England wary of comedown as Italy lose 2006 heroes

England will do well to remember the last time they produced a spectacular away performance when they host Kazakhstan in one of a long list of World Cup qualifiers today as injuries and lack of form have forced Italy coach Marcello Lippi to look beyond his beloved 2006 World Cup winners and select fresh faces for the Group Eight qualifier in Bulgaria.

France coach Raymond Domenech said he felt in a combative mood ahead of a clash in Romania that could cost him his job while Germany's reputation for defensive solidity will face a stern test from Russia in Group Four.

European champions Spain are top in Group Five with two wins from two games and are unbeaten in 25 matches after last month's victories over Bosnia and Armenia.

Today, they face Estonia, a side they have never played before.

When England thrashed Germany 5-1 in Munich in September, 2001, with Michael Owen bagging a hat-trick, the nation sat back and expected Sven-Goran Eriksson's side to cruise into the finals.

Instead, fans were forced to bite their fingernails through the next two qualifiers as first Albania provided stubborn resistance in a 2-0 defeat and a few weeks later David Beckham's last-gasp leveller against Greece clinched a spot in the finals.

The 4-1 victory against Croatia in Zagreb last month, with Theo Walcott this time the hat-trick hero, cast off the cloak of gloom lingering over England since their failure to qualify for Euro 2008 in an instant.

Producing a consistent level of performance has proved beyond most England managers, however, and Fabio Capello will be looking for a convincing victory against the unknown quantity from Central Asia to prove the upward curve is sustained.

The Wembley crowd will demand goals, which will put the onus on the likes of Wayne Rooney, Emile Heskey, Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch now that Owen is deemed surplus to requirements.

Kazakhstan, beaten by Croatia and Ukraine in their last two Group Six qualifiers after opening with a victory against Andorra, is the world's ninth largest country but in football terms are ranked down with the likes of Hong Kong.

German Bernd Storck has been put in temporary charge of the team after the sacking of Dutchman Arno Pijpers.

When Lippi re-took the job in June after the Azzurri's drab showing under Roberto Donadoni at Euro 2008, he spoke of his joy at being re-united with his heroes from Berlin.

Just a few months and two fortunate qualifying wins over Cyprus and Georgia later, only eight of the 22-man squad for the game in Sofia were at the 2006 finals.

Striker Alessandro Del Piero, 33, is the most notable World Cup winner to be overlooked, while Gianluigi Buffon and Mauro Camoranesi were added to the list of injured players this week.

Of four new call-ups in the squad, Villarreal striker Giuseppe Rossi looks the most likely to start having impressed Lippi at the Beijing Olympics in August.

Bulgaria drew 2-2 in their opening qualifier in Montenegro last month and coach Plamen Markov said his team must avoid defeat in their next two matches.

"I'd be pleased if we collect four points in the coming matches against Italy and Georgia (on Oct. 15)," Markov said.

Loew warns

Against Russia, Germany coach Joachim Loew expects any lapse in concentration to be severely punished. Loew said this week he had seldom seen a side that can change gears as fast and that the fluidity and pace of Guus Hiddink's team rivalled European champions Spain.

"There are often only a few moments between them winning the ball and completing an attack," Loew said.

"They have a balanced and disciplined team and their approach has become much more structured and organised. If we make too many mistakes we will be punished without mercy."

Euro 2008 runners-up Germany could only manage a 3-3 draw with Finland in their last qualifier in Helsinki, but still lead the group with four points from two matches. Russia are in second with three points from their only match so far, a 2-1 home win over Wales.

Hiddink is suffering something of an injury crisis ahead of the tie in Dortmund, with striker Roman Pavlyuchenko, defender Denis Kolodin and midfielder Dmitry Torbinsky ruled out.

Meanwhile, Domenech, who was left in charge but told he needed results after his team's group-stage exit from Euro 2008, knows a bad result in the Group Seven match against Romania might spell the end of his tenure.

"The more complicated things get, the more I want to fight," the abrasive coach told reporters.

"I wouldn't like anybody to think that I could let go and might feel like giving up," added Domenech, who has had a difficult relationship with some of his players and the media for years.

The 56-year-old, whose team began their qualifying campaign with a shock 3-1 defeat by Austria, earned himself a stay of execution with a 2-1 win over Serbia last month.