Netherlands 0 Jesse Lingard 1
We played OK in the first half, looking solid and well-drilled.
But Holland didn’t qualify for the World Cup..
Oxlade had an early snapshot that the keeper held.
But Holland didn’t qualify for the World Cup.
With Rashford and Raheem and Lingard, plus Oxlade, Engerland showed plenty of power and pace.
But Holland didn’t qualify for the World Cup..
It was 0-0 at half-time against a team that didn’t qualify for Russia.
Danny Rose looked rusty at times, which wasn’t surprising. But in 26 Rose showed electric sharpness in recovering to get between the forward and keeper Jordan Pickford,who saved firmly.
Two first half crosses by Trippier were pitifully inaccurate.
When Kyle Walker took a free-kick, Jordan Henderson’s header just beat the post.
For a team that hasn’t played together, England were quite slick and constructive. They outclassed and out-powered their hosts all night.
At half-time I was saying: Our final ball can’t get worse. It can only stay the same or improve. We’ve outrun them so far and demonstrated plenty of athletic intensity.
Second half, when Koeman matched up 3 v 3 in central midfield, the passing became a bit more difficult
John Stones has only had two starts for Manchester City in the last four months but looked very assured and adventurous against such weak opposition.
Jordan Pickford will do for me. He’s calm, composed and brave and seems like a natural keeper. I really hope Southgate starts him again on Tuesday night.
In 52, when Oxlade played a killer ball from the halfway line, PSV keeper Jeroen Zoet had to rush out to the feet of Rashford, whose right leg was clipped by a defender. The young Spanish referee, Jesús Gil Manzano, had kept up with play and was in a good position but didn’t give it.
Galvanised by that injustice, England ramped it up. Lingard fed Rose on the left and then hovered outside the box rather than rushing forward to support Raheem and Rashford. When Rose’s cross hit a defender and bounced away, Lingard scored with a low shot from the D. Zoet, who got his hand to the ball, should have saved it.
Having been around for a while, and having come on as a sub in Southgate’s last four games, Jesse Lingard has learned that sometimes you score by standing still.
1-0 to England in 59 minutes.
Gareth Southgate had correctly judged that this was right occasion to try an experimental England eleven and 25-year-old Huddersfield centreback Harry Maguire did very well for him.
Southgate said, “Holland changed system three times tonight and each time the players responded and identified it, managing to make use of the overloads we had in the right areas. I knew we had pace and energy, but I was really pleased with the composure in the first two thirds of the pitch.”
Italy, who visit Wembley on Tuesday night, will be a much better test for John Stones & Harry Maguire because their off-the-ball play is always bright and penetrating.
We play Nigeria and Costa Rica in early June, using the 23 players that Southgate will have named by then.
When the World Cup starts in June we play Monday-Sunday-Thursday
Tunisia v England is on Monday 18th.
England v Panama is at 1pm on Sunday 24th.
England v Belgium is on Thursday 28th.