In the final match of Group G, England missed the chance to top the table as they fell behind to an Adnan Januzaj wonder strike. It proved to be the decisive moment in a game which saw very little entertainment, but a number of talking points:
A Number of Changes
It was widely reported that both sides were looking to rest key players for the forthcoming knock-out stages, as Roberto Martinez said pre-match: “We want to perform well but the priority is not to win.” With a potential easier route to the final for whoever finished second, it made both teams limit their attacks. The biggest threat of the first half turned out to be Pickford nearly bundling the ball into his own net. With a number of players gaining their first minutes at the tournament, it was clear to see that many were rusty, which may have proven costly to a number of players who would have wanted to be in Southgate’s thoughts going into the Colombia game.
Lack of Creativity
With the pace of Marcus Rashford and Jamie Vardy up top for England, you’d expect the midfielders to take advantage of this with through balls for the forwards to latch onto. They didn’t do this, with Loftus-Cheek and Dier choosing to play the simple ball sideways or behind. The game was crying out for some creativity as the fans made their feelings known at half time, booing the players off the pitch. You could sense the lack of confidence from England’s midfielders to try and play between the lines, as they rarely affected the Belgian back line like Lingard has done so far this tournament. The England players will want to excite the fans, as they have done in the opening two fixtures.
Nervous Pickford
Everton number one Jordan Pickford would have liked to have kept a clean sheet in one of the three group games. It would have filled the former Sunderland stopper with heaps of confidence going into the knock-out stages. That hasn’t been the case, and although he didn’t have much of a chance with the penalty against Tunisia or the strike against Panama, many believed he looked nervous against Belgium. A shot from Tielmans should have been dealt with much easier, but he chose to parry it into the danger area instead. Another scare earlier in the game saw the ball slip through Pickford’s grasp, forcing Gary Cahill to clear it off the line. There was not much he could do against the quality of Januzaj’s sublime second half strike either, which wouldn’t have helped his confidence.
Missed opportunity for Rashford
With many wanting Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford to partner captain Harry Kane, this game was a chance for the 20-year-old to cement his spot for the knock-out stages. Unfortunately, Rashford wasn’t able to deliver – not because he didn’t take his chances but more due to the lack of service himself and Vardy received throughout the match. Many of their openings came from the pair’s hard work to win the ball back. Rashford needed a solid performance to be considered over Raheem Sterling for the clash against Colombia, but will be disappointed with the result. He looks set to resume his role as a super sub, which he has been brilliant at, but he would undoubtedly prefer to start.
What does Southgate’s England do now?
As England face Colombia next Tuesday, Gareth Southgate is sure to revert back to the side which saw off Panama with ease on Sunday. Dele Alli will look to reclaim his spot, as Loftus-Cheek hasn’t stood out over the last two games. The presence of characters such as Jesse Lingard and Harry Kane were a big miss against Belgium. Southgate will be keen to get the team ticking again as they have been given the so-called easier route to a potential final at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on the 14th July.
