland and Ukraine to restore the fans' faith.