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Kazakhstan may be the ninth largest country in the world but they are definitely not the ninth best football team. However, they were certainly not the pushovers many expected and for the best part of an hour put up a defiant and at times threatening display against an England team under Capello still finding its feet.
A 5-1 victory margin in whatever circumstances is always satisfactory and nine points out of nine leaves England sitting very well at the top of Group 6, especially given that main rivals Croatia and Ukraine fought out a 0-0 draw.
As with many England performances - and particularly at Wembley - the first half display was disjointed and uninspiring. Much is made of the Wembley factor in that the players are intimidated and nervous about playing in front of the home fans but in light of their regular club home matches at Old Trafford or The Emirates this looks unlikely.
What comes into question more is their ability to change tactics once the system of the opposition has been assessed and in this area England are weak. Under Eriksson one of the real issues was that he played 4-4-2 without fail and rarely changed a system during a game. This left England exposed with a predictable nature that was equally inflexible and at international level an approach that was constantly punished by better teams.
On Saturday, though, Capello changed the system and the second half was as good as the first half had been bad. It has been a feature of his early tenure that he will not allow these players to get complacent about their approach and they have benefited considerably from it.
Whilst the Lampard and Gerrard conundrum still remains, the rest of the team is taking shape and with Terry returning then the defence will also be more secure than it was on Saturday. Whether he will be fit enough for tonight's encounter in Belarus is another matter but his services should not be essential for the game.
Lampard's form is certainly better than Gerrad's at the moment but an underlying feeling exists that it is the Liverpool who is the more talented footballer, so preference is for him. Whichever way he decides, if he does play them together then uncertainty will surround his formation and given the poor displays on so many occasions who could blame any onlooker for drawing this conclusion.
Whilst this problem remains the debate about who plays on the right of midfield is now well and truly over with Theo Walcott again putting in a fine attacking display.
The likes of Beckham, Bentley and Wright-Phillips are now only replacements should the young Arsenal man be unfit or dreadfully out of form.
He still has problems with his first touch and his composure but unlike many of his teammates he has a humble side that prevents him adopting the arrogance that is often the difference between good and great players. As he matures and believes in himself more this attitude will develop and he will become one of the great wingers or strikers of world football. He has the potential to be as good as Lionel Messi just not the belief.
Strangely though, it was Beckham, who replaced Walcott, who got the loudest cheer of the night and this is perhaps indicative of the Wembley crowd which as ever is becoming increasingly corporate in nature. It is as if they have come to watch celebrities rather than footballers and there is no bigger celebrity than Beckham and consequently he receives the largest ovation.
This might also go some way to explaining the treatment of Ashley Cole after his second half blunder that put Kazakhstan back in the match. The booing he endured near the end was focused more on him as a man than a player - and everything the paying fans hate about modern footballers - than it ever was on his abilities. This mistake was a rare one for a usually consistent Cole and could you imagine Walcott would have had the same treatment had he made the same error, I very much doubt it.
On the plus side, this is an England side taking shape and in Capello there is confidence it will develop further. Whilst no one should be expecting them to lift the World Cup in South Africa at least we can be confident we will be involved in a major championship this time.
