It's all double Dutch

Unlike England, they knew why they were there. They had a precise objective - preparation for their own World Cup qualifier against the Irish in Dublin on 1 September, because the English and Irish styles of play are so similar. Hence van Gaal's use of two wingers. As he explained triumphantly, Beckham and Owen Hargreaves simply could not cover the space created.

Oh dear . . . Hargreaves. The international debut of Bayern Munich's 20-year-old midfielder was by no means an outright disaster - he had a couple of good touches, and got a little better as the first half went on - but he will not look back on the match with a rosy glow of pride. Michael Reiziger left him for dead more than once, and he seemed to have trouble reading the game with sufficient speed of thought.

Eriksson announced puzzlingly afterwards that he had always known Hargreaves would not play well on the left wing, which somewhat begged the question as to the point of putting him there when he needed a confidencebuilding debut. Another exercise in futility.

But surely the greatest harm was done to Hargreaves with those prematch comments by his own club manager, Ottmar Hitzfeld, who said it was too early for his full senior debut and that playing him now might be damaging.

Private opinion is one thing, but it is mystifying to ponder what good could come from such public remarks. It was impossible for Hargreaves not to be undermined.

In a sense it was bound to become a self-fulfiling prophecy, since even if Hargreaves had played a blinder last night, at some stage his form would have dipped because no one can be man of the match every day of their lives. In the event he played very far from a blinder, and may have surrendered his chance to be on the bench for England's match in his club's home stadium next month.

As an exercise in devising a short route to depression, last night succeeded splendidly. But let us rashly assume that was not the intention.

The problem is working out what the big idea was supposed to be. By playing so good a team at so crucial a time, England had nothing to gain and everything to lose. Alas, they managed the latter comprehensively.