England’s warm-up friendlies against Germany and Brazil may not have been ones for the neutrals, or for that matter Three Lions supporters hoping to see a few goals at Wembley, but Gareth Southgate will feel both scoreless encounters were an invaluable learning experience for him and his players, shutting out two of the most talented sides in the world while giving a series of promising youngsters their first taste of senior international football.
As is always the case when a large cohort are fighting over places at a World Cup, there were inevitably winners and losers from England’s fortnight of friendlies; players who seemingly moved up in Southgate’s estimations, and players who dropped down a peg or two.
Winner – Ashley Young
Ashley Young’s first England outing for over four years consisted of just eleven minutes, yet that was more than enough to showcase the dependability, quality and experience the 32-year-old still offers the Three Lions.
In that time, Young swept behind the backline all the way from left wing-back to charge down a Willian effort at goal in the right channel with a full-blooded tackle, before cutting onto his right foot to set up England’s clearest chance of the match with a delicious cross that Tammy Abraham flicked on but Dominic Solanke couldn’t convert.
It may not be enough to guarantee the Manchester United wide man a spot on the plane to Russia, but Young’s cameo performance was a timely reminder to Southgate that he’s ready to be called upon if needed.
Loser – Jack Wilshere
Southgate’s made his feelings about Jack Wilshere’s injury problems abundantly clear already, but the calibre of midfielder that took places in the squad ahead of him was another telling statement of the Arsenal midfielder’s vanishing World Cup chances.
Jake Livermore once again struggled to inspire, despite these two defensive performances seemingly accommodating his attritional skill set, while Burnley’s Jack Cork earned a run out from the bench and even Bournemouth youngster Lewis Cook – albeit, a very highly-rated 20-year-old – was parachuted into the squad over Wilshere following withdrawals through injury.
Alongside three midfielders who will celebrate a top-half finish this season like a Premier League title, another clearly jumped up a few rungs in Southgate’s estimations – Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Winner – Ruben Loftus-Cheek
Easily the Man of the Match against Germany, Ruben Loftus-Cheek was perhaps the biggest success story of England’s two friendly outings.
His ability to combine power and size with grace and technical ability has been discussed in hushed tones for several years and even more so this season amid a string of impressive performances for Crystal Palace, but what stood out most against the world champions was the 21-year-old’s composure, embracing the role of England’s most forward-thinking and creative midfielder despite the well-established quality of the opposition.
Unfortunately, the Chelsea loanee’s outing against Brazil was far less fruitful; an injury after 34 minutes was a reminder of how his body is yet to be truly honed to the demands of regular senior football.
Provided that injury doesn’t keep him out too long though, Loftus-Cheek has a great chance of sealing a place in the World Cup squad – likely at Wilshere’s expense.
Loser – Gary Cahill
Gary Cahill was the only member of the squad not to feature in either game, albeit missing the Germany clash with an injury. While that could be viewed as Southgate feeling no need to audition his most capped outfield player, especially after recovering from a back problem, it inevitably allowed younger, more exciting alternatives to impress in his absence as part of England’s three-man defence – the subliminal message being that Cahill belongs to the Three Lions’ past rather than the future.
Further compounding that was the fact England kept two clean sheets against world champions and former world champions, both of whom turned up at Wembley with relatively strong sides, without their most experienced defender. Cahill seems certain to earn a spot in the squad when the World Cup comes around purely through seniority, but may find a starting role has been swept from under his feet.
Winners – Joe Gomez & Harry Maguire
No defenders took better advantage of Cahill’s absence than Joe Gomez and Harry Maguire. The former was the standout Man of the Match against Brazil, keeping Neymar on the tightest of leashes – at one point even driving the most expensive player in the world back into his own half from the edge of the penalty area by simply refusing to let him turn – and showing surprising positional intelligence for a 20-year-old playing in a back three for pretty much the first time in senior football.
More worryingly for Cahill though, Maguire played the full 180 minutes in the left centre-back role he occupies at Chelsea, in direct contrast to his own fortunes during the international break.
Throughout, Leicester’s summer signing was nothing short of superb barring a few wayward passes; physically assertive at the back, an aerial menace in the opposition’s box and confident and creative on the ball.
If Cahill represents England’s more traditional centre-back no-nonsense mould, Maguire belongs to the new wave of ball-players breaking through.
Winner – Gareth Southgate
While some may question England’s lack of ambition in friendles at home against two of world football’s top sides, the resulting emotion from the international break is one of quiet long-term optimism. England showed they have a system that can frustrate high-quality opposition for the World Cup, and looking further afield that there’s perhaps more exciting, young English talent in the Premier League that many would assume.
Some performances, such as Joe Gomez’s and Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s, may even convince a few top flight managers that the English players in their ranks deserve a few more chances – which can only help the national team. Considering the negativity leading into the international break created by the raft of senior players pulling out through injury, Southgate will view both games as a significant success.
He appears to have won over a few critics, but England will need to find a way of winning these defensive-minded games if they’re to leave the World Cup with the same kind of positivity.