Six blues play in England win

Records were broken last night, as at one point six MCFC players were on the pitch in England's 3-1 win over Switzerland in Basle.

Four started, Adam Johnson came on in the first half - and when Shaun Wright-Phillips replaced Wayne Rooney with 11 minutes left there were more City players on the England team than those that weren't. It's certainly something worth reflecting on. It's one of the best examples yet of the near-unique richness and depth of our squad. It also shows, I think, how low the bar is of England squad entry: simply having a contract with a top half Premier League side seems to be enough. Although not, for some reason, for Tom Huddlestone.

The four starters were Joe Hart, James Milner and Gareth Barry - who started against Bulgaria - and then Joleon Lescott, replacing Michael Dawson. Lescott was a surprise. Not only because it was Gary Cahill who came on last Friday, but because Lescott had not started a competitive game at centre-back since March 14. He did well enough on his return to the side, winning a few important headers.

In the midfield, Barry and Milner both had good games. This was England's best midfield performance for at least one year, and the passing and movement was crisp and imaginative. Barry did particularly well cleaning up in front of the back four (so much so that I think he could perform Nigel de Jong's role successfully), and Milner played intelligently - staying wide when necessary but sometimes coming inside to help out.

The headlines, though, are Adam Johnson's, again. He came on early in the first half for the injured Theo Walcott, again playing off the right. With his first touch he darted down Reto Ziegler's outside, and crossed low with his right to Jermain Defoe. Johnson is open to accusations of predictability and so his having this Plan B to call upon is of immense value. Soon later he shot just over from distance, but his goal was to come in the second half.

England were counter-attacking and he drifted inside, ran off one of the centre backs and was found by Steven Gerrard's through ball. Facing down the 'keeper, he swerved left, took the ball past him and finished into an empty net. Two competitive international appearances - both off the bench - and two goals.

Joe Hart could not replicate his Friday night heroics, letting in a swerving shot from Xherdan Shaqiri and making two or three uncharacteristic handling errors. He was better, though, than Shaun Wright-Phillips who was twice in dream positions behind the left back but sent two woeful final balls across.

AJ misses out

Disappointing news, though, for Adam Johnson. When Theo Walcott was trimmed off it looked as though Johnson might make it, but it was his City team-mate Wright-Phillips who made it instead.

Ultimately this must have been more of a decision against Johnson than for Wright-Phillips: based on recent form and performance in friendlies Wright-Phillips did not present a compelling case for his inclusion. Rather, Capello must have seen something that halted his enthusiasm for including AJ, an indication from somewhere that Johnson was not quite ready for a World Cup squad yet. Capello's comments that Johnson found it 'difficult to breathe' are instructive, and I imagine that Johnson's uncharacteristic refusal to dive in the box showed Capello that he cannot quite play his natural game at international level.

Adam Johnson's collapsing Jenga tower act won us valuable penalties in the home games against Bolton Wanderers and Aston Villa last season. He could well have won us another at the Boleyn Ground, and bought us a decent crop of free-kicks too. It's a big part of his game and something he does well. But when Gerardo Torrado hauled him back at Wembley he did not have the confidence to go down and win us that penalty. He stayed on his feet and nothing came of the opportunity.

Maybe I'm reading too much into too little but that one moment could well have convinced Capello that Johnson does not yet have the confidence to play for England as he does for City, something you could never say of Wright-Phillips.