Euro 2020 Qualifiers, England 4-0 Bulgaria: 3 Talking Points from the game

#1 England's clinical finishing masked the absence of a midfield orchestrator

Captain Kane's four-goal contribution saved the day for England.

Had Bulgaria refrained from individual mistakes and took their chances, we could have discussed England's performance in a vastly contrasting tone. If we look at the raw numbers, 804 passes with 93% success-rate, 17 shots on goal, and 68% ball possession, we could easily imply that the Three Lions ran riot at the Wembley Stadium.

However, out of those 17 shots, only six were on target, out of which four resulted in goals. Credit where due, England made Bulgaria pay for their lapses in concentration with their clinical finishing. But, Gareth Southgate surely would have wanted his side to create more from the duration for which they kept the possession.

In order to cut-open the defences, movements of attacking players are as important as the vision of midfield players to find open spaces. This England side is crying out for a deep-lying metronome who could bridge gel the centre-backs with the playmakers and forwards.

Ross Barkley was morphed into a number eight when his best moments came while linking up with Danny Rose and Marcus Rashford on the left side. Declan Rice played his number-six role to perfection by intercepting the Bulgarian passes and recycling possession. And, Jordan Henderson is playing as a number-eight best suits the box to box role.

Perhaps, Gareth Southgate's next project could be to find a well-oiled midfield engine which helps in the smooth flow of English XI.