Lacklustre England top Group C: Why Southgate should trust inexperienced players too

Hot and bothered, some England fans reacted angrily upon the full-time whistle in the 30°C heat of Cologne.  Cups were thrown towards the pitch as those in white shirts were booed off. Gareth Southgate says that “[He] Understand[s] some reactions, but it’s a strange environment we’re playing in.”

Fans’ response to an England side that has topped their group may seem ‘strange’ to Southgate, but it is reflective of the lacklustre displays from the Three Lions so far in Germany. Many feel that England have failed to strike fear into their opponents so far this summer: Slovenia were certainly fearless.

Facing the same Slovenia XI that started their opening two games, Gareth Southgate made a single change to his side. Conor Gallagher played in place of Trent Alexander-Arnold, in what at times looked very much like a midfield trio, with Jude Bellingham dropping deep. The calls to refresh the team with young talents such as Kobbie Mainoo, Cole Palmer or Anthony Gordon had gone unanswered, and the result was a first half lacking in excitement.

The first sight of goal went the way of Slovenia after seven minutes. Benjamin Šeško has attracted interest from some of Europe’s top clubs, but after the ball was headed across goal to the 21-year-old, he failed to generate power on his header, which was held by Pickford.

England thought they had taken the lead in the 19th minute. Declan Rice played a smart pass from the edge of the box to Phil Foden sprinting in from the left. The attacking midfielder put the ball on a plate for Bukayo Saka to duly prod home at the back post, but the goal didn’t stand, with Foden offside. Still, this was a reminder of the smooth passing play that England are capable of.

Foden would later have a go from a free kick, positioned right of centre, 30 yards out. Audaciously, he shot, aiming for the top right corner. Atlético Madrid’s Jan Oblak had it covered.

Kieran Trippier teed up another good chance when he swung the ball to the back post from within the left half-space 25 yards out. The ball was perfect for Conor Gallagher, who failed to direct his header on target. It was a moment that summed up his night: a huge opportunity to impress squandered as Kobbie Mainoo replaced him at half time.

The Euros isn’t the only big sporting event this summer, with the Olympics and Paralympics to come as well as Wimbledon, starting on Monday. It was action at the All-England club that play somewhat resembled in the 58th minute as a round of head tennis ensued from an England corner, ended by an overhead kick from Bukayo Saka, who kicked a Slovenian defender in the head in the process.

Having mainly been tasked with playing as a holding midfielder, Declan Rice had a little more license to get forward once Kobbie Mainoo came on, the best instance coming with fifteen minutes to play. Drifting in from the left after turning a defender, Rice played a one-two with Foden on the edge of the box, before curling a beautifully struck effort just wide of the far post. It was still goalless, but England remained on course for first place.

England saved their best for last in terms of attacking moves, with three substitutes at the heart of it. Anthony Gordon played a defence-splitting pass from inside his own half to Mainoo who would wonderfully flick the ball on to Harry Kane behind him. Kane laid the ball right for Cole Palmer, who hit it first time with his left foot, but his effort was tame and saved by Jan Oblak.

The result means that England will return to Gelsenkirchen to face one of the four best third placed teams at 17:00 BST on Sunday, but we do not yet know who. Whilst Slovenia have made history, qualifying for the knockout stage of a major tournament for the first time ever as one of those four third placed teams, though they cannot face England due to the two sides being in the same group.

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Analysis: Trust those with less international experience.

First thing’s first, based off his showing in Cologne, Kobbie Mainoo must start in Gelsenkirchen. Gareth Southgate has now tried three different partners for Declan Rice at this tournament, and despite being just 19, Mainoo looks to be by far the best fit when compared to Gallagher and Alexander-Arnold. There appeared an understanding between Rice and Mainoo as one made a foray forward with the other sitting back. Both looked equally comfortable in shielding the back four, or being an additional creator, and were also able to offer that spark from deep. Mainoo’s addition brought England some control with the midfield balanced at last. His work rate was impressive too: the Manchester United man made four recoveries, the same amount as Rice and a number only bettered for England by Marc Guéhi, despite only playing 45 minutes.

More faith also needs to be put in Palmer and Gordon, who received their first minutes of the tournament at the Cologne Stadium. England have been crying out for wide players who will run at defenders, which Palmer did, and Gordon does so well at club level but only had a few minutes to do.

Starting them does present Southgate with a dilemma regarding who to drop, but it’s a good problem to have.

On ITV, Ian Wright suggested dropping Kieran Trippier to start Palmer, with Bukayo Saka moving to left back, which is where he played when he broke into the Arsenal first team. He certainly has the energy, but disrupting a back four that is yet to concede feels unlikely unless for the return of Luke Shaw. Whilst Saka playing at left back feels improbable, either a left wing back role if England were to shift to a back three, or most probably a left winger role, could work. Yes, the Arsenal man has starred on the right over the past few years, but is naturally left footed, and could hold the width on the left in the same way he does on the right before he cuts inside, with Palmer on the right.

Gareth Southgate may still have to make a big decision over whether to drop one of Foden or Bellingham. It might be Saka. It might be multiple, or none. With such riches of attacking talent at his disposal, whoever he decides to start, the key thing Gareth Southgate must do is make substitutions earlier, allowing them to make more of an impact. This England team are grinding out results, which is key in tournament football, but will need to turn it up a notch in attack if they are to go far. To do that, as he has with Guéhi, who has arguably been England’s best player so far, Southgate must trust the players with less experience too.

England (4-2-3-1): Pickford (GK); Walker, Stones, Guéhi, Trippier (Alexander-Arnold 84’); Gallagher (Mainoo 46’), Rice; Saka (Palmer 71’), Bellingham, Foden (Gordon 89’); Kane (C)

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Slovenia (4-4-2): Oblak (GK) (C;, Karničnik, Drkušić, Bijol, Janža (Balkovec 90’); Stojanović, Čerin, Elšnik, Mlakar (Gorenc-Stanković 86’); Šporar (Celar 86’), Šeško (Iličić 75’).