1. ROBBO DON'T BE A HERO

England goalkeeper Paul Robinson was an absolute rock for Tottenham last season, and looked the business when he first came into the England side.

But in Germany, Robinson has been jittery, and it can't just be down to those rubbish black gloves that look like the Men Behaving Badly beer mitt and have proved just as effective.

Robinson has the look of a man desperate to be involved in the game for England in the same way he is for Spurs, when he frequently makes several high-class stops a game.

But international football is different, and a keeper can find himself a spectator for 89 minutes but then be called on to make one great save. That's the test; keeping concentration and focus for when you are called upon, without throwing yourself needlessly into the fray.

There were signs in the second half against Ecuador that Robinson had grasped this point, making one good save and coming out purposefully to claim the resulting corner.

And there's also the fact that Robinson has kept three clean sheets out of four and could not be held directly responsible for either of the goals against Sweden.

There's very little point worrying about Robinson, because the alternatives in goal are too distressing to think about.

For all the justified criticism he's had in this tournament every England fan was traumatised when Robinson went down injured against Ecuador and the terrifying prospect of David James reared its head.

But he was awful on crosses in all three group games, and there was still the flap at a long throw in the first half against Ecuador when Robinson connected only with the back of Rio Ferdinand's head.

There were two defenders ready to deal with the ball on that occasion and the message is clear; wherever possible, do nothing.

2. MAKE IT HAPPEN, SVEN

I'm not the first person to bemoan Sven-Goran Eriksson's pitchside manner, and I certainly won't be the last.

The fact is that Sven will never strut up and down the touchline barking orders and screaming until his bald head turns purple, and there's little point expecting him to do so now.

But it's not too much to ask for England's handsomely-paid head coach to be able to react decisively and quickly as the game unfolds in front of him.

The failure to do so cost us dear four years ago against Big Phil Scolari, and could do so again.

When England faced humiliation against Trinidad and Tobago, Eriksson did act decisively, shifting David Beckham to right-back and unleashing wing wizard Aaron Lennon. The duo promptly combined to create England's first goal and spare the blushes of all concerned.

But against Ecuador Sven was back to his old self, waiting fully 25 minutes to substitute a patently struggling Beckham and belatedly introduce Lennon, who then showed more promise in his six minutes on the pitch than Frank Lampard has in 360.

The difference against Ecuador was that with England a goal to the good, all the Swede's defensive instincts kicked in, when bringing Lennon on with 25 minutes to go could well have produced a nerve-settling second goal.

Whether Sven opts for 4-5-1 or 4-4-2 or any other formation the tabloid press suggests, he must be prepared to make changes during the game as the situation demands.

If Lennon played for any other top nation at this tournament he would surely have had far more game time than he has been given by England.

It appears Eriksson is wary of bringing Lennon on if England are ahead. Why?

His pace and enthusiasm mean he is never shy of getting back to help out at the back, and his ability to terrorise opposition defences will only be enhanced if that opposition are also chasing a goal.

I don't suggest he should start with the Spurs youngster, but he must surely be given a chance to influence a game for longer than six minutes regardless of the score.

In Lennon and Theo Walcott, Eriksson took two brave gambles in the selection of his World Cup squad. He appears to have lost his nerve with one.

He mustn't let that happen with the other.

3. DON'T CATCH YELLOW FEVER

Referees have been dolling out cards for looking at an opponent the wrong way, so avoiding suspensions could be the key to England's hopes.

Their quarter-final opponents have already felt the effect of suspensions, having to take on England without Deco and Costinha.

If England progress to a semi-final with France or Brazil, they'll need to be at full strength.

Two England players - Robinson and Jamie Carragher - have already picked up bookings for timewasting, and these are the sort of silly cautions England must avoid.

With Owen's injury and Walcott's inclusion, England are down to a 21-man squad already - and one of those is Jermaine Jenas. They can't afford any other players to be unavailable through suspension.

It's impossible to predict what sort of tackle will be deemed worthy of a booking on Saturday. But there can be no excuse for picking up any more cautions for 'technical' offences like the two against Ecuador.