England v Argentina - Butt included in side

Sven-Goran Eriksson brought Nicky Butt into the England side to face Argentina as he opted for a safety-first strategy amid an intensifying World Cup qualification struggle.

Aston Villa striker Darius Vassell was the fall guy from England’s draw against Sweden in their opening group match, with their passing game having fallen apart in Saitama.

Eriksson moved Emile Heskey to his preferred position up front and shifted Paul Scholes to the left flank, leaving a gap to be filled by Butt alongside Owen Hargreaves in central midfield.

This was Butt’s first game in just over five weeks following injury and, with David Beckham also only lasting for an hour against Sweden, Eriksson was placing considerable trust in his midfielders being able to last the pace.

His intention was presumably to smother Argentina’s powerful midfield, with Juan Sebastian Veron determined to make an impression after his much-criticised season at Old Trafford.

However, it left a huge creative burden on Beckham’s shoulders as he struggled to rediscover his sharpness as he looked for revenge for his 1998 World Cup red card.

England’s task was complicated even further by Sweden’s 2-1 victory against Nigeria, leaving the Swedes on four points and the African side eliminated.

The possibilities were intricate but the simple fact was that defeat in Sapporo would leave England’s fate out of their own hands and at the mercy of Sweden and Argentina drawing their final game to both go through.

A draw would mean they had to beat Nigeria by two clear goals to make sure, while a victory would put them back on course ahead of their final game.

Argentina, meanwhile, made one change to their line-up, with Kily Gonzalez replacing Claudio Lopez, while Juan Sorin passed a fitness test and Roberto Ayala was still out.