Before the international friendlies took place, many people were unsure of what to expect from the young, inexperienced England side and judging from their recent performances, prior to the friendlies in their world cup qualifiers, we knew this was a big challenge for the side. The uncertainty increased as many players from the squad dropped out either due to injuries or for personal reasons. Despite this, they still had a solid young team who were able to up their game to the required high standards.
First match against Germany
The first match against Germany ended in a disappointing goalless draw, nevertheless, both sides managed to create great goal scoring opportunities and it was an entertaining match.
Sadly it lacked the clinical touch that was so evidently needed. A last-minute brace from Jesse Lingard would have guided England to a late win but he failed to convert from close range and left England empty-handed.
They did learn from this result and built up the confidence needed to produce a better display against Brazil. It ended in a 0-0 draw, with both sides missing out on great opportunities which resulted in no stand out performances on the pitch. When Dominic Solanke came on the pitch he influenced the match more than anyone else in the England jersey. Neymar had a few dazzling dribbles but his shots were no where near spectacular. Both teams tried hard to present their best play but England was pinned down for much of the game.
That said, the organisation and discipline was spot on from Gareth Southgate, all credit to him. In terms of the performance, I’m not sure when or even if, it will change soon.
What does it mean for England's future?
Gareth Southgate can be proud of his team's performances in the friendlies as they got two clean sheets in their two games.
He will have to make difficult decisions when picking his main squad for the World Cup, as there's a major gap of quality in the midfield.
The squad has depth in a variety of positions with unique players, both experienced and inexperienced. The team remains competitive and the English players who are in form will be beneficial for the squad and I hope he includes players that deserve the opportunity, even if they are new and young prospects.
In Gareth Southgates post match interview, he was really delighted with his players attitude and confidence in the performances and the competition to get into his squads depends on gaining regular first team opportunities at club level. So these positive results will benefit England's progress in upcoming games, against the Netherlands and Italy in March.