(Football news) A lacklustre display by England resulted in a 0-0 draw against the USA at the Al Bayt Stadium, which means that the Three Lions will have to wait until their final Group Stage match against Wales in order to qualify into the Round of 16. In order for the unthinkable to happen (England being eliminated in the Group Stage), Southgate’s team will need to lose by four goals or more against Wales but what’s more concerning is the manager’s in-game choices against the USA.
After thrashing Iran 6-2, England instantly became one of the tournament favourites but in a stark contrast, the Three Lions fans booed the team at full time against the USA after being thoroughly outmatched and outperformed. American footballer Christian Pulisic saw his first half shot hit the bar and Harry Maguire had a majestic performance in the match, heading away a series of corners, especially in the second half. While an upset might be a bit far-fetched, the USA showed exactly why any expectations of England potentially winning the World Cup might be a bit premature. The closest England came to a goal was Harry Kane’s blocked shot at the start of the match and the striker also headed wide from from Luke Shaw's free-kick in second-half stoppage time.
One of the most controversial decisions that Gareth Southgate made in the match was not bringing on Phil Foden, especially for Mason Mount, who had a particularly poor game. Moreover, Southgate could have also introduced Trent Alexander-Arnold to give England some more firepower in the fullback position, as it was obvious that the team needed to create more opportunities in the final third. He did introduce Jack Grealish and Jordan Henderson with a quarter of the game to go while Marcus Rashford was also brought on with 10 minutes on the clock. The Manchester United striker could have made use of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s delivery and he didn’t get much support from either Henderson or Trippier at the right flank. However, it’s not all doom and gloom for the Three Lions who remain at the top of their group with one match to go.
Speaking after the match, England manager Gareth Southgate said “Exactly the sort of game I thought it would be – it was really tough against a good opponent who were very athletic. I knew it would be difficult for us after such a high to replicate that sort of performance [against Iran]. I'm really pleased with how the players have applied themselves. Some of our quality in the final third could've been a bit better, but we've shown great resilience to defend against an opponent that kept asking questions. We've controlled the game well from the back and just not been able to open them up with that really clear-cut chance. I think we didn't have that same zip but that's going to happen as it's tournament football. We're not going to roll through a tournament and sweep through everybody without having nights like this where you have to show different qualities in order to get the result."
When asked about his decision to not play Foden, Southgate said “Whichever one of our forwards we didn't put on and we didn't win the game, I was going to be sitting here answering the question as to why I didn't put them on. We wanted to change the wide areas. We didn't think it was a game for Phil in the middle because he doesn't play there for his club. Defensively, it was a really complicated game for the midfield three to work out. It's partly why we felt Hendo [Jordan Henderson] could help us at that moment as well as giving Jude [Bellingham] the physical rest.
"It was a game for experience in that middle area, so then it was a decision on the wide players and we thought Marcus [Rashford]'s speed would be important and give us something different, and we put Jack [Grealish] on just before that at a time when we weren't getting hold of the ball and we felt he could carry it up the pitch to relieve some pressure on our middle third. Without doubt we could have gone with Phil as he's a super player and we love him. Maybe, things could've been different, but that was the choice we went with on the night."
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