After two mediocre games, you’d expect the already qualified England to be a tad more experimental and give the exciting young players available to them an opportunity to impress ahead of the knock out rounds… Shockingly, but unsurprisingly, the only change to the line-up was midfielder Conor Gallagher in for defender Trent Alexander-Arnold, as Gareth Southgate went for the same system that has sunk him into hot water. This meant that Jude Bellingham continued to operate in the ten position, with the job of linking the midfield to the attack. Slovenia had an inferior squad in comparison to Serbia and Denmark, but represented just as much of a challenge after drawing both games prior. They took the game to England for the first phase of the game, as the Three Lions continued to look basic and stale. Moments of quality began to seep through as Bukayo Saka finished off a great passing move, only for provider Phil Foden to be dragged back for offside. They saw more of the ball from this point on, but didn’t look as smooth as their opponents in possession. Jude was having another quiet spell, not shying away from challenges but having little impact on the overall game, much like the rest of his teammates. Harry Kane tried his luck from distance a couple of times, and poked a dangerous cross just wide before the end of the half – but that is as good as it got in the first half as it ended 0-0.
The second half started off no differently, with a slow paced game leading to little chances. Saka had another effort that made for an easy save – and it wouldn’t have counted anyway due to his foot travelling too high to make the strike. Kobbiee Mainoo and Cole Palmer made their first appearances of the tournament in the second half, and things looked a little brighter as Harry Kane was pulled down on his way towards goal. Declan Rice flashed a shot wide, as England edged closer to an opening. Jude remained very quiet throughout this period however. To Southgate’s surprise, Palmer looked bright after coming on and was England’s only real spark. Bellingham was struggling on the ball with a few miscues and dodgy touches. Alexander-Arnold did come on, but thankfully as a full-back in place of Kieran Trippier. Cole Palmer came close at the end, but his low shot was never going to beat Jan Oblak. The last group game ended 0-0, another disappointing stalemate. Still, England finish top of their group with five points. There remains a major concern that as soon as they meet a more established footballing giant, that their time in the tournament may be over before a ball is kicked…
