England face threat of an 'earthquake in football'

Steve McClaren's England team arrived in Tel Aviv last night already under pressure to deliver a performance tomorrow that puts their Euro 2008 qualification back on track, but it was the Israelis who were really turning up the heat on them.

The Bolton Wanderers defender Tal Ben Haim warned that they can expect a hostile welcome at the Ramat Gan stadium, while Pini Zahavi, the Israeli agent of Rio Ferdinand, claimed that "jealousy" of David Beckham wrecked England's World Cup.

Related articles

• Gerrard looks for Rooney to sow seeds of revival
• No shirt swap for Richardson at Wembley
• Kevin Keegan: 'I just see football for what it is, which is all about money'
• Robinson seeks to bounce back after a bobble from hell
• Search the news archive for more stories

And in an evocative raising of the stakes, Zahavi put into context the significance of tomorow's game for McClaren. "If England fail in Israel, if they lose it will be an earthquake in football," he said.

"People say that McClaren will stay on if they lose, but in my opinion the Press will drink his blood and will finish him. For England and McClaren it's a game of 'to be or not to be'."

The England team train at the ramshackle 41,000-capacity Israeli national stadium for the first time this evening after a week beset by delays and injuries following Monday's FA Cup sixth-round replays.

The Israelis have been there preparing all week for the Group E match and last night Ben Haim said that England should prepare for a reception reminiscent of the fervour of Turkish football.

After weeks of anticipation in Israel, the 24-year-old left the England players in no doubt as to the significance of the game for the Israeli people and their national pride.

"The fans give us a really good atmosphere and reason to fight and in Israel we like to fight for the country

on the pitch," he said. "Everybody gives his heart because as a football player it is the only time you can show how much you care for the country and we want to show everybody that on Saturday.

"We have fantastic fans ­ you wait and see in the game. I am sure if this was an English stadium the atmosphere would be even better but even though the fans are far from the pitch you will see a fantastic atmosphere. The fans give us the best atmosphere to give us belief for the game. It is a different atmosphere to England. It's hard to compare ­ it's like the passion of the Turkish fans.

"There's no doubt about who is the favourite, of course it is England but I believe and my team-mates believe that in only one game, in 90 minutes, with our crowd, with our fans, we can do something special."

The atmosphere tomorrow will be one thing for England to contend with but the Football Association will also take note of the comments of Zahavi, one of the most influential power-brokers in world football and agent to Ferdinand. A close advisor to Roman Abramovich and the man who famously accompanied Eriksson, while he was still England manager, in his controversial meetings with the Chelsea owner, Zahavi launched a remarkable attack on the politics of the England team.

As a man who has the ear of many Premiership managers and directors ­ not to mention Ferdinand and Eriksson ­ Zahavi's comments about the " jealousy" of David Beckham that beset the England team cannot be taken lightly. While his interview with the Hebrew-language newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth was well-timed in terms of Saturday's game, its insight into the problems of last summer's World Cup finals is one of the most revelatory so far.

"There was a big problem with jealousy in the [England] team," Zahavi said. "It's something that nobody has talked about before. A lot of players did not like the position of David Beckham. It's not been talked about but it was one of the biggest things that hurt England in Germany. A lot of players did not like the 'super player' Beckham. They did not like his position in the team.

Zahavi added: "It's a question that I really always ask myself. How the best players in the world were kicked out of the World Cup by Portugal? The key point there was that the key players who had to give 200 per cent gave only 30 per cent."

With a contacts book that encompasses the great and the good of English football, Zahavi, who has at times virtually overseen Chelsea's transfers under Abramovich, said he had called upon his connections to offer tips to the Israeli coach Dror Kashtan on how to beat England.

"From my experience you have to play slow and very slow against England because their players like to run," Zahavi said. "Playing slow is the only way to play against players who cannot play without running all the time. When you slow the pace England players lose their heads. Individually England have the best players in the world if you take them one by one.

"Another problem is that [Steven] Gerrard and [Frank] Lampard cannot play together, that is a fact. Lampard cannot play for the England team and shoot all the time like he does at Chelsea."

McClaren will get his chance to respond to Zahavi at the manager's press conference at England's hotel in Herzliya this afternoon. After a last closed training session in Watford yesterday it appears that he has settled on a 4-4-1-1 formation with Phil Neville and Jamie Carragher at right and left-back respectively. His attack of Wayne Rooney behind Andy Johnson is the only serious option left open to the England manager.

Jonathan Woodgate has not travelled to Israel because of a knee injury. He could be fit for Wednesday's game against Andorra.