With a close victory over Australia, England prepared for their Euro 2024 qualifying match against Italy on Tuesday. Gareth Southgate selected a significantly altered starting lineup for the match.
Although it wasn’t a very impressive performance, it was an exercise that would have helped England’s bench players under Gareth Southgate.
After a haphazard performance, England grinded out a 1-0 victory over Australia, with just Lewis Dunk maintaining his spot in the starting lineup from the team that defeated Scotland last month. Ollie Watkins proved to be the game-winner, sliding home from close range just before the hour mark, after failing to produce a shot on goal in the first forty-five minutes.
The formidable guests also had their moments, not to mention a guilt-ridden chance lost by Ryan Strain prior to halftime. At the final whistle, Southgate had enough to consider, in fact.
Mirror Football goes over the five key issues of contention from Wembley.
Although Gareth Southgate did not exactly throw Chelsea teenager Levi Colwill into the lions’ den, he did not let him down when he was given a starting position.
After receiving his maiden cap, the 20-year-old appeared comfortable in his surroundings, confident with the ball, and ready to move forward from left-back and link with Jack Grealish and company up front. He showed no timidity either, receiving a yellow card in the first half for a heated altercation off the ball.
An England shirt awaits more challenging examinations for the Chelsea young player. And many more international caps follow suit.
It is still Johnstone’s record.
Getting Gareth Southgate to drop Jordan Pickford as England’s first choice seems as fruitless as trying to get Luis Rubiales to acknowledge a kiss that wasn’t consented to.
But tonight it was Sam Johnstone’s turn, having watched England rival Aaron Ramsdale earn the chance to establish himself as England’s No. 2 against Scotland last month. And the Crystal Palace goalie impressed after a shaky start when his hasty clearance went over the sideline.
Johnston, who frequently displayed his passing range, also made a great stop early on to block a deflected shot by Keanu Baccus. Dunk’s last-ditch clearance just before halftime may have left him owing, but he now has four England caps and four clean sheets.
The storefront displays a socceroo.
Harry Kewell identified Australian player to watch Keanu Baccus prior to the game, citing his strong season opener with St Mirren.
The 25-year-old has been predicted to play in the Premier League one day, following in the footsteps of Kewell, Mark Viduka, and company. He showed enough at Wembley to indicate that he has the capacity to fulfil that goal. His long-range shot in the first half forced Johnstone into a significant save as he drove forward from midfield.
His assist just before halftime ought to have resulted in the first goal; he turned Dunk swiftly and fed Ryan Strain, whose shot was duly deflected over the goal line by the recuperating Brighton defender. Moreover, chasing down
Grealish demonstrated a diligent performance at one point prior to losing possession of the playmaker.
Managers in the Premier League will have noticed…
Leave a Reply