Fabio needs a quick fix as Anelka and Co expose England's lack of pace

If last night marked a moment in history for Beckham, it was more memorable for the manner in which England's coach again displayed his ruthless streak.

After 45 minutes, off came Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, John Terry and Joe Cole as Capello replaced them with players he hoped would turn a depressingly ponderous performance into a more impressive one.

He said he acted as he did because he wanted to look at other players and other systems. But then he also dared suggest that 'progress' had been made and that England, and not France, were the 'pacier' team.

The truth, presumably, is something he fears would be too much for an England team so lacking in confidence at the moment.

It was pace, and a lack of it on England's part, that proved the difference here as Nicolas Anelka and Franck Ribery exposed a key weakness in the visitors that was compounded by poor decision-making.

The goal, a 32nd-minute penalty by Ribery, illustrated the point perfectly. Terry made a mistake when he attempted to play Anelka offside and James then failed to realise just how quick the Frenchman was when he waited for the ball to come to him rather than simply go to the ball.

Anelka got there first, knocked the ball past the England goalkeeper and won a penalty that evoked memories of that calamitous moment in Euro 2004 when James collided with Thierry Henry.

By the time the interval arrived, England had failed to offer anything in response. One flick-on from Rooney represented their only effort on target — for the entire 90 minutes, as it turned out — as England played with an alarming lack of urgency as well as fluency.

If Beckham was determined to demonstrate an ability to make a seamless transition from Major League Soccer in the USA to the international stage, he did not exactly succeed.

Ultimately, Capello has to take responsibility. He selected a side that lacked the pace to compete against Raymond Domenech's French fliers and asked players to perform as they do for their clubs when there is a crucial difference between the clubs and the country they represent.

While Gerrard clearly needs a striker like Fernando Torres, as well as wingers with the pace of Ryan Babel, to perform as an effective No10, Rooney understandably finds it easier to lead the attack when he has the support of Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez and Ryan Giggs. Ditto Joe Cole.

He was nothing like as impressive as he has been recently for Chelsea.

Capello would not admit as much afterwards but his actions said far more than his words.

Proving, once again, that sentiment is not a word that features in his vocabulary, he wielded the axe without even thinking how it would impact on four players who would normally expect to be given the opportunity to improve on their initial efforts.

Even if they were still tired after their efforts at Old Trafford at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, they would not have wanted to come off.

In that respect, it was typical of Capello. Typical of a man who appointed Rio Ferdinand as captain when he must have realised how much it would hurt Terry and typical of a man who left Michael Owen brooding on the bench at Wembley last month.

Reputations, it seems, count for nothing in Capello's England and it will be fascinating to see how the Italian responds to this when he gets his players back at the end of May.

Will Beckham still be involved after winning his 100th cap at the Stade de France? It is hard to say but he is unlikely to start against the United States at Wembley when Capello needs someone with more attacking flair on the right flank.

He started well enough last night, tracking back to tackle Florent Malouda and then delivering a fine cross that forced William Gallas to concede a corner.

But hampered, in part, by Wes Brown's reluctance to offer support in attack, it was a largely frustrating evening for the 32-year-old former England captain.

The French were so superior, forcing Rooney to drop deeper and deeper into England's midfield in an effort to create some momentum and provide the kind inspiration Capello hoped would come from Gerrard.

But when James brought down the excellent Anelka and Ribery then converted from the spot, you could almost see England's buckle.

Capello had to act and while he had to be applauded for the changes he made, it was a pity he resisted the temptation to unleash someone like Theo Walcott.

While Owen Hargreaves and Gareth Barry continued to impress as a partnership in midfield, Peter Crouch, Michael Owen, Stewart Downing and Joleon Lescott struggled to make any real impact.

In the end, it had the feel of a friendly under Sven Goran Eriksson, especially when the four changes Capello made at half-time were followed by two more after 63 minutes.

On went David Bentley for Beckham and Glen Johnson for Wes Brown, but again without the desired effect.

Even more so than after last month's encounter with Switzerland, Capello must realise there is much work to be done.