Abandon the 4-4-2

There is no doubt it wasn't a good England performance in their 0-0 draw with Algeria on Friday. There seems to be a lack of belief in the team. Some England players I have played with over the past 15 years didn't seem to be themselves.

The first game against the US was always going to be cagey and I don't think it was a bad display, but I expected them to go out and give a powerful display against Algeria, and it didn't happen. You could point to a number of factors - it could be that players are not in form and are not feeling good about themselves, or it could be because of injuries and uncertainty about defensive positions and the goalkeeper. But for me, against Slovenia on Wednesday there will have to be a change in the style of play.

You could see Algeria keeping the ball better than England. I had cited possession as being one of the key factors for England coming into the tournament. Possession has always been a problem for England when they play in straight lines. I was surprised at the insistence on continuing to play 4-4-2 against Algeria. It was made for Steven Gerrard to get closer to Wayne Rooney; you could see Rooney getting frustrated by the lack of possession.

In the end, the England players were running around chasing the ball. Algeria looked quicker on the ball, they were in between England's players and difficult to pick up. You then saw frustration creeping into all England players, causing them to make elementary mistakes.

I did think going towards the latter stages of the tournament we would have to play three in midfield, with Gerrard off Rooney. Emile Heskey has done pretty well, but I think perhaps he has to become a victim of the need to change the system.

Our best player against Algeria - Gerrard - was sacrificed to the left. He should be in central positions affecting the game like he was in the first match. If he's not going to be in central midfield with Frank Lampard, he has to play off the front. Let's start by playing our best players in their best positions. Rooney is a centre-forward who has played up front on his own all season and scored 32 goals. Gerrard plays off the front and in central positions for Liverpool. So let's play them where they are most comfortable and the rest of the players can fall into place. We shouldn't manoeuvre our best players to fit in a system I think is outdated at international level.

Having said that, I think England should have had enough to beat Algeria playing 4-4-2. It doesn't seem to me that the players are totally comfortable with the way they are playing. People mentioned the word 'fear' after the Algeria game. But if England were to beat Slovenia then would be a completely different atmosphere around the squad.

If the players play in positions where they can play to their potential, I think we will see the best of them.

Losing Ledley King and Rio Ferdinand means there is an issue with pace in central defensive areas. Jamie Carragher and John Terry are two similar kinds of centre-half, while King and Ferdinand complement both those players. England have lost two players of the same type - quick, cultured centre-halves who are good at reading the game. Carragher and Terry are very experienced, but the team will probably have to sit off and play more of a counter-attacking game.

We haven't seen Joe Cole yet, which surprises me, particularly as we haven't been good in possession. I think Cole on the left, Gerrard off the front as the point of attack in a midfield three, and Aaron Lennon on the right would see England keep better possession and have penetration in attack.

Despite all the negativity, it would not surprise me if England go on to the latter stages of the tournament. The most important matches have not yet been played and it's not a disaster for England if the first two games are their worst.

Belief and confidence will come back quickly if the players enjoy some possession. If you don't have the football then it is difficult to have belief. These players play at clubs like Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, where in the majority of games they keep possession. All of a sudden they play for England and they're chasing the ball against Algeria.

Backs to the wall

After the first round of games it didn't surprise me that some of the big teams struggled because the preparation of the other teams was so good. I was slightly surprised that some big teams have struggled in the second round of games, but I still think most of them will make it to the latter stages.

England's biggest problem, and it happened to me twice when I was in the squad, is that if they finish second in the group they may end up playing one of the best teams in the second phase. You can end up in trouble when that happens, but some will say that if you want to win a World Cup, you have to beat everyone and you shouldn't fear anyone.

If the US beat Algeria, which I think they will, then England will probably finish second if they beat Slovenia.

We always seem to make it difficult for ourselves; it happened in 1998 when we lost to Romania, and happened in 2004 when we lost to France. Maybe it's the nature of the country that we only wake up and fight when our backs are against the wall.

New ball game

So many people have complained about the new Jabulani World Cup ball and I have noticed that players are continuously over-hitting it at corners and free-kicks.

If players have trained with the ball for five weeks and are still over-hitting it, then there is an issue with it. In the game between Mexico and France, one player had three free-kicks in quick succession which he hit high over the bar. You could argue that he should learn, but it is strange that the ball is continuously overhit by world-class players.

All balls are slightly different, but you expect to get used to it after training with it daily for five weeks. An Adidas ball is always different to a Nike ball or a Mitre ball, but if you train with it for a few days before an FA Cup match or Champions League game, you usually get used to it. So it suggests there is something very different about this ball.

Send your questions to Gary Neville to sunday@timesofmalta.com.