Five issues we discovered as England beat Serbia of their first recreation at Euro 2024
The Three Lions are roaring – it was far from a vintage performance from England but they got the job done.
Jude Bellingham was the difference maker, as he so often has been this season. The Real Madrid star, 20, came crashing into the box with a great header in the 13th minute to power England home during Euro 2024’s first episode of the Jude Bellingham Show.
And after England got off the mark against Serbia, Daily Star Sport has a look at five things we learned from the Three Lions’ Euros opener.
Jude Bellingham is absolutely brilliant
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It’s so easy to forget that Jude Bellingham is just 20-years-old. At times, he was unplayable against Serbia.
Think David Beckham against Greece, Zinedine Zidane against Brazil, this was one man’s will to drag the Three Lions, kicking and screaming, to three points. The Real Madrid star powered home from a Bukayo Saka cross – and that set the standard.
He was everywhere, absolutely everywhere, filling in both defensively and getting England moving forward. We can only hope it’s sign of things to come for the England team.
What did you think of England’s performance against Serbia? Let us know in the comments section below
Bukayo Saka is needed to bring width
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Bukayo Saka came underfire in the final weeks of the season, but he was back to his brilliant best on Sunday evening.
Saka had Serbia’s right-hand side of Filip Kostić and Strahinja Pavlović left at sixes and sevens as the Arsenal man dipped and ducked down his way around the two wing-backs. Saka was on hand to whip the ball into Bellingham for England’s opener.
The 22-year-old was soon breaking the line again, creating a handful of chances that were unable to be converted by the Three Lions. And while he wasn’t quite as good in the second period, he’ll be key if England are to go deep in Germany.
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s midfield cameo still needs some tweaking
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There’s no debate that Trent Alexander-Arnold is one of the most talented players of his generation.
However, we might never get to see the best from the Liverpool man due his lack of position – not defensively good enough to be a consistently reliable full-back, yet he can still look at sea in the middle. Trent had his moments, but playing at the base of the midfield is still new to him and there were moments he found himself caught in possession.
On the ball he’s fantastic, but Southgate needs to drill some positional discipline into him if he’s to succeed against the bigger nations.
Gareth Southgate needs a Plan B
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It’s been the big criticism of Southgate’s time at the helm of the Three Lions – his use of substitutes.
It’s what cost England against Croatia way back in 2018, and it’s what could cost England in Germany. With Serbia’s confidence rising, and the Three Lions looking to their bench, there didn’t seem to be that many options.
Cole Palmer has had a great season, but he’s not the man to change a game. Eberechi Eze and Jarrod Bowen might offer something different, but there’s nobody to sure up the middle… Southgate’s missing a Jordan Henderson.
Marc Guehi might just be the man to partner John Stones
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Out of all the absences at Euro 2024, none are quite as big as Harry Maguire.
Maguire has Southgate’s man on the pitch for almost the entirety of his spell as England boss, but an injury ruled him out of the tournament. Marc Guehi is the man that has been tasked with filling his, rather sizeable, boots.
Guehi wasn’t perfect, he made some mistakes, but equally he didn’t look overly shaky.
