England blew their chance to finish top of Group B at the UEFA Euro 2016 after playing out a 0-0 draw with Slovakia. Wales, on the other hand, displayed some attacking football in their match against Russia in Toulouse and came out 3-0 winners.
As a result of the draw, Wales finished as group winners with 6 points and England settled for the second spot with 5, and will now face the team finishing second in Group F which constitutes of Portugal, Hungary, Iceland and Austria.
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The Three Lions struck 29 shots on goal, but only five of them were on target, something which they will surely need to improve on come the round-of-16. England’s blunt performance in front of the goal and the team selection from Roy Hodgson were just two of the talking points, read on for more.
1) Slovakia play for a draw
The Slovaks had a clear picture as to what they need to do in order to strengthen their chances of qualifying for the knockout rounds as one of the best four third-placed teams. Having already earned all 3 points against Russia, Slovakia needed a draw to get their tally to 4 points, which in all probability will see them through to the next round.
Coach Jan Kozak’s instructions were perfectly followed by his pupils and Slovakia earned their first clean sheet in a major tournament (in 7 matches).
2) Roy Hodgson’s questionable team selection
Roy Hodgson, in a wholesale fashion, made 6 changes to the XI which started against Wales for this crucial encounter. While many would argue that bringing in Jamie Vardy and Daniel Sturridge was a decision which had to be taken given the dismal performances of Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane in the previous two matches, there were some eyebrows raised on the inclusions of Jack Wilshere and Jordan Henderson in the places of Wayne Rooney and Dele Alli.
Wilshere’s performance was far from his best and Henderson though gave a decent performance, he was not as creative as Alli could have been, if played from the start.
Well, now that the group stages are done and dusted, Uncle Roy could not afford to make blunders in the team selections and will have to settle for a solid XI before their round-of-16 match.
3) Matus Kozacik and Martin Skrtel were solid at the back
Fully aware that they need to earn at least a point from the match, the Slovakian pair of goalkeeper Kozacik and central defender Skrtel played their hearts out to ensure that they do earn the point they craved for.
Kozacik kept the England’s attackers at bay, he once denied Vardy from a one-on-one situation and soon after and thwarted a shot from Adam Lallana in the first half itself. In the second half, the goalkeeper parried a clever shot from Nathaniel Clyne and managed to hold on to the clean sheet.
Similarly, Liverpool’s Skrtel gave a skipper’s performance and made a number of crucial tackles and interceptions. His most important contribution for the team came when he cleared a Dele Alli shot from crossing the goal-line in the 62nd minute of the match.
4) England’s attackers lack the finishing touch
Before the match, England had struck a total of 21 more shots than their opponents from their first two matches combined (12 more shots against Wales and 9 more against Russia), and had scored just one more goal. In this match, they struck 29 shots, as compared to Slovakia’s 4, and still were not able to break the deadlock.
While the Slovakia defence should be given the credit they deserve, English strikers need to sharpen up their finishing skills as the tournament enters into the next round.
5) International tournament woes continue for England
The Three Lions came into the tournament having won all 10 of their Euro qualifier matches. Jamie Vardy had just had a fairy tale of a season with Leicester City and Harry Kane was the highest goalscorer with Tottenham in what people call the toughest league in the world, the English Premier League. Dele Alli was the PFA Young player of the year of the very same league.
But, like we have seen time and time again with the English teams at international tournaments over the years, this team has also failed to perform to its level. While Kane has been nowhere near his best, Vardy has also been far from the cunning striker that he was in the EPL this season. Alli has also fluffed his lines here and there in the tournament and after scoring the winner against Wales, Daniel Sturridge also lost the plot in this crucial encounter.
If England really wish to end their 50-year trophy drought in an international tournament, everyone in the team needs to up the ante come June 27.
