England kicked off their Euro qualifying with a bang. Chelsea’s Ross Barkley and Callum Hudson-Odoi both shined as subs without over complicating.
Success at the international level comes down to simplicity. Given the short time international teams spend together, it is up to the manager to find a simple yet effective way for his side to play that showcases the pool’s strength. Gareth Southgate has proven an expert at that.
As such, players do not need to showcase their full skill set from club level. Often times, it is just as effective to keep things simple in the set up. And both Ross Barkley and Callum Hudson-Odoi did that exceptionally well.
England started the match against the Czech Republic in a 4-2-3-1 with Jordan Henderson and Eric Dier in the pivot. But the Czechs pressed so little that it very quickly turned into a 4-3-3 with Dier left to hold alone. But Dier went down injured early and the first sub of the night was to bring Barkley on as Henderson dropped into the deepest spot in a 4-3-3.
Barkley played mostly on the right side of the midfield though in the second half he spent plenty of time on the left as well. His counterpart, Dele Alli, was much freer in his positioning as Barkley opted to stay put most of the time. Barkley looked to keep things simple and always had his head on the swivel looking for teammates that could use a good pass.
Raheem Sterling killed the game off at the hour mark with his second to put England 3-0. But he had one more goal in him, assisted by Barkley, to get his hat trick. That allowed him to be subbed off to plaudits and for Chelsea’s own Hudson-Odoi to make his debut.
Hudson-Odoi looked very much at home in the national team kit. He seemed a little nervy in the opening minutes, but once he settled he began to truly show his talent. He was not as electric as Jadon Sancho but then again that is not Hudson-Odoi’s game anyways.
The young Chelsea player also avoided the pitfall he usually faces when he plays from the left: cutting in to traffic too often. Instead, Hudson-Odoi looked to operate more like he often does on the right as he stayed wide and put cross after cross in.
One of those crosses skidded right across goal for Chelsea’s Tomas Kalas to pass it into his own net. Yes, Chelsea still owns Kalas and no he probably is not going to ever breakthrough in Blue at this point, but surely that should count as a Hudson-Odoi assist because they both are contracted to Chelsea.
England finished the match 5-0 and they now look ahead to Montenegro who should prove an even easier opponent despite the English being away. England has drawn both of their most recent away matches in the country though so complacency should not set in either.
That being said, Southgate has seemingly cracked the code for England. They play a simple yet effective style that suits virtually every player in the pool. Southgate may be weary of too much shuffling around, but Montenegro could offer a chance for both Barkley and Hudson-Odoi to start after their solid opening showings this break.