England salvaged a draw with Italy during their friendly on Tuesday night, with Andros Towsend on target for the Three Lions. Roy Hodgson’s side haven’t come up against a huge amount of top level competition as of late, so their clash with Antonio Conte’s boys was a great chance to learn a few things about his team.
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Here are five things we learnt from England’s 1-1 draw with Italy in Turin:
5) Harry Kane is ready
Most of the noise coming from the media before the game was about Harry Kane, with questions raised over whether he was ready to make the step up to the senior side.
He has been in fantastic form for Tottenham this season, but England is a totally different beast.
The 21-year-old answered any critics he may have had however, with an excellent performance against Italy proving that he has what it takes to play at the highest level.
4) Phil Jagielka has still got it
The Everton centre-back has come in for some criticism recently, with many claiming he is past his best and is no longer fit for England duty.
He put in a faultless performance this past Tuesday night however, and was a rock at the back against a dangerous looking Italian side.
The Toffee’s captain may be the wrong side of 30, but he is still arguably England’s best centre-back.
3) Diamonds certainly shouldn’t be forever, as the formation change saved England
England looked uninspired and lacking creativity in the first half, and this appeared to be largely down to the formation.
The diamond that Roy Hodgson has been deploying recently has worked well against the relative minnows of our Euro 2016 qualifying group, but when up against a team the calibre of Italy, the midfield visibly struggled.
Jordan Henderson and Fabian Delph’s inclusion meant there was very little width in the side, which meant the onus fell to Nathaniel Clyne and Kieran Gibbs. They struggled to create anything clear cut, and were caught out of position constantly as they pushed up the pitch.
Things looked far better after a handful of substitutions, with Ross Barkley and Andros Townsend providing far more natural width. England were a far better side in the second half, and Hodgson will have some thinking to do before their next game.
2) Hodgson may have taken notice of Andros Townsend
Many were critical of Hodgson for including Townsend in the squad, as the winger’s form for Tottenham has been unquestionably poor this season.
He has performed well at times for the national side however, and his goal against Italy secured the draw. He may have forced his way into the manager’s plans in the future, but who will make way?
1) Phil Jones can’t play in midfield
The Manchester United man has been praised for his versatility, but he was incredibly poor in midfield against Italy.
His passing was not at the level you would expect from an England international midfielder, and his positioning left something to be desired.
He may have a future at centre-back, but the team looked far stronger when Michael Carrick was brought on to anchor in midfield.