England 0 Holland 2

Holland swept aside a confused England team to easily win 2-0.

The Dutch lost interest such was their domination in England's first ever game in August and the visitors dropped the pace and tempo of their play to wind down from their first half lead as the game wore on.

Swedish coach Sven Goran Eriksson said this game was the start of a season that was to end on June 30th in Yokohama.

Eriksson meant to mention the date of the World Cup final but his team were outclassed by a side who are fighting to stay in the qualifiers.

As England meet a determined Germany team in Munich in a game they can prpbably draw, the Dutch have to come away from Dublin with a win against Ireland to stand much chance of progressing to even the play off stage.

This was only a friendly - a firmly contested one throughout - but the lack of answers to Holland's inventive midfield play is what will really worry the England coach. His counterpart Louis van Gaal saw a great show from Patrick Kluivert and Marc van Bommel that coasted Holland to a win.

The game was dominated by Holland and they should have been ahead from a penalty in the 29th minute when Ashley Cole tripped Philip Cocu on a run into the area but Swedish referee Anders Frisk did not seem to see the challenge and Egland escaped n their first game at White Hart Lane for 52 years.

But it was a brief reprieve as Marc van Bommel hit a surprising shot in the 38th minute.

The midfielder steadied himself and then launched a swerving shot from thirty five mtres that soared beyond Nigel Martyn on a slice into the top corner.

The Duct then only took seconds to add a second and all but win the match.

If Ruud van Nistelrooy continues his form of the first half for Manchester United then the Premiership title is over right now.

Allowing Patrick Kluivert to run into deep positions to further unbalance the England midfield, United's new star produced inventive runs and took his goal very well.

The striker had to keep his feet and react quickly in the 39th minute and stick the chance in after Nigel Martyn had parried an angled shot from Boudewijn Zenden into his path. The ball came onto van Nistelrooy quickly and he had to protect the chance from a challenge behind him by Martin Keown.

Three minutes later with not much on the £19.5 million striker hit a chip onto the cross bar which left Martyn stranded.

The freedon enjoyed by van Nistelrooy was a symptom of the tactical advantages Holland enjoyed in midfield.

Their fluid 4-3-3 system kept the ball with smooth passing around a bemused England whose 4-4-2 left strikers Robbie Fowler and Andy Cole stranded in attack with no supply coming to them from midfield.

English passing barely reached four and the team looked every bit as disjointed as many feared with Eriksson making eight substitutions at the start of the second half. The use of Owen Hargreaves in the first half had been a disappointment but he was placed in a team that struggled from the start.

England could not match the variations in passing and running added to a disciplined team shape that the Dutch showed them.

The home team used three goalkeepers after substitute David James lasted only a minute in the game before clashing with Martin Keown as he dived to save from Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in a one-on-one. James was carried off but not seriously injured with Richard Wright taking his place.

The best England effort came from a first half drive by Gary Neville which was arrowed into the top corner for Edwin van der Sar to tip over with his fingertips.

Michale Owen slapped a chance in the 93rd minute over the crossbar when clean through after carrying the ball beyond Kevin Hofland to end the evening on a low night.

Eriksson had won five matches at the start of his England career but now he knows what defeat is like and this defeat may help the England camp gaim some perspective. Holland wrecked the England midfield no matter what players were used but England will go into the Germany game on September 1st with a different outlook after this friendly. Eriksson knows his first choice team but it had no part to play in this substandard showing.

The Swede enjoys touting the benefits of positive thinking but his midfield without the constantly injured Steven Gerrard may see England travel to Germany in two weeks with only the coach's optimism to help them.