Netherlands 0-1 England: 5 Talking Points

Goalscorer: Jesse Lingard 59'

The game rolled on like a punctured tyre for the greater part of the 90 minutes as England eventually walked past a limping Netherlands side that looked gravely short of quality in the final third.

Jesse Lingard stepped up to the plate and chipped in with one of those outside the box strikes to claim the lead for the Three Lions.

Ronald Koeman has plenty of work to do but Gareth Southgate will be a happy man for all the good signs that were on offer. Without further ado, let's get to the 5 talking points from the game.

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#5 England's midfield has its quirks but it may not be dynamic

Quite a lot of talent

Gareth Southgate decided to deploy a rather unexpected trio in midfield with Jordan Henderson playing anchorman and Oxlade-Chamberlain and Lingard playing off of him. Both Chamberlain and Lingard love running with the ball and were constantly trying to break on the counter.

Add to that the pace of Sterling and Rashford and England might just have an array of players who are tailored for the smash and grab gig.

But therein lies the problem. Jesse Lingard was taken off in the second half and in his place came Dele Alli who more or less does or tries to do the same things with the ball at his feet.

On the night though, Alli came up short after struggling to hold on to the ball when England were trying to see off the game with some indecisiveness and rustiness.

But for all the quality and depth that England have in midfield, they may not have the dynamism to bamboozle their adversaries.

#4 Netherlands are very much a work in progress

Koeman has a lot of work to do

Ronald Koeman's Netherlands were not expected to work wonders tonight. After all, it was the man's first game in charge and the men in orange had no World Cup to prep themselves for.

But even then, the Holland squad has quite a few quality players on the pitch but they looked as disjointed a unit as any going forward. Promes perhaps looked the most lost of the lot on the attacking front but Dost and the rest of the team didn't do anything of note and saved Promes from sticking out like a sore thumb.

The characters are gone from the Netherlands team and they desperately need a leader on the pitch and I'd expect Kevin Strootman to just take command.

But as of now, even though the scoreline was 1-0, there is a huge gulf in class between the two teams that played in the Amsterdam Arena and Koeman has a daunting task ahead of him. But hey, he's got a lot of time too.

#3 England defend compactly and look sturdy

John Stones was solid at the back

When they announced their starting lineup, a lot of fans would have been taken aback by the fact that three wing backs were named in a 3-5-2 system. Turned out that Kyle Walker started off as RCB alongside John Stones and Joe Gomez.

Gomez had to go off inside the first 10 minutes after picking up a niggle and he was replaced by Leicester City stalwart Harry Maguire.

England's defensive organisation on the night deserves a shout out. They were rock solid at the back and save for a couple of scrappy chances they afforded Koeman's men, England looked difficult to break down as they kept their shape and defended efficiently throughout the night.

John Stones had a very decent outing and the man who looks likely to get frozen out at Manchester City was confident playing the ball out from the back and was, on more than one occasion, able to read the game to perfection and chip in with some vital interceptions and blocks.

Harry Maguire put in a typically confident performance and Kyle Walker, Tripper and Danny Rose all had a rather memorable night and they ended the night with a well deserved clean sheet.

Oh, and let's not forget to mention youngster Jordan Pickford who looked like he had everything under control from the get-go save for the one corner kick where his indecisiveness left him flat footed and fortunately for him, Dost headed it high above the crossbar.

#2 Memphis Depay needs better quality around him

Depay was Netherlands' best player on the night

Memphis Depay was Netherlands' best player by a mile tonight. He was always getting on the ball, embarking on runs and driving towards the loose ball like it was nobody else's business.

But he was heavily let down on the night by Dost and Promes who seemed to be operating at a completely different wavelength compared to the former Manchester United man.

Even Patrick van Aanholt couldn't go on to do anything of note and his crosses were often wayward.

Georginio Wijnaldum is another player who can take this Netherlands team forward but if Koeman can't find the right players to burgeon around these two enterprising individuals, they are headed face first into a wall.

Oh, and let's not forget the fact that England were without Harry Kane and maybe, just maybe the scoreline could have actually gone on to look dastardly for the men in orange.

#1 Quite a few happy problems for Gareth Southgate

Gareth Southgate may yet have a few problems to address

As discussed before, Gareth Southgate has quite a few decisions to make. He has a plethora of scintillating talent at his disposal in all parts of the pitch but he needs to get the right players on the pitch at the right time to eke out the right results.

Now, Jamie Vardy and Marcus Rashford offer similar things. Pace, running off the shoulder of the last defender and the like. It's all soda pop inside the vending machine but perhaps Rashford's trickery gives him the edge.

Danny Welbeck is definitely going to find it hard to hold down a spot in this England lineup. But once Harry Kane comes back, England are going to have to switch it up a bit. The wings will need to be utilized more and the long through ball game will need to be curtailed a bit as Kane doesn't have Rashford's or Vardy's legs.

Marcus Rashford could yet feature while Kane is on the pitch in his favoured left wing role but there is no left-wing role in Southgate's 3-4-3, is there? Danny Rose is definitely a better fit for all the defending the player at left wing back will be needed to do. Ashley Young did not put a foot wrong either after coming on for the last 20 minutes.

Then, of course, there is the Jesse Lingard-Dele Alli situation.

Raheem Sterling though is one player that should walk into this team. He has blossomed under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola and his ability to send defenders for sandwiches and make them sweat bullets everytime England break are traits not a lot of other England players can replicate on the pitch.

Similar problems persist in midfield and it will be interesting to see how Jack Wilshere fits in all of this once he regains fitness.