Croatia 0-0 England: 5 talking points

Southgate needs to experiment

Raheem Sterling and Dejan Lovren vying for the ball

Before the match, England coach Gareth Southgate sounded against any experiment. Still, he handed Leicester City left-back Ben Chilwell his senior team debut. The move was successful as Chilwell ticked all the boxes which were expected from him.

The other player who made his debut was Jadon Sancho, the emerging youngster from Borussia Dortmund. He played Under-17 World Cup for England last year in India and since then, there has been no looking back. He excelled in Dortmund this season, scoring one goal and providing six assists.

The pressure was mounting upon Southgate to introduce Sancho and he readily obliged, though a bit late, in the 77th minute. Sancho had little time to prove himself, still, a dangerous cross from the right flank showed his ability.

As a second yellow card rules out Henderson and John Stones from the next match against Spain, Southgate has to make a little or more experiment with his side. Ruben Loftus-Cheek could well take the place of Henderson. He should also give Mason Mount and a chance to bolster the attack.