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Fabio Capello was fooling nobody.

As the storm clouds gathered around Graz, England's manager left the UPC Arena and tried to convince the waiting media that he had been satisfied with ; that his team had finally shown the "English spirit" he had demanded before the game, especially after half-time.

The harsh reality was that this was a lethargic display by an England side who turned up expecting to win comfortably, but who were shown up by a hungrier, fitter Japan, a team .

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It is not only the likes of Ledley King, Jamie Carragher and Adam Johnson who will come under close scrutiny at Wembley on Monday. The stakes have surely never been higher for the national stadium's infamous pitch.

Ever since the turf was ripped up following the FA Cup semi-finals, .

Given the prize on offer, a poor surface for the was regrettable. Considering the worldwide television audience, an pitch described as "terrible" by John Terry was nothing short of an embarrassment - and no doubt added to the concern over the country's 2018 bid.

But on Monday the potential for damage reaches its peak. If the turf causes an injury to any of England's players only a week before coach Fabio Capello's announces his World Cup squad, then the levels of public anger towards Wembley - and those responsible for it - will reach unprecedented levels.

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If Fabio Capello's intention was to get his squad away from it all, then he certainly chose the .

England's pre- camp in the Austrian Alps is a vision of perfect isolation. Two hours' drive from the media's hotel in , towering, snow-capped peaks surround the team's luxury hotel, . A mile down the road is their training pitch, where, apart from a few security guards and curious locals, the players have the facilities to themselves.

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could be forgiven for basking in the limelight of an outstanding season that has seen him named Everton's Player of the Year and attract the interest of the biggest clubs in the Premier League.

But, as the midfielder relaxes in the end-of-season sunshine at Finch Farm, his club's multi-million pound training complex, his mind wanders to a place thousands of miles away from Merseyside.

To Johannesburg, where, in just a month from now, Pienaar will experience the defining moment of his career and perhaps his life.

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Off the pitch, the 2009/10 season will be remembered as the one that the mountain of debt on which the Premier League sits finally claimed its first major victim, triggering a degree of recrimination and scrutiny not seen before in English football's top flight.

The conditions that led to the barely believable phenomenon of , one of 20 clubs in arguably the richest league in the world, flirting with liquidation had been brewing for years. Equally, the ramifications of the chaos at Fratton Park will be felt for a long time. The game in this country may never be the same again.

As I arrived at Old Trafford on Sunday for , the inherent contradictions at the heart of the Premier League's economy were there for all to see.

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Wednesday's showdown , a match that amounts to a Champions League play-off, is of huge significance. Not only to the two clubs concerned, who stand on the threshold of the most exclusive group in the English game, but potentially for the entire competitive balance of the Premier League for years to come.

Some believe that if , Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan will embark on a fresh spending spree the like of which has never been seen before in English football. Encouraged by another high-profile platform with which to promote the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the club's owners will find it even easier to attract the world's best players, possibly consigning Liverpool to years of mid-table frustration in the process.

But are we in danger of over-playing the importance of a City victory on Wednesday? Is this really the ? Are we truly on the brink of a new era for the English game? And what would happen if City fail and Spurs qualify instead?

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