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The England manager's tactics got a lot of criticism after the last game against Holland, and I can see why. Playing new players such as Johnson and Downing in unfamiliar roles, like Sven did, won't do the players any justice. They have both been in excellent form in domestic games, and giving them a chance out of position is going to give no one a clear idea of how well they can handle the international stage. I feel that even though he needs to take these friendly games a bit more seriously, he also needs to make sure his players give a good account of themselves, and to make sure that they are all working together as a team. For loyal England supporters who travelled to Spain, and those who were at the game on Wednesday night, the performances weren't good enough.
But also, friendly games as a whole seem to be doing no one any favours. Numerous domestic club managers have had well-publicised rows with international managers over the use of their players. Recently, Arsene Wenger wasn't happy (even though it doesn't surprise me) that Sol Campbell played more than a half for England, and ended the game with a long injury lay-off. Friendly matches played in midweek, like the recent game at Villa Park, just before a weekend of crunch Premiership, Championship European League matches, leave players worn out from their midweek performances, often coming back from long journeys, and subsequently not performing to their full potential for their club sides.
Sven has called many times before for a winter break, so players can have a proper rest, not having to be called up for international friendlies, which often lack atmosphere both on the pitch and in the crowd. Without friendly matches, would we miss out on a lot? Sure, we need to see new players in action, but friendly matches are a completely different situation to World Cup and European Championship qualifiers, and we cannot always make a fair judgement of the players brought into the squad.