Colombia vs England: 5 Talking Points as England Advance on Penalties, World Cup 2018

#2 Dele Alli's negligible impact

Dele Alli was the first English player to be withdrawn after a poor performance

The return of Dele Alli to England's midfield was supposed to be good news for the Three Lions but it was anything but - especially in the first half. The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder was the least effective of the outfield players in a red shirt.

While Jesse Lingard and Raheem Sterling worked hard between the tight lines of Colombia's defence, Alli was nowhere to be seen. Having only just returned from an injury that sidelined him in the group stages, he seemed well off the pace.

In attack, Alli was seen to be sitting too deep and a mere spectator while the rest worked hard to get forward. Even when he did get the ball, his passing accuracy was nothing to write home about.

In the first half alone, Alli completed zero dribbles, made zero tackles, and created no chances. England lacked creativity through the middle and Alli's disappointing performance was the root cause for that.

England's pass map shows little to no activity in attacking midfield zones