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#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.
