Jesse Lingard’s second-half strike gave England a 1-0 victory over the Netherlands at the Amsterdam Arena. Below are four talking points from the game.
Vibrant England dominate game
England did not create a host of clear-cut chances on Friday night, nor did they completely shut out the Netherlands at the other end. Between both boxes, though, the Three Lions largely impressed, with the vibrancy of the team one of the most pleasing aspects of the evening.
Gareth Southgate opted for a 3-5-2 formation, with Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford fielded together up front. There was an emphasis on pace and dynamism, with the energetic Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain a slightly surprising selection in midfield, but England also demonstrated a level of composure in possession that has often been lacking in the past. This was by no means a perfect performance, but Southgate will have been pleased by what he saw in terms of his side’s approach play.
Southgate’s side keen to build from the back
From the very first whistle in Amsterdam, England showed a desire to play out from the back. John Stones, Joe Gomez and Kyle Walker – deployed in an unfamiliar right-sided centre-back role here – all play for club sides where such an approach is encouraged, and it was pleasing to see the visitors endeavouring to progress the ball through the lines whenever possible. Even an early injury to Gomez did not unduly disrupt England’s rhythm, with Harry Maguire slotting into the back three with a minimum of fuss.
It is perhaps for this reason that Jordan Pickford, a fine long-range passer who is also comfortable receiving the ball to feet, is in pole position to start between the sticks at the World Cup. It was notable, for instance, that the move prior to Lingard’s strike started with a Pickford pass from the back.
Netherlands embarking on rebuild after qualification failures
Football fans in the Netherlands must have been hoping that the nation’s failure to qualify for Euro 2016 was a one-off; instead, they failed to regroup and also missed out on the upcoming World Cup in Russia, finishing behind both France and Sweden in Group A.
This was Ronald Koeman’s first match in charge of his country, with the former Southampton and Everton boss expected to oversee a revival of the Netherlands’ fortunes in the coming years. That will not necessarily be achieved in the short-term and there is a worrying lack of top-class talent within the Dutch ranks now that the likes of Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder and Robin van Persie have departed the scene, but defeat by England here will not have come as a major surprise to anyone.
Should Southgate shuffle his pack on Tuesday?
A friendly with Italy is next for Southgate and England, with Tuesday’s encounter the last the country will contest before they must name their preliminary World Cup squad. Southgate will probably want to take a look at some of the other members of his current group from the start of that game – Eric Dier, Jamie Vardy, Dele Alli will all hope to come in – although he is likely to continue with a three-man backline in a bid to increase familiarity with that system ahead of the summer.
There are still a number of places in the squad up for grabs, and Southgate has probably not settled on a favoured starting XI either. Tuesday’s clash with Italy may be non-competitive, but it is nevertheless important.
