by Craig Laycock
Original article:
England took on New Zealand in a pre-tournament warm up tonight. But what can we take away from a restrained contest which saw Thomas Tuchel deploy two different XIs, one in each half?
First off, let’s address the elephant in the room. What on earth was that pitch?
Image: Reddit
Looking like a hastily-assembled tapestry smashed together by a drunkard, this monstrosity was deemed acceptable to host an international friendly featuring two teams about to enter a month-long tournament.
Surely there’s a minimum standard of pitch required to prevent silly injuries right before a World Cup?
In the end, the fretting was academic as everyone emerged unscathed. But, why risk it? Why did the FA not have a contractual agreement for a minimum standard of facility? Even the goals looked like they were pulled out of a shed from the 1994 World Cup. Maybe they were.
As for the game itself, should we be worried about the relatively minor margin of victory for England? No.
Tuchel took the opportunity here to mix and match two XIs, and experimented in an attempt to rotate everyone in. Can we read anything into Rogers starting ahead of Bellingham in the number 10 role? Probably not too much.
Not least because Bellingham ended up wielding the captain’s armband when he came on in the second half. But we do know Tuchel is a big fan of form, and it’s undeniable that Rogers has been firing on all cylinders for Villa this season while Bellingham’s campaign has spluttered.
In the end, you need to make the most of your squad in a tournament and I’m certain both will get minutes against different opposition. Bellingham may be the big game player vs Croatia, with Rogers coming in against the likes of Panama.
As for the scoreline, this was really a run-out in the heat to assess how things were clicking tactically, rather than an exercise in the destruction of the 2026 World Cup’s lowest-ranked side. England’s ranks are packed with players used to beating teams from the bottom half of the Premier League and FA Cup, where it’s not unheard of to come up against a low-block.
We know they can do it, and Tuchel won’t care about the margin of victory anywhere near as much as the armchair pundits chucking pints at their screens in ruddy-cheeked rage. Indeed, conserving energy after a long season and ahead of a World Cup which will feature more games than any prior (should England make it through to the latter stages) is no bad thing.
As to how the players got on, Rashford looked lively in the first half on the left, with more touches than any of England’s other front-four, perhaps with a hint of extra motivation in his step after the awkward timing of Anthony Gordon’s move to Barca and question marks over Rashford’s future. He’ll have done his chances of selection no harm.
The first half saw England smash plenty of crosses into the box, showing an impressive level of cross-based chance creation from wide areas (even if many were more wayward than Tuchel would have liked). In the second half, we saw a slightly different pattern of play, with wide players playing more inverted and direct, cutting inside.
Of some concern might be England’s profligacy in front of goal. 23 shots, 4 on target is not great reading ahead of the tournament. But with Kane scoring again, the talismanic front man looks to be capable of wrestling goals from the ether in his usual style.
Ultimately, we think the result is largely meaningless. But a run out in warm conditions on a less-than-favourable pitch, and the opportunity to try two sets of players out bodes well for Tuchel’s data-collection, and you wouldn’t doubt that he’ll put the knowledge gained to great effect when England kick off the tournament against Croatia on June 17th.
8 min read
England took on New Zealand in a pre-tournament warm up tonight. But what can we take away from a restrained contest which saw Thomas Tuchel deploy two different XIs, one in each half?
First off, let’s address the elephant in the room. What on earth was that pitch?
Image: Reddit
Looking like a hastily-assembled tapestry smashed together by a drunkard, this monstrosity was deemed acceptable to host an international friendly featuring two teams about to enter a month-long tournament.
Surely there’s a minimum standard of pitch required to prevent silly injuries right before a World Cup?
In the end, the fretting was academic as everyone emerged unscathed. But, why risk it? Why did the FA not have a contractual agreement for a minimum standard of facility? Even the goals looked like they were pulled out of a shed from the 1994 World Cup. Maybe they were.
As for the game itself, should we be worried about the relatively minor margin of victory for England? No.
Tuchel took the opportunity here to mix and match two XIs, and experimented in an attempt to rotate everyone in. Can we read anything into Rogers starting ahead of Bellingham in the number 10 role? Probably not too much.
