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England 0-0 Brazil
Goals: Nah
After an exciting and a convincing performance against Germany, England were pitted against one of the most dangerous sides in the world at the moment in the form of Brazil. The Three Lions held their own in a hard fought 0-0 draw with Brazil at Wembley.
It was a timid first-half performance from both the sides as they each had just one shot on goal in the first 45 minutes. Brazil opened the floodgates in the second half, but England managed to contain the Selecao with perfection.
Fernandinho's long-range shot which hit the post was the only meaningful and the closest attempt from both the sides in the entire 90 minutes. Here are the 5 talking points from a drab result at Wembley between England and Brazil:
#5 England's defence stands strong against the mighty Brazilians
Against Germany and now against Brazil, Gareth Southgate opted to play his side in a 3-5-2 formation. A welcome break from the conventional 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 from the Three Lions! The central trio of John Stones, Harry Maguire and Joe Gomez were imperious on the night as they kept the likes of Neymar, Gabriel Jesus and Philippe Coutinho pretty quiet.
Stones looked assured in possession and also made one last ditch clearance against Neymar in the second half. Maguire continued his confident form from the game against the Germans but the best defender on the field was Liverpool's, Joe Gomez.
Starting his first international game, the former Charlton Athletic man never looked out of position against the ever-dangerous front troika of Brazil.
Gomez was good in possession and held a position close to his man on the right side of the back three. Coutinho didn't even have a shot on goal in the entire game whereas Jesus was oblivious for the majority of the proceedings.
The average age of England's back three against Brazil was 22 which has given England a number of workable options for the World Cup.
#4 Neymar undeterred by the speculations off the field
The major talking point before the game was the situation of Brazil's talisman - Neymar who recently broke down in a press conference when manager Tite gave a vote of confidence for his player's attitude.
Since his €222 million move to PSG, all has not been plain sailing for the Brazilian who has had to endure a lot of flak for his fight with Edinson Cavani or his strained relationship with Unai Emery.
But on the field at Wembley, Neymar looked as if he had forgotten the intense scrutiny around him and gave away a no holds barred performance. Though it cannot be said as one of his most influential performances, it was the one where the Brazilian tried everything in his might to unlock the English defence but failed either to connect his shot properly or find a teammate to run behind the backline.
Neymar did show tremendous work rate and was often seen tracking back - a sight unfamiliar with him since his move to PSG. His passing was brilliant, to say the least, which displayed how he was miles better than the other players on the field.
His left foot lob with the outside of his boot to release Gabriel Jesus was the pass of the night which for a second had brought the visiting Brazilian support on their feet and made the home support gasp for breath.
#3 England's young guns can stake a claim for a place in the final 23-man squad for the World Cup
With the next international break being scheduled in late March, Gareth Southgate will be happy by the progress made by the youngsters that were given the chance in this international break.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek started for England after his man of the match display against Germany and again reflected why he can be the solution for England's midfield woes. Sadly, he was substituted with a back injury after 35 minutes but he had made his point by then with a commanding show in midfield.
Joe Gomez and Harry Maguire have shown that they can withstand the pressure against two of the strongest attacks in world football, while John Stones seems to be playing like he was meant to - commanding and brilliant on the eye.
Kieran Trippier and Jordan Pickford are two other candidates who can dislodge two of England's established players in the form of Kyle Walker and Joe Hart.
Both Trippier and Pickford have impressed with the Three Lions and on current form, deserve to start for England. Attacking wise, Dominic Solanke was the fifth debutante for England in the space of a week and showed why he was given the chance with an effective cameo.
Solanke even had the chance to win the game at the end but his shot was blocked by the sliding defender. Solanke and Tammy Abraham will fight for the fourth striker's role in the team with the English side finally looking stable and promising for the first time in years.
#2 Brazil impress and disappoint in equal measures
After a hard-fought qualifying campaign, Brazil came into this game as the clear favourites. Under Tite, the Samba boys have lost just once and are on course to be the favourites for next year's World Cup.
The Brazilians named their strongest possible playing eleven which could also be the starting lineup in a World Cup game next year - such is the stability that Tite has ensured in a short time with the squad.
But in the first half, Brazil looked a bit edgy going into the final third. They were the dominant side on the field with 66% possession but a final pass or a brilliant team move was missing.
This was an England side there for the taking with Southgate trusting in youth over experience. But the visitors failed to create enough chances in the first half which gave the hosts much-needed confidence to hold their fort with resilience.
But the second half saw Brazil playing with urgency. The passing was quick with the forwards playing some delightful one-touch football. Neymar's passing was exquisite whereas Paulinho and Casemiro impressed in midfield.
This is a Brazil team which can truly conquer the world once again with a potent front three, a brilliant defensive midfielder in Casemiro and the high flying fullbacks in Dani Alves and Marcelo.
#1 What a week for Gareth Southgate!
It took a lot of guts from the English manager to name a squad as he did for the friendlies against Germany and Brazil. One by one, many names withdrew their names with niggles and knocks.
But, the former England international stuck to his philosophy and promoted names from the youth set-up. Southgate brought on young faces from his time with the U-21 team, players that he worked with in the past. And how good that move turned out to be!
England have managed two draws with two of the best and the highest ranked teams in the world. Against Brazil, it was the defence that won plaudits whereas against Germany it was the midfield and the counter attacks that caught the eye.
Southgate has changed the formation, brought stability but most importantly has shown the experienced yet aged stars in the team that their place in the flight to Russia is not assured.
Joe Hart, Kyle Walker, Gary Cahill and Jordan Henderson can be named as the few established internationals who might find it tough to break into this dynamic English lineup.
Whereas the likes of Jordan Pickford, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Harry Winks and Joe Gomez can all dream of representing the Three Lions at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Southgate has laid the foundation for England in this international break and it will be interesting to see how these talented youngsters get on at the biggest of stages.
Meanwhile, Southgate's biggest success so far in his England career has been that he has brought the feel-good factor about the national team back in the minds of the supporters.
