Captain must get forward to keep his place
IWAS encouraged by England’s first 45 minutes at Wembley yesterday, you could see what the new manager Gareth Southgate was trying to instil in his players. There was good movement from the forward players, particularly Jesse Lingard, and a good change of pace with the ball. It was a very easy game possession-wise of course, almost like a training match where you just concentrate on attacking, but the energy was excellent.
Then it just petered out, went off the boil. We could have picked people out to score more goals in the second half but didn’t. Very disappointing.
Three players stood out for me. I thought Lingard on his debut made some terrific runs on the left, coming from outside to inside as he does for United. Daniel Sturridge wanted to play No9, he drifted out at times but was in position at the right time to get his goal.
Jordan Henderson played our most probing passes. It was one of his best games for England and I would have thought he’s played himself into the team for Tuesday’s more awkward game in Slovenia.
And although he had little to do, I thought it was a game that Gary Cahill needed. He wasn’t tested by Malta but after a couple of mistakes for Chelsea that have been highlighted recently, you could tell he was determined not to give anything away.
The problem for England was the same as for nearly every qualifying game and even at Euro 2016: teams come to defend and there is no space behind.
I think it has got to the stage where two or three times in a match someone gives a signal and England drop back to encourage the opposition to come forward and get their fullbacks forward, just so we can set up and hit them on the break. The last teams to really play against us were Germany and France, and England looked excellent when given space. Against Malta, when they had a rare free-kick, they had to get five or six forward and it proved an opportunity for England — they nearly scored on the counter.
So, on to Slovenia and Southgate has a massive decision to make. If Eric Dier is fit and comes in to give the defence added protection and Henderson played too well to leave out, it means either Wayne Rooney or Dele Alli will be pushed a bit further forward as the most advanced midfielder in a 4-3-3.
Defensively, I have never seen Rooney make more tackles than he did against Malta. But he has to get in and around the penalty area more, even as a midfielder. I don’t think it is the case that Rooney hasn’t got the legs to do it at 30; it is more about mentality. He has it in his head that his job as a midfielder is to be the playmaker but in my view he has to still make those forward runs because he is a good finisher and an attacking threat.
Early on at Wembley, he forced the goalkeeper Andrew Hogg into an excellent save with a shot from the edge of the area. But there wasn’t enough of it after that.
There also should have been more variety with Alli. It seemed as if the Tottenham midfielder was always the one breaking forward. There is no reason why he shouldn’t have sat back to allow Rooney to do that on occasions. Rooney has the qualities that remind me of Teddy Sheringham: drop back into midfield to link play, but then arrive in the box.
He has been an attacking threat for Manchester United this season. He set up a winner for Zlatan Ibrahimovic recently. OK, it was with his knee, but the point is he took up an advanced position where he could affect the game.
Rooney is one of the few England players with genuine international experience so maybe he has the slight edge over Alli to start in Ljubljana. Sam Allardyce used the 20-year-old as a substitute in Slovakia and he made an impact when he was sent on.
But it is no longer a formality that Rooney will keep his place. It’s a real question: him or Alli if Dier plays to tighten things up. Jose Mourinho has done it at United so it wouldn’t be the biggest surprise in the world if Rooney started Tuesday’s match on the bench.
The important thing for Wayne to remember if he does start is that he can still score goals and set up chances rather than always dictate play from a deeper position.
The wide positions are also interesting. Lingard seemed to prefer to play on the left where he can cut inside on to his right foot. It means that if his Old Trafford club-mate Marcus Rashford starts there, Lingard will either have to shift to the other flank or start on the bench.
I actually think England do have a player who can cause damage on the right; Andros Townsend. He has always done well in international football and though he wasn’t involved against Malta, I would be tempted to throw him in against Slovenia. He has never let anyone down and we missed him at Euro 2016.