How do you solve a problem like England's best formation and team?

As Sven Goran Eriksson might have said during his tenure as England coach, 'first-half good second-half not so good.' While not strictly speaking true, the opening draw with the USA probably presented more questions than answers for current coach Fabio Capello, and he will be feeling the pressure ahead of the must win game against Algeria on Friday. Having started so brightly with Steven Gerrard's excellent fourth minute goal, they never pressed home their initiative, and allowed the States back into the match. Admittedly though, it was a ghastly error from which they equalised.
Which brings the first dilemma for Capello. Does he stick with keeper Robert Green, or make an early change? In England's two Euro 2008 qualifiers against Croatia, keepers Paul Robinson and Scott Carson made equally glaring errors, and have never really been seen since on the international stage. To be fair to Green, he did make an excellent save in the second half, and his probable replacement, David James, is not exactly immune to errors himself. I think Capello will stick with the West Ham man to try and rebuild his confidence, in a game (judging on Sunday's evidence anyway) where he will not have a great deal to do.
The centre of defence is another problem area for Capello now. With Ledley King's groin strain ruling him out for practically the rest of the tournament, this leaves Jamie Carragher as the likely partner for John Terry for the remainder of the World Cup. Aside from the fact that the Liverpool defender turned his back on his country, this leaves a partnership of two players who have had relatively poor seasons, and have cumulatively no pace. This has already been exposed by a striker of the quality (or lack of it) of Jozy Altidore, so think what may happen up against the likes of Lionel Messi, Robin van Persie or Fernando Torres? If Capello were to gamble, he would give Michael Dawson an opporuntity alongside Terry following an excellent season for Spurs. But the Italians have never been known for gambling, and I don't think Mr Capello is going to start now, on the biggest stage of all!
The other major problem is the formation he employs for the Algeria game, and how to get the best out of his best players. The return of Gareth Barry to full fitness presents both a quandary, but an opportunity as well. Despite an excellent performance from the England captain, it has become clear that Gerrard and Frank Lampard can't play together in a centre-midfield pairing. Too often, they make the same runs and occupy the same spaces. This is where Barry is useful. Bring him in as a defensive midfield shield, alongside Lampard (although the Chelsea man will be slightly further forward), and this will free up Gerrard to play just off Wayne Rooney, as a lone striker. This would have multiple benefits - the shackles would be freed off Gerrard, who would be able to be his creative and marauding best, occupying the position he performs behind Torres for Liverpool; and it would also bring out the best in Rooney - he is adept at playing the same striker role, and he would relish the support of someone with the ability and vision of Gerrard. It is important to emply the best system for the players at your disposal, and this is what Capello would be doing. This would be a little harsh on Emile Heskey, who produced one of his best performances in an England shirt for a long time. But his lack of goals counts against him, and getting the best out of Rooney (he is England's best player after all) is of paramount importance.
The one other change the Italian should make is to drop James Milner, which is probably quite likely considering he only played for the first half an hour on Saturday before being substituted. The Aston Villa player didn't look fit, and his best position is certainly not on the left-wing anyway. I think it's time to give Joe Cole a chance. With the pace and incision of Aaron Lennon on the right (who had a good game) and the inventiveness and trickery of Cole on the left, then this will present problems for opposing full-backs.
So much to ponder for Capello before he takes on Algeria in Cape Town, in which he hopes will not be a defining moment of his career as England coach. Will he throw in another surprise selection, or will he stick with the tried and trusted to bring glory to England? For many of them, such as Gerrard, Lampard and Terry, this will be their final chance. However, one thing is for certain - on the evidence of the performances of Germany and Holland, the team needs to start clicking and communicating, and the ball rentention has to improve markedly.