England are exerting pressure on Slovenia early, yet cannot break through their defences. Foden manages to get the ball onto his feet on the edge of the box but cannot pass past a defender before passing to one of his teammates who passes it back again.
Mainoo was fouled by Drkusic on England’s left wing and has earned them a free-kick in an unsafe area; Foden will take it.
In this article, we will discuss the main points or high lights of England National Football Team vs Slovenia National Football Team Timeline.
England: Pickford
Jordan Pickford has been an instrumental component in England’s defence and his shot-stopping skills are outstanding, yet they lack creativity going forward with Phil Foden and Declan Rice struggling to connect with Kane.
Bellingham moves to intercept a pass but fails and then throws his arms up in frustration – not his finest hour.
Trippier wastes an excellent free-kick opportunity with an ineffectual cross that hits Bellingham squarely on the shoulder and heads out for a corner kick.
Trippier and Kane combine well on the edge of the box but Kane cannot direct his shot towards goal. Mainoo then passes to Palmer but Jan Oblak easily saves his low effort – leaving the England section fuming after yet another disappointing night for Gareth Southgate’s men.
Trippier
England’s full back continues to provide energy and drive from left-side of defence, though not quite at his highest levels yet. There have been glimpses of brilliance but this season hasn’t reached full bloom yet.
Rice plays a one-two with Foden before driving into the box and striking a cross that would have found Saka but for an assistant’s flag being raised for offside.
Trippier advances forward and sends in a ball towards the edge of the box for Foden to attack, however the Manchester City attacker was unable to get his foot around it and it went out for a corner kick. Southgate attempts to spark his team by replacing Saka with Cole Palmer; Chelsea defender Cole is an energetic addition that provides pace and energy in their midfield and partners Rice well; quickly turning, tackling, as well as passing well.
Bellingham
After a lackluster first half performance from England fans, Southgate promised his side would regain energy and inspiration, yet none is evident here.
Bellingham’s performance has been of major concern. The much-touted creative fulcrum has failed to exert his usual influence in German games and is no longer providing Real Madrid with the spark and drive seen during his debut season, becoming involved in pushy incidents against opponents and arguments with officials as part of their debut campaign in Germany.
Mainoo provides a breath of fresh air with his direct running style. He quickly linked up with Foden and attempted to play one-twos together, however the Manchester City player was soon out of play due to crowding. Mainoo then went close with a half volley attempt that went wide of the post.
Guehi
Guehi hails from Grove Park Estate near Gareth Southgate and was brought through Chelsea Academy. At 23-years-old he made an impactful impact during England’s group stage campaign at Euro 2024, starting all four games and becoming an invaluable member of their defence.
He quickly disproves claims he is England’s top player, crediting team-mate Harry Maguire with his improvement. Maguire credits him as being a strong leader both club- and international-wise on the pitch.
Here, he battles Newcastle’s Allan Saint-Maximin stride for stride as they defend against a ball played at them, before showing his ability to execute an effective diagonal switch pass with his left foot to Michael Olise – something most players find easy but this skillful passer can do effortlessly, creating space for his teammates.
Palmer
England had control of possession and territory but were unable to penetrate Slovenia’s resilient defence, led by Jan Oblak (keeper). They simply lacked either quality or creativity needed to break them down.
Bellingham finds Foden with a pass, but his run is blocked and an assistant flagged him offside. Bellingham then tried to set up Saka with another pass but the striker could not connect – England are making more of an effort to pin their hosts back but have yet to create clear cut chances; Southgate is using Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield instead of Luke Shaw but Declan Rice could be used alongside him and neither player are having as big an effect as expected; nevertheless a 0-0 draw ensures England finish top of Group C
Foden
Noise at RheinEnergieStadion has been deafening, yet England have made an inauspicious start to their match against Germany. Their possession is disorganized and several players appear to be performing below par.
Trippier attempts to make amends, yet his pass into the right was too long for Saka to get onside in time. Instead, he runs with it to the edge of the box where he attempts a long shot that sails past Jan Oblak’s goalkeeper and sails over.
Rice and Foden have been the Three Lions’ go-to attacking duo so far. Foden, who is making strides up the pitch, often plays one-two passes with Rice before unleashing a speculative shot that just missed its target by inches – though this shot would technically have been offside anyway; hopefully soon enough they’ll score!
Kane
Gareth Southgate’s team were far from impressive in their opening Group C match against Denmark and need a solid performance here to have any chance at reaching the knockout stage. Unfortunately, things got off to a bad start – with Bellingham and Guehi giving away cheaply before Slovenia’s Sesko had an opportunity for a free header inside their box.
England have performed admirably, keeping Slovenia within their own box and defending deftly, yet they lack inspiration and direction. Kobbie Mainoo looks promising while Cole Palmer has shown energy during attack while Anthony Gordon proved adept in distribution.
Trippier was replaced by Walker. Foden tried to dink one over for Kane but was offside, losing their chance. Bukayo Saka also took a shot, which proved inconsequential; more should have been done to get into the box; otherwise this match wouldn’t have reached this level of excitement.
Walker
England and Slovenia national football teams have met multiple times throughout their respective histories in various major matches that have demonstrated both sides’ respective strengths, and unearthed emerging talent on both sides. Furthermore, these encounters helped shape international football’s development over time.
Gareth Southgate must deliver an emphatic performance against Slovenia tonight to turn around his team’s dreadful campaign, or they risk falling to Denmark and falling from contention altogether.
Foden attempts a free kick that Jan Oblak easily manages, then wins a corner with an effective flick from which Palmer heads wide from close range. At 45 minutes the game remains even but England fans are growing restless; as such Anthony Gordon comes on for Foden who had an indifferent start.
Rice
England are in need of an upgrade in midfield and they could turn to Kobbie Mainoo as an answer. He has not made the desired impact with England thus far and struggles to form meaningful bonds with Declan Rice.
He continues to lose the ball far too often and doesn’t resemble the player who made such an impression against Serbia. Bellingham hasn’t helped matters either and appears anxious on the sidelines.
Saka
Bukayo Saka, who only recently turned 17, makes his England debut in this match and shows great promise with his speed and ingenuity causing havoc to Slovenia’s defence.
Breaking through the middle, he plays a first-time ball to Rice on the edge of the box, before Manchester City star fired it across to Saka but an assistant referee flagged it as offside.
Foden and Rice have produced England’s only notable chances thus far while Kane remains disinterested. Benjamin Sesko of RB Leipzig, though an obvious threat, was denied by a linesman’s flag before England won several corners; Mainoo has since been swapped out with Gallagher.
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