Wing wonders
England boss Gareth Southgate reflects on the attacking prowess of his side in Montenegro
Gareth Southgate was pleased to see his plan come together in Podgorica, as England hit five goals for the second game in succession against Montenegro.
The Three Lions boss revealed he had targeted progress from the flanks in this game and he was rewarded with a fluent attacking performance.
Goals from Michael Keane, Ross Barkley (2), Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling proved enough on the night, after England fallen behind to Marko Vesovic’s opener.
But it was the performance of Sterling and 18-year-old debutant Callum Hudson-Odoi who had the manager purring.
“I’m really pleased,” he said.
“The game was a simple one, in that we had talked all week about using the width and making sure that we didn’t turn down the option of using our wingers.
“That was where we were fabulously productive on the night and young Callum Hudson-Odoi put in a fabulous performance and showed what he’s shown us all week.
“And for the team to recover from going a goal behind, at a place which has been very difficult for us before, we showed some good character and it was a good test for us.”
Chelsea youngster Hudson-Odoi is one of the latest in a line of Young Lions to step up and join Southgate’s squad, having previously impressed with the development teams.
And, like any of his younger players, Southgate wants to see them all working hard to improve and keep their place in his group.
“With young players, it’s always up to them,” he added.
“You can see the talent, and his application with us has been excellent and he’s got to continue that.
“It’s a great step forward for him, but like any player, you’ve got to constantly work and look to improve.”
Southgate also revealed that England will be reporting racist abuse of players to UEFA, following an incident late in the second half.
“We’ll report it, I know what I heard, abuse of Danny Rose when he got booked at the end of the game,” he said.
“There’s no doubt in my mind at what happened. We’ll make sure that’s reported officially because it’s not acceptable. We’ve got to make sure we support our players.”
Five-star England find their shooting boots in Podgorica
England rounded off their first pair of Euro Qualifiers with victory over Montenegro on Monday, clocking up a 5-1 scoreline in Podgorica.
It means the Three Lions now have six points to their name in Group A, and with no more qualifiers until September, they can now turn their attentions to this summer’s Nations League Finals.
And Gareth Southgate’s side will head to Portugal with confidence, after another flowing performance against a nation who have previously proved tricky opposition.
This was England’s first win in Montenegro, having drawn on their two previous trips to Podgorica, and despite a comfortable scoreline in the end, they had to come from behind following Marko Vesovic’s opening goal.
With another young lineup, in which Callum Hudson-Odoi became the second youngest player to make his full debut in a competitive game since Wayne Rooney, the Three Lions could’ve crumbled.
But Southgate’s charges put the pressures to one side, stuck to their gameplan and sure enough, the goals followed with Michael Keane, a Ross Barkley brace, captain Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling all hitting the mark.
By the time Sterling had scored the fifth, it felt like a long time since England had been stunned when the hosts took the lead with their first real foray forward.
A long ball from the back was nodded down by Zarko Tomasevic and when Keane’s header out was picked up by Vesovic, he did the rest by placing a fine finish past Jordan Pickford after enjoying a little fortune to break past Keane’s challenge.
The strike brought the home crowd into a little more life, but England quickly steadied themselves and drew level just 12 minutes later. And it was Keane who made amends, with the Everton man nodding firmly home from a wonderfully flighted free-kick by Barkley.
Nine minutes later, England were ahead. Hudson-Odoi, who had just switched wings with Sterling, was given possession on the left and after cutting inside the area, his shot towards goal was diverted home with a firm side-foot from Barkley.
The impressive Hudson-Odoi came closer five minutes after the break, when he collected a pass from Kane to break inside and glide past two defenders, only for Danijel Petkovic to tip his low shot around the post.
England didn’t have to wait long for a third though, as Barkley smashed home his second of the evening after Sterling had done well to dig out a half-cleared cross from the right.
Kane added the fourth when Sterling led a lightning-quick breakaway, before crossing for his captain to slot home a simple finish.
And Sterling got the goal he deserved shortly after when substitute Jordan Henderson, in his 50th senior appearance, played a pass through for the Manchester City man. He made no mistake, slipping a low shot under Petkovic to add another international goal to his tally following last Friday’s treble against Czech Republic and completing another five-star display for the Three Lions.
