DIAMONDS, as Sean Connery so memorably observed, are forever. As England prepare to fly out to Portugal later today, let us hope that Sven-Goran Eriksson is not as definitive as James Bond.

When England left for the last World Cup in Japan and Korea, the country found itself caught up in a frenzied debate over the state of David Beckham's mangled metatarsal.

This time round the England skipper is nursing a cyst on his back but, with the problem causing him nothing more than a little discomfort, the attention of the nation has switched to the question of tactics.

Can Sven polish his beloved diamond to improve on the insipid showing that saw England grind out a 1-1 draw with Japan last Tuesday?

Or is the flat midfield four that thrashed Iceland 6-1 the formation to take Eriksson's side to European glory?

The answer to that question lies in one of the oldest footballing adages of them all. Generation upon generation of football coaches have been brought up to play their best players in their best positions.

Hardly revelatory, and hardly part of the new scientific approach so beloved of managers in the modern game. But undeniably effective.

Eriksson knows who his best players are. Ten of them pick themselves, while the Swede has opted to complete his line-up by giving Frank Lampard the nod ahead of Manchester United midfielder Nicky Butt.

So that's half of the equation solved, but the second half of the puzzle presents more problems as it is impossible to play all 11 players in their preferred position.

The answer lies in adopting the system that allows most players to be where they want to be and, crucially, that ensures that the most influential figures occupy their natural berth.

For that reason, more than any other, Eriksson must banish his diamond formation and stick with the flat bank of four that left Iceland out in the cold on Saturday.

When England lost their way against Japan last week, two players were asked to fill roles they were uncomfortable with.

Lampard toiled manfully while trying to come to terms with the demands of the holding role, while Steven Gerrard looked all at sea on the left flank.

The upshot was that England's two most in-form players were rendered impotent before Japan had even broken sweat.

Compare that with Saturday's system whereby only Paul Scholes was forced to play in an unnatural position on the left-hand side.

Instead of looking all at sea, Lampard and Gerrard were able to produce the kind of performances that saw them voted player of the season at Chelsea and Liverpool respectively.

Lampard was able to make the incisive runs that brought him 16 goals last season, and his opener was a direct result of being able to burst forward 20 yards without worrying about what was going on behind him.

Gerrard's influence was evident from the minute he caressed his first long-range ball into the path of Michael Owen, and the Liverpool midfielder offered the drive and energy so integral to England's high-tempo game.

Scholes was the one who missed out, but he is more than capable of influencing the game from the left as he proved when ghosting into the centre of the box after just six minutes.

The Manchester United star sent his volley crashing over the crossbar and, while he is undeniably more effective in a central position, that miss underlined why it is worth forcing him wide.

Scholes has now gone three years without a goal for England - when he last scored in a 2-0 win over Greece, Wayne Rooney was still making his way in Everton's youth team.

That barren run does not mean he should be axed altogether as, on his day, he remains a potential match winner. But it does mean he should be asked to make a sacrifice to enable those around him to flourish.

There is a second, equally significant reason, why it should be Scholes who is pushed to the left of the midfield four.

Rooney's game is all about dropping deep to provide a link between midfield and attack but, against Japan, the Everton striker found himself looking to occupy exactly the same spaces as Scholes.

The two players got in each other's way and Rooney found himself increasingly isolated as England bypassed him en route to goal.

Saturday showed just how potent a threat he is when he is allowed to drift back and forth in the final third.

His first goal carried the mark of a natural striker, brushed home from close range, while his second was a magnificent long-range effort that underlined his value outside the 18-yard box.

It is unlikely he would have scored either had he been hindered by Scholes as the Icelandic defence would have found him easier to mark for the first, and he would have been nowhere near the ball for the second.

Of course it is easy to read far too much into a simplistic win over a poor Iceland side.

Concerns still exist, most notably the lack of a tackling midfielder against the assorted attacking firepower of next weekend's opponents France.

But Saturday's performance gave plenty of cause for optimism if Eriksson is brave enough to forget all about the formation in which he has placed so much faith in the past.

There is no place for a diamond if England's midfield jewels are to shine.