Sweden 0-2 England – Rating the players

Ian Watson

JORDAN PICKFORD
The finest goalkeepers do their best work at the most crucial times and Pickford did exactly that in Samara. His first half was spent trying to orchestrate England’s build-up and there were a couple of loose distributions. But his primary task is to keep the ball out and the Everton keeper rescued England at vital stages. First immediately after half-time when he pushed off to his left to get a solid hand on Berg’s header; then quickly after England’s second goal when Sweden went looking for an immediate reply.

Instead, they were left deflated by Pickford, who dropped to his right to shovel away Viktor Claesson’s side-footed effort from the penalty spot. A third world-class stop to tip Berg’s shot over the bar completed the hat-trick.

 

KIERAN TRIPPIER
The England crossing machine’s output was as high as we have come to expect, with Tripper offering 10 deliveries, double the amount of anyone else, even if the efficiency was slightly lacking. Such is the reliance on Trippier’s right foot, his team-mates – Walker, in particularly – passed up a number of opportunities to deliver themselves in the hope of working space instead for their wing-back. Whatever happens between now and next Sunday evening, Trippier must be a shoo-in for the team of the tournament.

 

HARRY MAGUIRE
Isn’t this fun?! Nobody’s stock has risen quite as steeply as Maguire’s over the last few weeks and the Leicester centre-half gave the performance of a seasoned international in only his 10th appearance. The Yorkshireman ploughed through the crowd to get on the end of Young’s corner to crash in a brilliantly-timed first England goal and he looked a threat at each set-piece.

‘Slabhead’, as he has apparently been christened, won 10 headers, four more than anyone else on the pitch. There was even beauty in his booking; timed so that it mattered little today or going forward, and the result of it being John Guidetti on the deck.

 

JOHN STONES
Another flawlessly efficient display at the very heart of England’s defence. The Three Lions only seemed to have problems when Berg steered clear of Stones, looking to capitalise on his height advantage over Young and Walker instead. Maguire has shot to prominence over recent weeks but Stones has shown exactly why Pep Guardiola loves him to bits. As do we all.

 

KYLE WALKER
Among all the things Gareth Southgate is currently receiving credit for – including single-handedly saving Marks and Spencer – the England boss deserves praise for spotting Walker’s potential as a third centre-half. He spent a lot of Tuesday night on his back like a flipped tortoise, trying to relieve the effects of cramp, but he looked fresh again on Saturday, with his pace helping him to mop up situations that appeared more worrying before he turned the afterburners on. Bonus points for the post-match homage to Chris Waddle and Terry Butcher at Italia ’90.

 

ASHLEY YOUNG
Stayed noticeably wider in an attempt to stretch Sweden’s shape and made his shuttle runs with the kind of diligence we have come to expect. Defensively, Berg was persistently looking to isolate Young or Walker and he almost succeeded just after the break when he towered above the left-back. Young frustrates sometimes when he checks back inside on to his right foot, but the quality of his delivery makes it difficult to hold it against him. His place seemed to be under threat before Southgate named an unchanged team. He won’t lose it now.

 

JORDAN HENDERSON
Given Sweden’s compact shape, England’s midfield general was pivotal to their game plan. Henderson was required to pass forward and penetrate lines and after growing into the game following a shaky start, he did exactly that. The Liverpool captain created England’s best opportunity of the first half and made a crucial block after Sweden had pounced upon a loose ball following Pickford’s second great save. Southgate allowed him a couple of extra minutes rest by replacing him with Eric Dier towards the end, and no one can say he doesn’t deserve it.

 

JESSE LINGARD
Didn’t give the ball away once in the first half, but nor did he create. It was a clinic in keeping things simple, but Lingard can do so much more. He endeavoured to find pockets between Sweden’s two banks of four but he struggled though the first period to get on the ball in positions to run with it or do anything other than bounce it off again. In the second half, when Sweden had to play more expansively, Lingard came into his own and was England’s best ball carrier. Topped off his contribution with an assist for Dele Alli.

 

DELE ALLI
Southgate persisted with Alli despite suggestions the Spurs playmaker might sit this one out. The first hour suggested he should have done. Alli simply did not look fit. His running on and off the ball was laboured and entirely devoid of any change of pace. He started poorly, failing to put Kane through on goal by getting the angle and weight of a simple pass completely wrong. His next pass went inexplicably out of play. His passing accuracy during the first half was a woeful 59 per cent.

Then Alli planted his head on Lingard’s cross and a weight was lifted – for England but even more so for him. Now the confidence was flowing. We have to hope Alli has timed his run into this tournament with the kind of precision that earned him his first World Cup goal.

 

HARRY KANE
The England captain desperately wants the Golden Boot but since the group stage, Kane has had to sacrifice his personal ambitions for the sake of the team. The centre forward has played noticeably deeper, acting as a pivot around which Lingard, Alli and Sterling can swarm. Kane managed one shot on goal, a 19th-minute effort that was pulled just wide after Sterling had driven England forward for the first time. Around him, Sterling, Kane and Lingard managed eight attempts between them. No sign of a goal but still a captain’s performance.

 

RAHEEM STERLING
This was better from Sterling. The end product was still lacking, with two moments in quick succession just before the break giving his critics more ammunition, but the Manchester City attacker was continually probing and making runs beyond the Sweden defence that were rarely spotted while England’s midfielder’s focused on retention rather than penetration. Like Alli, a goal here would have set him up nicely for the semi-final, but he did enough to keep his place for Wednesday.

 

Substitutes:

FABIAN DELPH (for Dele Alli, 76)
Dispatched to replace Alli and raise the energy in the later stages, which is what he did with minimum fuss.

ERIC DIER (for Henderson, 84)
Given the last four minutes while Henderson took a breather. Patrolled the midfield without interfering.

MARCUS RASHFORD (for Sterling, 90)
Given five minutes to stretch his legs, which he did more so by chasing Martin Olsson deep in the England half.

 

Ian Watson

 

F365 Features England

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