England’s mid-week international was a significant one.
Their World Cup qualifying campaign saw them travel to Malta for a crucial encounter. They emerged from the game victorious, as a brace from Harry Kane, and goals by Welbeck and Bertrand ensured a 4-0 win to the away side.
One would assume that a 4-0 victory should mean total dominance, but the game was far from it. England were at the boring best against Malta. One would expect a team ranked 13 to dispose of a team that is positioned in the lower 100’s. But in what has become ceremonial, England lacked any sort of purpose and fire within them.
It took 53 minutes to break down a resilient side, who had clearly come with a game plan to frustrate the visitors. Had it not been for the factor of fatigue and tiredness, England would have had to settle for a point.
It could make up for a good debate, as to why the players struggle to carry their domestic form into the national team.
The midfield looked uninspired and bereft of options up front. Gareth Southgate chose the central midfield combination of Livermore and Henderson, that’s two defensive minded midfielders against a team that didn’t look like threatening on the night. That and underperformance from many of the players were on full display on the night.
Is Jordan Henderson an able captain? The captain on the night showed no real fight or inspiration. The only England player who seemed to be up for the occasion was Harry Kane. He constantly closed down the opposition defenders and was keen to go on an attack whenever provided with the opportunity. It was his and Dele Alli’s partnership that opened the scoring in the second half.
England started with Raheem Sterling on the left, but he too disappointed massively. He was substituted for Rashford, whose introduction provided the much-needed grit in attack. His pace and trickery gave the Maltese defenders a tough time.
A lot of tactical changes need to be made, as with performances like the one against Malta, England don’t stand a chance against the bigger guns.
Southgate must shuffle the formation and the players as demanded by the game.
It’s been a long time since England won a trophy on the International scene, and with performances like that, we might have to wait even longer.
