Emile Heskey's England place not set

England coach Fabio Capello has still to decide whether to start with Villa's Emile Heskey or Jermain Defoe up front against Algeria.

Heskey impressed with his link-up play in Saturday's World Cup opener against the United States, but his glaring second-half miss raised further question marks over his finishing prowess – a trait widely regarded as one of Tottenham forward Defoe's biggest strengths.

Capello, who has already confirmed Gareth Barry will start, has also yet decide whether to stick with Rob Green in goal following his howler against the Americans.

He said: "I have to decide about two positions. The goalkeeper and the next forward. Heskey or Defoe.

"Green made a big mistake but in the second half he played well and made a good save. It's a problem of the mind, you remember always the mistake.

"You have to choose the best keeper mentally at this moment."

Capello is likely to switch Steven Gerrard to the left flank, at the expense of Villa's James Milner, to accommodate Barry's return.

The Italian insists his team are prepared for their African opponents, who slipped to a 1-0 defeat to Slovenia in their opening game.

He said: "We are ready to face Algeria. I'm happy with my team because we have trained very well and we are focused on the game.

"Algeria play with three centre-backs and they are dangerous when they go forward for set pieces.

"We need to be focused but I think we are in a good moment of form."

Capello was also "surprised" by Germany legend Franz Beckenbauer's remarks that England's display against the United States was a step back to the dark ages of 'kick and rush' football.

He said: "When you speak about a team you should show respect, you should always respect them.

"It is easy to speak about a team when you sit in the stand. But you have to see the game live.

"We didn't play the long ball. We played a lot of passes and had chances to score.

"For this reason, I don't understand what Beckenbauer said."

The England coach then became the latest name to have slammed Adidas' World Cup Jabulani ball, which Green insisted played a factor in last weekend's gaffe.

He said: "For the players it is terrible. It is also terrible for the goalkeepers, because it is impossible to anticipate the trajectory.

"The big problem is that sometimes this ball is impossible to control.

"It is good when you play short passes, but when you try to switch the ball with long passes it is very difficult to understand the trajectory."