Worse than Trent & Trippier: England could drop 5/10 star after Serbia
Worse than Trent & Trippier: England could drop 5/10 star after Serbia
England began their Euro 2024 campaign in a scintillating fashion. Well, for about 13 minutes they did anyway.
After a 1-0 defeat to Iceland during their warm-up for the tournament in Germany, worries had set in about not just the quality of the side but Gareth Southgate's tactics.
The second issue isn't something new, it stems back to the last few tournaments.
However, as the Three Lions defeated Serbia 1-0 in Gelsenkirchen, a sense of anxiety kicked in. For the first quarter of the game, Southgate's side looked like real contenders.
There was delicious fluid movement between the likes of Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden in forward areas.
Saka was more regimented to the right-hand side but Foden drifted inside, as we thought he would and Bellingham, well, Jude was simply everywhere.
It was the Real Madrid star and Champions League winner who scored the game's only goal. Who else? He has been the man of the moment all season long in Spain. He was always going to star this summer.
Bellingham won the official Man of the Match award but as nerves started to set in and Serbia grew into the game, England and some of their players were not at their best during a turgid second half display.
A testing night for Trent and Trippier
With Luke Shaw not match ready the role of playing at left-back fell to Kieran Trippier. The Newcastle defender has done it before, notably in England colours, but despite not having an awful game against the Serbs was restricted.
Often such a fluid mover in the final third on the right flank, he wasn't able to have the same impact on the opposite side. That is hardly a surprise given it's not his natural position but Southgate's team suffered as a result.
Trippier didn't play a single key pass or even attempt one cross last night. That's incredibly disappointing. After all, for the Toon last season he created 2.3 key passes per game and supplied 2.5 accurate crosses a match in the Premier League.
It was also a rather indifferent night for Trent Alexander-Arnold. The experiment of playing him in midfield continues and at times it did spark life into England's performance.
As expected, the Liverpool star's passing was delightful but there were a few lapse moments, specifically in the first half when he gifted possession to Aleksandar Mitrovic on the edge of the box who subsequently fired wide.
Alexander-Arnold failed to offer England much control in the second half either and was dragged off on 69 minutes for Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher.
That said, those two were not the most disappointing in England colours. That title goes to Foden.
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Phil Foden's performance in numbers
Last term, Foden was definitively the best player in the Premier League. He won the division's Player of the Season award after a stunning time of it in Manchester City blue.
The 24-year-old scored 27 times in all competitions, 19 of which came in the top flight. He had to start for England, therefore, you'd be crazy to suggest he shouldn't be in there.
However, questions still remain about where he fits into his national side. It was in a number 10 role where he found much of his success for City last term but with Bellingham in the side, he's not going to get in there.
Foden can play on the left - he scored five goals and registered four assists from that role last term - but it's not quite 13 goals in 15 matches from attacking midfield.
So, can you really blame him for playing poorly when fielded in a position he doesn't prefer? Well, as Cesc Fabregas noted on the BBC after the game, he needs to grab the bull by the horns more.
The Spaniard said: "I think that the second half was a little bit underwhelming. I would say that is the right word. And I think players like Foden, they need to step up. This is the time for them to go into big tournament with their country behind them."
So, what did the numbers say? Well, FFC handed a 5/10 match rating for his efforts last night following a performance where the winger lost possession of the ball ten times, played just one key pass, and didn't have a shot or even attempt a dribble.
Foden was starved of space but he didn't do much to inject quality or life into a limp second-half display. He will no doubt have his moment at this tournament but he will need to improve or risk being dropped from the starting lineup.
The likes of Anthony Gordon and Eberechi Eze are waiting in the wings, just ready to make an impact at their first major international event.
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