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It was the predictability that caused the pain. Defeat in a friendly is no more than a twinge, but it will have hurt paying customers to see once more the modest capacities of the England squad, particularly when some regulars are not around. On his debut, Andy Carroll had little scope in attack and the forceful Steven Gerrard eventually had to go off with a strained hamstring. The side persisted and Peter Crouch had no sooner taken the field than he volleyed home a corner with his first touch of the ball in the 86th minute.
If there is anything worse than a tepid friendly, it is one in which the opposition look sharp and eager. There was an initial difficulty in gauging the work of the England side while they were being denied the ball. France did have a better line-up, but they were also efficient in putting it to use and a pause in their control was not felt until they had the lead.
Karim Benzema has trouble appealing to José Mourinho at Real Madrid, but his importance to Laurent Blanc's France is beyond dispute. He put the visitors in front after a darting one-two with Florent Malouda. England may not have moved well enough then to seal the gaps, but the most obvious fault was the goalkeeper's as Benzema's low shot from the left beat Ben Foster at the near post. The Birmingham City player appeared here because of the back injury to Joe Hart and was collecting his first cap since the Brazil friendly last November.
There were more noteworthy changes, such as Jordan Henderson making his debut, but it was the Sunderland player's ill-fortune in the first half to discover that he could not be a deep-lying playmaker when France's control made him defend. Worse still, the opposition concentrated initially on his area of the field and employed that channel to score. The other England player in Fabio Capello's starting XI to receive a first cap was Carroll.
England did little to unleash him before the interval, but the Newcastle striker never let himself drop from view entirely There was some prospect of France being troubled by him and, six minutes from the interval, he got free of the centre-back Philippe Mexès, even if the cover did arrive quickly. The involvement of the attacker was reassuring in another regard.
A friendly is meant to be experimental, but the first matter to be tested was the relationship between the England manager and the clubs. Carroll has had a groin strain and Newcastle United wanted him withdrawn from this game. The Football Association's tests, however, showed him to be free of injury and it would have been craven of Capello to release the centre-forward from the squad.
Compliance of that sort is not in the Italian's nature. However, Newcastle will feel sure that their match at Bolton is the fixture of real relevance since an away win would put them above opponents who are fifth in the Premier League.
If the forward was determined to be available for this Wembley engagement it was because he saw an opportunity to enhance his status. The nature of the challenge was also absorbing. France, after all, contrived to have an even more calamitous World Cup than England did, but seem to have cast off the dissension and misery of those days.
Capello's men have not taken so long a stride and the team would have been readying themselves for the boos of their supporters at half-time. England had not been co-ordinated enough to establish a spell of control and when someone such as Theo Walcott produced a burst of pace it looked like an isolated moment rather than a component of a scheme.
Some parts were soon replaced, with Micah Richards, Ashley Young and Adam Johnson introduced for Rio Ferdinand, Gareth Barry and Walcott. It is unlikely that Capello anticipated an immediate transformation and the likelihood always is on these occasions that others will be given an outing to see if they amount to an improvement.
All that was noted at first was a yellow card for Henderson after a foul on Yoann Gourcuff, but France then underlined their continuing keenness by extending the lead. It was typical of England to be so disorderly that in the 55th minute there was no cover to thwart the overlapping Arsenal right-back Bacary Sagna. His cross flew to Mathieu Valbuena, whose connection sent the ball tidily into the corner of the net.
Efficiency felt like a French monopoly. They were enjoying the fluency that England seemed incapable of interrupting for long periods, but Capello's team did muster a reaction in the 63rd minute. A Johnson set piece from the right went deep and Gerrard met the bouncing ball with a header that sent it grazing the top of the bar as it went behind.
The spectators at least took it as sign of life and sought to be encouraging. Mundane as the side are, the fans are uncanny. The loyalty and patience of these people too often goes unrecognised. Few nations could have the sort of World Cup England had and still draw an attendance of over 85,000. As in this game, their tolerance is tested thoroughly.
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