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After dispatching of the Czech Republic 5-0 at Wembley on Friday, England travelled to Montenegro tonight to play what looked like a potential banana skin of a Euro 2020 qualifying match.
It looked sticky when the hosts took the lead through Marko Vesovic after 17 minutes, but Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions were behind for just 13 minutes before Michael Keane headed an equaliser home.
A goal made in Chelsea – Ross Barkley poking home from a Callum Hudson-Odoi cross/shot – put England ahead just 8 minutes later and from there the game was a rout, as Southgate’s men ended up putting 5 past Montenegro to hit 10 goals in their past 2 games.
Here are 3 reasons why England beat Montenegro.
#1 England made their possession count
One of the biggest criticisms of possession-based football is that teams get sucked into passing and keeping the ball without actually going anywhere, and in the past England have definitely been guilty of that.
Remember we’re less than two years removed from dull games like England’s 1-0 wins over Slovenia and Lithuania, games that saw the Three Lions dominate possession but do very little with it.
That certainly wasn’t the case tonight. Not only did England have the lion’s share of the ball – 73% possession once the final whistle blew – but they made it count by carving the Montenegrin defence up on numerous occasions to set up their goals and also by consistently stealing the ball back from their opponents whenever it was lost in the centre of the pitch.
Using their newer 4-3-3 formation that Southgate introduced in the UEFA Nations League games last autumn, not only are England able to boss possession against smaller sides like Montenegro, but they’re now turning that possession into goals, something that they seemed to struggle with in the past.
It’ll make for far easier qualification games against minnows, as we’ve seen in the last couple of days – and it makes for better watching for the fans too.
#2 Going behind didn’t faze Southgate’s side
England are no strangers to surprisingly falling behind in qualifying games – most recently it happened in their game against Slovakia during the qualifying campaign for the 2018 World Cup, and in that match it took the Three Lions a while to settle back down into a rhythm as they clearly appeared to be stunned by conceding.
Tonight though, they stayed extremely calm, didn’t attempt to rush or force anything, and sure enough an equaliser came pretty swiftly. Marko Vesovic’s goal definitely came against the run of play but perhaps the most impressive thing about England’s response was the way Southgate swiftly shifted tactics – switching Raheem Sterling and Callum Hudson-Odoi on the flanks after the Chelsea youngster’s mistake had led to the goal.
It ensured that Montenegro never got comfortable in the lead while also showing faith in Hudson-Odoi’s attacking abilities despite his defensive error. And sure enough, it took less than 15 minutes for the move to pay off as England quickly went 1-2 up. England are a young side, but they seem far calmer under pressure than more experienced England sides of the past were, and that’s a huge positive.
#3 The newcomers looked totally at home
It wasn’t a perfect night for England’s newcomers; Callum Hudson-Odoi - a surprising starter over Jadon Sancho, who impressed in Friday’s victory over the Czech Republic – was at fault for Montenegro’s surprising goal, as he switched off for a second and allowed the hosts to win a header which led to Marko Vesovic’s strike, but overall it was a slight blot on an otherwise excellent page for the Chelsea youngster and also for West Ham’s Declan Rice.
Rice had a quiet game but screened England’s defence excellently to the point where Harry Maguire and Michael Keane had very little to do. On numerous occasions the West Ham youngster was able to steal the ball back from the hosts and quickly find a teammate with a pass, and he looked so assured in the role that it’s easy to see him being preferred over Eric Dier in the role going forward.
As for Hudson-Odoi, while his defensive game needs work and his decision-making is sometimes raw, his pace and skill on the ball clearly terrified the Montenegrin defence tonight and it was his cross-come-shot that set up Ross Barkley for England’s second goal. Considering Hudson-Odoi has yet to start a Premier League game for Chelsea, this was a hugely impressive showing from him.
How much longer Maurizio Sarri can refuse to unleash him in Premier League games is anyone’s guess, but Southgate’s gamble on him in these two games clearly paid off – and he’s another name to add to an ever-growing list of exciting talent that looks at home for England on the international stage.
