England played their second of two international friendlies during this break earlier today when they hosted Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) at Wembley. England don’t usually play many African sides, but today they faced a side full of players with Premier League/European top flight experience. Serge Aurier, Eric Bailly (from Manchester United!), Nicolas Pepé, Franck Kessié, and Sebastién Haller are all incredibly talented and play important roles at their clubs. I like seeing unusual match-ups because it’s a good idea to play teams from all around the globe, so England can see different tactical approaches to the game and be ready for anything during a tournament. The Ivorians are ranked much lower in the FIFA world rankings than previous opponent Switzerland, but this could easily be a difficult test for the Three Lions. Manager Gareth Southgate made an array of changes to his starting XI from the Switzerland match, including benching Harry Kane and starting Raheem Sterling, Jude Bellingham, and striker Ollie Watkins. As has been said before on this blog, the name of the game in friendly matches is to figure out all the different ways you can potentially win a match, and what players deserve a shot in the final World Cup squad.
Thankfully, England abandoned the back-3 in defense that did not really work against the Swiss in favor of a traditional back-4. And from the start, England were all over the Ivorians. They were pressing well, forcing the opposition into errors, winning free kicks in dangerous areas, and creating chances to score. Sterling looked particularly lively in his familiar second-striker/attacking midfielder role, and he seemed to be the catalyst behind all attacking play. Bellingham was also in fine form playing on the right side of a midfield-3. His intelligence and creativity both on and off the ball are amazing to watch. He was unfortunate to see a shot deflected onto the post when it seemed almost certain he was going to score after a very clever run into the box. Winger/midfielder Jack Grealish also went close with a low shot at the near post that was barely held onto by Ivorian keeper Ibrahim Sangaré.
England did get the opener however on 30 minutes, thanks again to the creativity of Sterling. A loose forward pass from Grealish was recovered by Sterling in the left channel, after which he dribbled it into the box with the Ivorian defender giving him far too much space to operate in. He spotted Watkins making a run to the back post, and he played a rather simple cross along the ground that none of the defenders or keeper decided to clear. Watkins had a tap-in from 2 yards out and it was 1-0 England. A simple goal in the end thanks to poor defending, but credit to Sterling for his persistence and creativity and a congratulations to Watkins on opening his England scoring account. England deserved the goal for their dominance in the first 20-25 minutes.
Surprisingly, the Ivorians were down to 10 men on 40 minutes after right back Aurier was shown a second yellow card and given a subsequent red. He had been booked on 32 minutes for a pull on the shorts of Grealish, but his second one came after he visibly disagreed with a non-call from the referee. Once play had stopped, the ref came back to him and showed him a second yellow for dissent. You don’t see many sending-offs in friendlies and it’s perhaps a tad harsh on Aurier, but Tottenham supporters will tell you that a red card in a match is not a huge surprise for Serge Aurier. As a professional though, he has to know that he can’t go mouthing off to the ref once he’s already been booked. He’s asking for trouble there, and he got it. The West Africans were then required to play with only 10 men for the final 50 minutes or so.
And England cashed in on that advantage right on the stroke of halftime with a very pleasing to watch team goal. Center back Harry Maguire played a long pass forward to Watkins, who’s quick and deft touch-pass found Sterling on a run just off to his right. Sterling then carried the ball to just inside the box before firing off a high and powerful shot with his left foot, but it was blocked away by Sangaré. The rebound however fell straight to Grealish on the left side of the goal, and he simply played it back to Sterling low and along the ground. Sterling stuck out his right foot and deflected the ball into the back of the net. Good vision from Maguire, excellent touch and pass from Watkins, and some unselfish play from Grealish to go right back to Sterling. At 2-0 in a friendly with the opposition down to 10, the second half felt more like a formality than a requirement.
And as is often the case in friendlies, the pace of the game slowed down significantly in the second half. Ivory Coast were determined to keep the score at 2-0, as they came out in a very defensive shape and spent most of their time trying to clog up the middle of the pitch. England still had a few good chances to get a third, but it seemed like it wouldn’t quite come off for them. Southgate made the majority of his changes on 60 minutes, swapping out four players including Watkins for Kane. I’m sure Kane was chomping at the bit to get on the pitch, given that the opposition looked a little suspect at the back and they were down to 10. It was a golden opportunity for him to reach 50 England goals. Again though, England could not find a way through and it seemed destined to end 2-0.
All formalities were concluded when England did manage to get a third goal, late into stoppage time via center back Tyrone Mings. England had a corner on 92 minutes, and the ball was played into the box high up by substitute Phil Foden. Mings jumped highest to reach it, although the ball seemed to come off the front of his face more than the usual crown of the head. In any event, the ball went down into the ground and bounced into the goal with Sangaré unable to get near it. The whistle went shortly after that, and England were 3-0 winners.
So takeaways then? Well, Bellingham needs to be a starter for England if he continues playing like he is. He was easily Man of the Match today. The Ivorians had no answer for his runs into the box or his ability to find the right pass in the right situation. He has all of the natural talent in the world and the footballing brain to match it. But does his creative and attacking style of play have a routine place in Southgate’s conservative approach? That remains to be seen. Southgate likes to play Mason Mount or Foden in Bellingham’s place usually. No denying the talent of those players, but against a tough defensive side in a closely contested tournament match, Bellingham’s abilities could be the deciding factor. He’s only going to get better, too. I say he needs to start at the World Cup if he stays in this kind of form. Sterling and Grealish were phenomenal today as well, although their places in the squad are fairly solidified. Perhaps Watkins, Mings, and left back Tyrick Mitchell had the best days though, as they all laid down fairly significant markers to be included for World Cup 2022. It will be difficult for Watkins to unseat Kane as the starting center-forward, but having him on the bench would be a welcome addition.
Oh, and one more thing, England fans need to stop booing Maguire. He was booed during his first touches today and that is disgusting. It’s true he hasn’t had the best season at United and he isn’t the most popular player off the pitch, but he always plays well in an England shirt. Moreover, booing him will not help him improve. Players low on confidence do not need their confidence lowered any further by idiot supporters. I am happy Southgate has condemned the fans’ behavior in this regard.
England will have tougher tests than this though before the World Cup gets underway in December. The UEFA Nations League matches this summer against Germany and Italy will be much tougher tests for England. At this stage of things though, you have to feel that England are among the favorites to do very well next winter. I will at some point do a post about this upcoming World Cup and some of the controversies involved with it.
Manchester United and the Premier League return to action next Saturday, with the Red Devils hosting Leicester City.
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