It wasn’t pretty again, but England confirmed their status as Group C winners with a 0-0 draw against Slovenia in Cologne on Tuesday night. After a narrow 1-0 win over Serbia and a dreadful performance in a 1-1 draw against Denmark, England supporters demanded a response from their team, who went to Germany as one […]
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It wasn’t pretty again, but England confirmed their status as Group C winners with a 0-0 draw against Slovenia in Cologne on Tuesday night.
After a narrow 1-0 win over Serbia and a dreadful performance in a 1-1 draw against Denmark, England supporters demanded a response from their team, who went to Germany as one of the pre-tournament favourites.
However, they were left unsatisfied again as the Three Lions mustered just four shots on target and 0.87 xG against a nation ranked No.57 in the world, despite controlling 74% possession.
Even so, England now know they’ll play their round of 16 match in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday, are on the opposite side of the draw to the likes of France, Portugal, Germany and Spain, while they remain unbeaten at the tournament. Glass half full?
Here are the full player ratings from Tuesday’s stalemate:
Jordan Pickford – 7/10 – Good positioning and concentration to mop up some balls behind from Slovenia. One of the few England players who can walk away from this group stage with their pride intact.
Kyle Walker – 5/10 – Used his recovery pace well whenever Slovenia tried to break. Was sloppy on the ball, however, losing possession 10 times throughout the match.
John Stones – 4/10 – Fine defensively but just as he was against Denmark, far too slow and indecisive with the ball. Took four or five touches before deciding on what pass to play, even when there were obvious routes forward for him to take, while just two of his 88 attempted passes went into the final third. Such an important player for this team but just hasn’t got going at this tournament.
Marc Guehi – 6/10 – Continued to show he can cut it at this level, although in fairness he didn’t have much defending to do. Got lucky after a mistake nearly let Slovenia in and he had to pull his man to the floor to stop the break, earning a yellow card in the process.
Kieran Trippier – 6/10 – Continues to deny England width and balance on the left, though that is obviously not his fault. Did, however, deliver the cross of the night shortly before half-time, which was somehow missed first by the head of Conor Gallagher, then the right boot of Harry Kane.
Conor Gallagher – 6/10 – Came in under big pressure replacing Trent Alexander-Arnold. Wasn’t by any means the problem for England, doing okay with the ball and putting plenty of effort in without it. Sacrificed at half-time as Southgate tried something different with Kobbie Mainoo.
Declan Rice – 7/10 – Tried more than most in an England shirt to up the tempo and had a decent chance in the second half when breaking behind the defence in combination with Phil Foden, though he blasted his shot wide.
Bukayo Saka – 4/10 – Didn’t create a single chance or attempt a single dribble. Played it far too safe, the odd run behind aside. Had a goal disallowed in the first half with Phil Foden offside in the build-up, but offered precious little otherwise.
Jude Bellingham – 3/10 – Looked tired and completely off the pace, whether through the middle or drifting out to the left. Successful with just one of his five dribble attempts, while failing to create a single chance or attempt a shot.
Phil Foden – 7/10 – “Phil Foden has had a good game,” former Arsenal defender Lee Dixon bluntly declared in his ITV commentary (via BBC Sport). That’s maybe overstating it a little bit but he was more lively than most for the Three Lions, at least trying to commit Slovenian defenders. Has outshone Bellingham in the last two games.
Harry Kane – 5/10 – Starved of service once again, with no outfield player to feature for 90 minutes touching the ball less (32). Created a couple of openings with some nice passes but other than that, was reduced to speculative shots from distance.
Substitutes:
“Every time England made a change, they got better,” Gary Neville told ITV after the match. The former Manchester United man has a point, with the likes of Kobbie Mainoo and Cole Palmer adding some much-needed tempo to England’s game:
Kobbie Mainoo (46′, for Gallagher) – 7/10 – Made a big difference in the second half with some quicker and more accurate passing. In fact, completed 33 of his 34 attempted passes, while having two touches in the opposition box. Maino has surely earned a start in the round of 16.
Cole Palmer (71′, for Saka) – 8/10 – England looked better from the moment he stepped onto the field. Immediately set about using his pace and trickery to beat Slovenian defenders, while putting some crosses into the box and testing his luck with a decent effort that stung the palms of Jan Oblak. A long-awaited first look-in at the tournament for Palmer, who as we all know, was sensational for Chelsea last season. Hopefully not the last, either.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (84′, for Trippier) – 5/10 – Fired one shot over the bar from distance but really couldn’t be expected to do much with the time he had.
Anthony Gordon (89′, for Foden) – 6/10 – Brought on far too late but still showed a few decent glimpses. “Both subs straight in Gordon, what a pass. The little flick from Kane and you fancy Cole Palmer with his left foot to just curl it into the far corner. That was England’s best move of the day,” Dixon said of the move that led to Palmer’s shot, with Gordon heavily involved.
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