Fraser Forster
The Celtic goalkeeper will not be ousting Joe Hart from his spot on a permanent basis anytime soon, but it was a performance that shows he isn’t a slouch. A couple of decent saves were all he could really do, as Chile weren’t too accurate with their shooting.
It is unfair to criticise Forster on the goals, as the first was down to a Baines error and poor defending in general. The second goal was just sublime play from Chile and a great finish from the star of the night, Alexis Sanchez.
As for performance, he looked a bit shaky. On one or two occasions he failed to command his area well and the defence is clearly used to having someone who will scream at them and let them know who should be going where. Whether this is to do with being in a new team and surrounded by new players is unclear and will only be shown in time. It is unlikely to be an issue by the summer as he has no such problems at Celtic.
When he did have to make a save, Forster reacted well and it looks like England may have a great ‘keeper for years to come, if he develops well and continues to get a look-in. He will look back on this game as a harsh welcome to international football and its unforgiving quality. Overall – 6/10
Adam Lallana
Southampton are the surprise package this season and three of their key players were in this England squad, which is a good sign for the national team. Lallana has been arguably the best Saints’ player in the past 18 months, and he was finally given his international bow.
His excitement was evident as he looked bright and eager to impress. His link-up play with Wayne Rooney was impressive and could bode well for a future partnership – something that will be a tantalising prospect for England fans. Chile struggled to deal with the movement from the left to centre that the player made and it is easy to see how he could be a possible wildcard in the squad this summer.
The tracking back was also another feature that England sometimes lack from their more attacking players. Lallana proved he can more than handle the work-rate that the fans crave so much, with a particularly robust challenge by his own corner flag in the first half.
Unfortunately, the second half saw a bit of the energy levels drop and Lallana was clearly not quite as influential, however he did show sparks of his first half, with the odd flick or run. Eventually he was replaced by Ross Barkley after what appeared to be a groin injury when stretching for a ball.
This was a great entrance to the international stage, despite it tailing off a little at the end. He looks at home in an England shirt and his connection with Rooney is very promising. He was probably one of the better performers in a white shirt on the night. Overall – 7.5/10
Jay Rodriguez
A fairly quiet performance, compared to his scintillating club form, and he will probably be quite disappointed, despite looking alive and kicking when he did get a chance.
He was almost marked out of the game as much through lack of experience of his own team as it was Chile’s tight marking and intelligent pressing. There seemed to be an issue for him adapting his game to allow Rooney to drift about; something that his own game works very well with. Because of this, he often drifted out wide and England played very centrally for most of the game.
His movement wasn’t at its best, perhaps due to the need to accept Rooney as the drifting striker, and he kept ending up in a similar position as Lallana, which only made it easier for Chile to break down attacks.
When he did touch the ball, he looked calm and positive. It wasn’t a poor performance, but he does need to do more in future appearances for the national team. Roy Hodgson may look at this formation and this group of players and perhaps look at using a different method to get more out of Rodriguez.
Of course, it could just be a matter of time, and anyone who has watched Southampton will agree that the player has the quality to make himself a name on the highest stage. Much like Forster, it was a big reality check regarding the step up needed, but he will get more chances and he can prove himself then. Overall 6/10
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