A NATION expected last night and thankfully England delivered.

The 3-0 victory over Switzerland was a massive tonic given what had happened against France the previous Sunday.

And although it wasn't exactly a vintage performance, it's results that count once you're in a tournament like this.

To score three goals against anyone at this level is a considerable achievement, even if the Swiss are the weakest team in the group.

And the fact we kept a clean sheet, too, will also act as a major confidence boost for David James and his defence, particularly after the torment they suffered at the hands of Zinedine Zidane.

But if one thing slightly concerns me at the moment it's the form of Michael Owen.

If I was Sven I'd be tempted to rest him on Monday and start with Darius Vassell instead.

I don't know what the problem is but Owen just hasn't looked himself in the last two games.

Normally speaking, he's the man for the big occasion - the one you can trust to conjure up that bit of magic when the chips are down.

But the spark has been missing from his game in this tournament so far which is why I'd temporarily take him out of the firing line on Monday.

In the two matches to date, Owen has rarely looked like adding to his impressive tally of international goals.

There was a point last night when Ashley Cole drilled a great ball across the face of goal and Owen failed to get a telling touch.

When he's firing on all cylinders those chances usually end up in the back of the net.

Even when he's running at people at the minute he's just not getting past them.

I'm sure Owen will come good again and I'd restore him to the starting line-up for the quarter finals if we get through.

In the meantime, all our hopes rest on the considerable shoulders of Wayne Rooney.

For me, the Everton youngster has been the player of the tournament so far.

He posed our biggest threat when we played the French the other evening and his performance last night was awesome considering he's still only 18!

Nothing seems to faze him at all and the bigger the stakes are, the more he seems to get turned on.

The only worry I have is he'll pick up a second booking which could keep him out of a crucial game later in the tournament.

He just reminds me so much of Paul Gascoigne and we all remember what happened to him in the semi-finals of Italia 90.

Sven can try and tell him to calm down but he wouldn't be as effective as a result.

I was also impressed with Steven Gerrard last night and I thought he showed a great deal of character to bounce back from his mistake against the French.

With him driving us on from midfield and Rooney terrifying defences up front, I'm sure we can get the result we need against Croatia on Monday.