England vs Ghana was very different to the Croatia game, wasn’t it?
A drab defensive wall kept the Three Lions at bay in Foxborough, with Thomas Tuchel’s men creating very little of note in 90 minutes.
So…. did anyone come out of this one looking like a hero?
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Jordan Pickford: 6
Virtually nothing to do in the first half except spray balls forward: we expected that though, right? Incredibly lucky to see a foul given his way after a collision with Prince Adu just before the drinks break (that could well have gone the other way).
Reece James: 6
Dictated play in the first half of the game with pinpoint precision, showing why Thomas Tuchel really doesn’t need Trent Alexander-Arnold – but Antoine Semenyo toying with the Chelsea man just before half-time was a little worrying from a defensive perspective.
Ezri Konsa: 7
The Croatia game may have tested Konsa’s confidence but the Aston Villa defender was a metronome in the first half, having more touches than the entire Ghanaian team. Marc Guehi is a more natural partner for him at centre-back, it certainly seems.
Marc Guehi: 6
Steady on the ball, quiet game otherwise. Konsa was involved in more of the defensive flashpoints, which were few and far between.
Lacked a bit of urgency.
Djed Spence (off ’65): 6
Inverted from left-back more often than not in the first half: it took nearly an hour for him to combine with Anthony Gordon.
Elliot Anderson (off ’72): 7
Took on a lot of responsibility in the first half, shielding the back four and allowing Declan Rice to bomb forward and join in the attack. Didn’t do a lot more: maybe wasn’t his kind of game, in fairness.
Declan Rice: 7
England’s best player in the early stages. Had a sighter of a free-kick in the first quarter-of-an-hour that whistled over the bar, a shot blocked, a header over, and generally did Declan Rice things: winning the ball high up and galloping forward with it.
Restricted to affecting the game with set-pieces in the second half and wasn’t as superhuman as usual in getting back to stop Ghana in the few transitions they had.
Noni Madueke: 6 (off ’83)
Held the width well on the right and looked a bright spark in the first half, getting to the byline and looking a danger on that flank. As the game wore on though, the Arsenal man looked ever more frustrated by things not quite coming off for him and his decision-making noticeably dropped.
Looked absolutely fine on the left… but really, didn’t create enough of note across the game.
Jude Bellingham (off ’72): 6
Barely touched the ball in the first half – but three minutes into the second half, Bellingham put in an excellent tackle on Semenyo. It summed up his World Cup so far: you don’t notice what he does for the most part, but he’s vital to this machine.
It’s maybe taken for granted how hard Bellingham works for this side, too: he ran 40 yards around 58 minutes just to overlap Gordon (because Spence was still in a defensive position).
Anthony Gordon (off ’65): 5
Completely pocketed by the brilliant Marvin Senaya in the first half. Gordon was frustrating (and frustrated) at times, but was isolated for large parts of the game, and looked at his most dangerous when combining with team-mates.
Given the competition from Rashford on the left-wing, this will be seen as an opportunity missed for Gordon to show what he can do in that position. An average showing, all in all.
Harry Kane: 6
Virtually anonymous in the first half – but more down to the brilliance of Ghana’s low block than anything else. Most of the country moan about him drifting too deep, but was he too static in waiting for the ball and not affecting play enough?
Should have won the game on 85 mintues, however, blasting the ball over, following O’Reilly hitting the bar. One of them days.
SUB: Bukayo Saka: 7 (on ’65)
Showed in a couple of glimpses why he’s the first-choice on the right-wing, having the best shot of the match and having the beating of his full-back. His fitness will be hugely important going forward.
SUB: Nico O’Reilly: 6 (on ’65)
Hit the bar on 85 minutes with a header, showing exactly what he does at Manchester City. Didn’t get much of an opperunity to show his worth tonight but could be key going forward in this tournament.
SUB: Morgan Rogers: 6 (on ’72)
Struggled to find space. Had a couple of mazy runs with the ball but would have preferred a clear sight of goal outside the box… and just didn’t get one.
SUB: Eberechi Eze: 6 (on ’72)
Showed flashes of elegance on the ball but didn’t really get much of a chance to dictate. Will want another chance against Panama.
SUB: Marcus Rashford: 6 (on ’83)
Looked confident receiving the ball but didn’t run into space, as he’d have liked (there wasn’t much).