England beat Republic of Ireland 2-0 in a UEFA Nations League match at Aviva Stadium in Dublin last Saturday. Declan Rice and Jack Grealish scored for the English to mark a successful return to international football for the Three Lions.
The English lost to Spain in the final of the European Championships in Germany a couple of months ago. The match against Ireland was also the interim manager Lee Carsley’s first one in charge. It was also a bit ironical that both the goal-scorers in the match have Irish origins. Rice, in fact, made three appearances for the Republic of Ireland in 2018 and refused to celebrate after having scored the goal.
England Looking a More Complete Team Now than at Euros
England played with a 4-3-3 formation, with Grealish playing as a central midfielder and Anthony Gordon playing as the left winger. Both of them had a really good match, with Gordon registering an assist for the first goal.
England had played with Phil Foden on the left at the Euros, when it was quite clear that the 24-year-old Manchester City forward enjoyed playing on the right or at the centre of the park. He was clearly not very comfortable on the left flank, something that Gordon quite evidently was. Gordon effectively ran the show for England, especially in the first half.
It was clearly something Gareth Southgate’s team was missing in Germany. Gordon got to play for only a few minutes in the entire tournament despite seeming to be a perfect fit on the left. The Newcastle United winger had a really good last season for his club and should really have started for the Three Lions on the left.
The same goes for Grealish, who was not picked for the Euros, but helped England keep possession last Saturday. and was decisive with his passing. England finished the match with a whopping 77% ball-possession and they failed to do anything remotely similar at the last Euros.
With Kobbie Mainoo staying back, Rice had enough attacking freedom and exerted his presence in the final third often enough. However, it has to be kept in mind that Jude Bellingham did not play in the match and neither did Foden. Carsley should not mind having such a problem of plenty in his team’s set-up.
England in Decent Nations League Group
England has also been grouped alongside Finland and Greece in the Nations League. Both Finland and Greece are quite decent teams, but it will take upsets of big proportions to stop England from going through to the next round.
The English have not tasted any notable international success for more than six decades now, but have come really close in the last two European Championships.
The Three Lions also reached a World Cup semifinal in 2018, which makes them one of the most consistent teams in international football in the recent past. However, it remains to be seen whether they are able to win a title under Carsley, which is something their supporters have been yearning for long.