Spanish delight as Iniesta goal sees off woeful England

England 0 Spain 1

After a disastrous October double-header, McClaren’s men appeared to have stopped the rot with a decent performance in Holland in November.

But the winter months seem to have had a negative impact on an admittedly injury-hit side, who started well but slowly subsided and eventually lost to Andres Iniesta’s well-taken second-half effort.

Said the England boss: “It’s very difficult in a friendly when you have to make changes.

“I was really looking at individuals and how they adapt. But it is difficult to get any cohesion.

“I thought Ben Foster did well, Jonathan Woodgate and Rio Ferdinand were very good at the back, and I was very pleased with Kieron Dyer, he tried to make things happen.”

McClaren did admit though that England had been second best.

“We created opportunities but just lacked that final bit of quality.”

He added: “I don’t like losing football matches.

“It was always going to be a tough game with all the players we had missing but I learned quite a bit about a few that came back.’’

McClaren could claim the availability of Owen Hargreaves, Wayne Rooney and Aaron Lennon could have a substantial impact on the effectiveness of his team in their must-not-lose visit to the Middle East.

But, with only new arrivals Kieron Dyer and Jonathan Woodgate, plus skipper Steven Gerrard, really impressing among the outfield contingent, McClaren would also be struggling to offer supporters that much hope of a substantial improvement either.

Dyer was a revelation however. It is a fact that at the highest level, pace is virtually essential; Dyer possesses that in abundance.

It took him no time to prove how comfortable he is in these surroundings, picking up possession in deep positions and threatening to unhinge Spain’s defence with his running.

Unfortunately, in Shaun Wright-Phillips, England did not have another wide man capable of having the same kind of impact.

At the back, Woodgate, whose three-year absence from the England team is a season longer than Dyer’s, slotted in alongside Ferdinand comfortably.

Yet the absence of a clinical finisher up front counterbalanced that particular piece of positivity.

The only player to test Iker Casillas during the opening period was Michael Carrick, who drove an early shot at the Spain goalkeeper. Not that debutant Ben Foster was that much busier.

Gerrard’s departure at the interval triggered the introduction of Gareth Barry but it also robbed England of their major creative force.

Dyer continued to probe and Wright-Phillips and Neville both went close but it was Spain who carried the greater threat and Villa brought the best save of the match out of Foster with a 20-yard shot just before the hour.

On their next attack, Spain took the lead, Ferdinand unable to do anything more than get the faintest flick to Villa’s cross. Iniesta had only been on the field seven minutes but he fired a 20-yard shot into the top corner.

England huffed and puffed in their search for an equaliser without doing anything convincing,

McClaren’s decision to replace Frank Lampard with Joey Barton for the final 10 minutes breathed new life into the crowd – but had no impact on the final outcome.

ENGLAND: Foster, G Neville (Downing 74), Ferdinand, Woodgate (Carragher 64), P Neville (Richards 64), Wright-Phillips (Defoe 70), Gerrard (Barry 46), Carrick, Lampard (Barton 78), Dyer, Crouch.

SPAIN: Casillas, Ramos (Angel 46), Puyol (Javi 46), Ibanez, Capdevila, Xavi, Albelda, Silva (Arizmendi 65), Angulo, Villa Sanchez (Fabregas 75), Morientes (Torres 46).

Referee: M Weiner (Germany).