Get Eberechi Eze AND Jack Grealish on the plane! Winners and losers as tricky England duo make bids for Euros spot while Ollie Watkins wastes chance to prove his worth
The duo in each half against Bosnia to underline the wealth of options Gareth Southgate has in midfield, unlike at centre-forward
Pre-tournament friendlies are rarely blockbuster occasions, and that was certainly the case in the first half when England took on Bosnia and Herzegovina in the first of two friendlies before heading to Euro 2024. But these matches are auditions for players on the fringes and two players in particular seized their moment in the spotlight.
Full debutant Eberechi Eze was the one shining light in an otherwise dull and flat first half from the Three Lions, the Crystal Palace man dazzling each time he got on the ball, opening up gaps in an otherwise dogged visiting defence. He left the pitch without having contributed to a goal, but knowing he had done everything to get into Southgate’s 26-man squad.
Jack Grealish, meanwhile, didn’t start, but he was outstanding from the bench, contributing to two goals and offering the perfect response to the array of pundits and fans who believe he should be struck off from the squad after falling down the pecking order at Manchester City. If England are to go deep at Euro 2024 they will need willing substitutes as well as reliable starters, and Grealish showed he can definitely play a role from the bench in Germany.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, meanwhile, scored a splendid goal which showed why he might be better off reverting to his original position at right-back rather than staying in midfield. But Ollie Watkins had another night to forget for England, which means Southgate is going to rely heavily on Harry Kane, who came off the bench to score his 63rd goal for his country.
GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from St James’ Park…
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WINNER: Eberechi Eze
Eze was one of the standout players in the final few weeks of the Premier League and picked up where he had left off for his club. The Crystal Palace forward was England’s brightest player while he was on the pitch, and every time he got the ball he caused panic among the visitors, who simply could not contain his tricky feet and bursts of pace.
Eze gave England a sense of unpredictability, drifting out wide and cutting inside while creating danger from both areas, and he also played with intelligence and kept the ball astutely. It was easy to forget that this was his first England start and it should be enough to ensure he is part of the squad that travels to Germany. On this evidence, he could play a big role out there too.
LOSER: Trent in midfield
Whenever Trent Alexander-Arnold’s name is mentioned, the question of whether he would be better suited to playing in midfield is never far away. But his performance here provided a counter-argument to the growing movement for him to play centrally and to restore him to right-back, the position in which he has played for most of his career and thrived.
Unlike at Liverpool, Alexander-Arnold is now classed as a midfielder in England’s squad list and has been for some time, so it was to little surprise when he partnered Conor Gallagher in the middle. But his flat performance was a surprise. He was not able to pass with his usual freedom, with Bosnia’s predictably conservative tactics starving him of space, while he was also a little sloppy in possession.
But when he switched to right-back during the second half following the introduction of a slew of substitutes, he started to purr. He was a massive upgrade on Ezri Konsa and got forward more often than when he was playing in midfield, scoring a wonderful volley when he latched on to a cross from Grealish.
The good news is that England have no shortage of options in midfield and there would be no issue with restoring Alexander-Arnold to his previous role. The only pity is that he is not naturally left-footed, as left-back is the area where England need the most help due to Luke Shaw’s injury woes.
WINNER: Jack Grealish
Eyebrows were raised when Grealish was left out of the starting line-up given he had played so little for Manchester City, with some suggesting he should not be taken to Germany as a consequence for his inconsistent club form. But once he came on, he showed his usual swagger and made England much more dangerous.
Unlike at City, where Grealish looks robotic, here he played with real purpose and always looked an attacking threat, setting up Alexander-Arnold’s goal with a fine cross from the left and also creating the danger for Kane’s scrappy strike.
This bright cameo was a reminder of Grealish’s value from the bench and a demonstration that a player on the fringes of the City line-up can still offer a lot to another top team. It could even serve as another argument for Grealish to leave the Etihad Stadium and join a team where he can be one of the stars, rather than a member of the supporting cast.
LOSER: Kane’s back-up options
England captain Kane began the game on the bench after missing Bayern Munich’s final two matches of the season with a back injury, which gave Watkins another big chance to prove he can fill in for England’s all-time top scorer. But as in his last start for the Three Lions against Brazil in March, he couldn’t take it.
The Aston Villa man was almost entirely absent from England’s build-up play and saw very little of the ball before he was removed for Kane at the hour-mark. He couldn’t cope with the rough treatment from the Bosnia defence and mustered only a couple of opportunities. Watkins’ toothless-ness on the the international stage was underlined by the fact that Kane scored when he replaced him.
This was also a bad night for Ivan Toney, who did not get on at all despite Kane’s recent fitness troubles. And the Brentford striker’s hopes of starting against Iceland on Friday were dashed when Southgate revealed that Kane would be in the line-up at Wembley.
England must hope that Kane returns to full fitness ahead of the tournament and stays injury-free, because on this Cheap Real Madrid Men’s Football Shirts evidence his back-up options are far from convincing.
WINNER: Cole Palmer
Not many players look so cool after scoring their first goal for England, but there’s a reason why the forward is known as ‘Cold Palmer’ by his Chelsea team-mates. Palmer was making his Bellingham Football Shirts Custom full debut for his country, but played with his usual swagger bordering on arrogance and seemed to relish the stage and the pressure that comes with it.
So of course he wanted to take the penalty when England were awarded one, and of course he scored it, making it 10 converted spot-kicks out of 10 since the start of the season. It was not the smoothest strike and Bosnia ‘keeper Nikola Vasilj got a finger-tip to it, but Palmer will not care and he fully deserves to remain in the squad, even with the wealth of competition for attacking spots.
Southgate was keen to point out England National Team Kids Football Shirt that Palmer could have scored more had he taken one less touch on occasion and he was right. It is unlikely to affect Palmer’s confidence though, and his ambitious mindset should serve the team well in Germany.
LOSER: Liverpool’s uncapped duo
While Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez did well, the other members of the Liverpool contingent in the squad were conspicuous by their absences. Curtis Jones and Jarell Quansah could not get on the pitch despite Southgate making a raft of changes in the second half, and his lack of faith in them seemed to indicate that they will be among the players who will not make the cut and be named in his 26-man squad, which will be announced after England face Iceland on Friday.
Jones was always going to have his work cut out due to England’s embarrassment of riches in midfield, but their shortages in central defence would have given Quansah hope of going to Germany. But the fact that he stayed on the bench while Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite came on to make his debut spells bad news for the 21-year-old.
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