England made it two wins from two with an emphatic 5-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland to secure an immediate return to the top tier of the Nations League. The second-half performance in particular demonstrated the attacking talent that is available throughout the England squad and also showed the ruthless streak that all top teams need to develop as three goals in 5 second-half minutes blew the Irish away. With Thomas Tuchel due to take over the England Head Coach role on the 1st January, we check out the Top 5 players from this recent set of games.
Jude Bellingham
Was the driving force for England in both games, setting the standard with his desire to win the ball and always looking to attack at any opportunity – he is now England’s most influential player and is the man they need to build the multitude of generational talents around. Although he didn’t get on the scoresheet, he was the creator at arms, constantly driving at the Greek defence in the 3-0 away victory whilst getting two assists and winning the initial penalty in the game against the Irish. It is easy to forget that he is still only 21 and with 40 caps already, this future England captain must surely be on target to become the record appearance holder – hopefully he will drive England to a major tournament victory in the not too distant future.
Anthony Gordon
The Merseyside native has started the season brilliantly for Newcastle and he carried that form into the International break as he was finally given an opportunity to shine on the left of England’s attack. The advent of modern football has at times forgotten about the traditional winger who can dribble, take his man on and find a cross that any striker would be grateful to receive, however in Anthony Gordan, England have that man. He constantly terrorised the Greek defense with his direct running, whilst his finish to give England a 2-0 lead versus Ireland was sublime and was a great way for Gordon to open his account for his country.
Curtis Jones
It has taken a while for Jones to establish himself in the heart of Liverpool’s midfield, however this is the season when the youngster has started to reach his potential and he was subsequently rewarded for that form with a call-up to the latest England squad. It would be safe to say that Jones took his chance against Greece, putting in a controlled and measured performance in midfield as he dictated proceedings whilst also capping his debut with a stunning goal, flicking the ball past a helpless Vlachodimos in the Greek goal. The youngster followed up that performance against Greece with an even more controlled display against the Irish when at times it appeared that himself and Jude Bellingham were in a league of their own.
Lewis Hall
Has the young man from Newcastle just established himself as England’s first choice left-back? After coming on as a half-time substitute against Greece to win his first cap, there was immediately a more balanced approach to England’s gameplan as the natural left-footer linked well with his Newcastle teammate Anthony Gordon on the left-hand side of England’s attack. He continued his impressive second-half showing against Greece with the full 90 minutes against the Irish; the key now will be to cement himself in Newcastle’s team on a consistent basis.
Noni Madueke
The Chelsea winger was perhaps the best player on the pitch in the first-half against Greece as his direct running caused havoc, resulting in an assist for an early Ollie Watkins goal to settle any nerves in a must-win game for England. Although there were lapses from a defensive perspective that he will need to learn from, the 22 year old put in an overall impressive set of performances and looks to the most likely candidate to threaten Bukayo Saka for a starting berth on the right-hand side of England’s attack.
Leave a Reply