Greece 0-3 England: Jude Bellingham and Curtis Jones star but Ollie Watkins fails to take chance despite scoring opener

football Thursday 14 November 2024 23:28, UK

Curtis Jones has gone up a gear at Liverpool under Arne Slot and he took that form into his England debut - making a case to be included alongside must-pick midfielders Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham when Thomas Tuchel takes the reins in March.

Lee Carsley knows about Jones' quality from the U21s but this was an exhibition of his all-round talents in a tough arena with the pressure on. There was the calmness and precision in possession, the physicality to land a game-high four tackles, and then the technical ability and flair to flick in that wonderful third goal for England.

There may have been a huge number of players pull out of this England squad but Jones seized his opportunity. He's become an important first-team figure with his club and he clearly has the potential to become that for his country, too.
Peter Smith

In truth, 3-0 flatters England somewhat. It might have been very different, had Jordan Pickford not made two world-class saves when the game was still very much in the balance.

It wasn't just his ability to react instinctively to those two efforts from Kostas Tsimikas and Fotis Ioannidis. He was perplexed when booked inside 27 minutes for delaying the restart, but Pickford kept his composure.

It was his decision-making at set-pieces, getting clean contact on punches, and his distribution from back to front when the time was right. Back in the XI after Dean Henderson got the nod in Finland, his status as England's No 1 has never truly been in any doubt but he returned to his best form in Athens.

Already boasting his country's goalkeeping record for major tournament clean sheets, penalty saves, shoot-out wins and consecutive tournament starts, it is time we started debating whether Pickford is in fact England's greatest ever goalkeeper.
Ben Grounds

"It was about players getting an opportunity and we saw that tonight," Carsley said to ITV after the win.

However, despite scoring early on, Watkins likely did not do enough to convince new boss Thomas Tuchel that he was deserving of a regular role as the starting striker.

The early goal was Watkins at his very best. Instinctive finishing inside the area but his promise throughout the game quickly dispersed.

He had a golden opportunity to double England's lead just before half-time but was left frustrated by his first touch, as was the case for the majority of his remaining minutes.

After being replaced by Kane just after the hour mark, England quickly shifted through the gears and made it 3-0.

With Tuchel undoubtedly watching on from home, it was clear to see that England looked a more threatening outfit with their star-man on the field.

Watkins will play a role in the England squad but for now, leading the line is still Kane's job to lose.
Patrick Rowe

This was Noni Madueke's first start for England, just reward for his displays under Enzo Maresca for Chelsea this term - and the 22-year-old was arguably the best player during the first half.

The most pleasing aspect of his role in Watkins' opener was how he didn't admire his Cruyff flick into the path of Bellingham; he followed his run to collect the return pass and carefully set up the striker for a simple finish.

It was superb wing-play and Madueke has all the attributes to shine at international level. There is still room for improvement defensively, with Tsimikas running off him to have one of Greece's better chances, but Madueke's bristling confidence and intelligence bodes well for the future.

He created more chances than anyone in the match (3) while no player had more touches in the opposition box (5).

Bukayo Saka has at times looked a man in need of cover at club level when his body has been at breaking point, but with Cole Palmer adapting to a more central role, it is Madueke who emerging as England's best back-up option on the right.
Ben Grounds

England's golden boy has struggled to replicate the feats of his first season at Real Madrid this term, but there are signs he is getting back into the groove.

Belatedly off the mark for the campaign after scoring last weekend against Osasuna, all eyes were on if Bellingham would put his streak of bad luck behind him. Carsley was without several senior players in Athens, and here it looked like the midfielder relished the extra responsibility.

He claimed a pre-assist for Watkins' opener and it was evident that his youthful partnership with Noni Madueke worked through the way England dominated the right channel in the first 20 minutes.

This match proved that Bellingham should never be doubted when it comes to his country and ultimately, England play better when he is in the side.

Speaking to ITV afterwards, he said: "We are a young team. We are all playing very well for our clubs are all exciting players and want to get on the ball to be creative, so we are going to lose the ball.

"So it was amazing no matter how many times we lost it, we kept on doing it, which was the most important thing in the end - perseverance."

A quality that Bellingham embodies.
Amy Hamerslagh

England's final Nations League game, and Lee Carsley's last in charge, sees the Republic of Ireland visit Wembley on Sunday, kick-off 5pm.