Not least because Bellingham ended up wielding the captain’s armband when he came on in the second half. But we do know Tuchel is a big fan of form, and it’s undeniable that Rogers has been firing on all cylinders for Villa this season while Bellingham’s campaign has spluttered.
In the end, you need to make the most of your squad in a tournament and I’m certain both will get minutes against different opposition. Bellingham may be the big game player vs Croatia, with Rogers coming in against the likes of Panama.
As for the scoreline, this was really a run-out in the heat to assess how things were clicking tactically, rather than an exercise in the destruction of the 2026 World Cup’s lowest-ranked side. England’s ranks are packed with players used to beating teams from the bottom half of the Premier League and FA Cup, where it’s not unheard of to come up against a low-block.
We know they can do it, and Tuchel won’t care about the margin of victory anywhere near as much as the armchair pundits chucking pints at their screens in ruddy-cheeked rage. Indeed, conserving energy after a long season and ahead of a World Cup which will feature more games than any prior (should England make it through to the latter stages) is no bad thing.
As to how the players got on, Rashford looked lively in the first half on the left, with more touches than any of England’s other front-four, perhaps with a hint of extra motivation in his step after the awkward timing of Anthony Gordon’s move to Barca and question marks over Rashford’s future. He’ll have done his chances of selection no harm.
The first half saw England smash plenty of crosses into the box, showing an impressive level of cross-based chance creation from wide areas (even if many were more wayward than Tuchel would have liked). In the second half, we saw a slightly different pattern of play, with wide players playing more inverted and direct, cutting inside.
Of some concern might be England’s profligacy in front of goal. 23 shots, 4 on target is not great reading ahead of the tournament. But with Kane scoring again, the talismanic front man looks to be capable of wrestling goals from the ether in his usual style.
Ultimately, we think the result is largely meaningless. But a run out in warm conditions on a less-than-favourable pitch, and the opportunity to try two sets of players out bodes well for Tuchel’s data-collection, and you wouldn’t doubt that he’ll put the knowledge gained to great effect when England kick off the tournament against Croatia on June 17th.
England v NZ: What did we learn?
You son of a pitch.
Original article:
Last updated:
England took on New Zealand in a pre-tournament warm up tonight. But what can we take away from a restrained contest which saw Thomas Tuchel deploy two different XIs, one in each half?
First off, let’s address the elephant in the room. What on earth was that pitch?
Image: Reddit
Looking like a hastily-assembled tapestry smashed together by a drunkard, this monstrosity was deemed acceptable to host an international friendly featuring two teams about to enter a month-long tournament.
Surely there’s a minimum standard of pitch required to prevent silly injuries right before a World Cup?
In the end, the fretting was academic as everyone emerged unscathed. But, why risk it? Why did the FA not have a contractual agreement for a minimum standard of facility? Even the goals looked like they were pulled out of a shed from the 1994 World Cup. Maybe they were.
As for the game itself, should we be worried about the relatively minor margin of victory for England? No.
Tuchel took the opportunity here to mix and match two XIs, and experimented in an attempt to rotate everyone in. Can we read anything into Rogers starting ahead of Bellingham in the number 10 role? Probably not too much.
Not least because Bellingham ended up wielding the captain’s armband when he came on in the second half. But we do know Tuchel is a big fan of form, and it’s undeniable that Rogers has been firing on all cylinders for Villa this season while Bellingham’s campaign has spluttered.
In the end, you need to make the most of your squad in a tournament and I’m certain both will get minutes against different opposition. Bellingham may be the big game player vs Croatia, with Rogers coming in against the likes of Panama.
As for the scoreline, this was really a run-out in the heat to assess how things were clicking tactically, rather than an exercise in the destruction of the 2026 World Cup’s lowest-ranked side. England’s ranks are packed with players used to beating teams from the bottom half of the Premier League and FA Cup, where it’s not unheard of to come up against a low-block.
We know they can do it, and Tuchel won’t care about the margin of victory anywhere near as much as the armchair pundits chucking pints at their screens in ruddy-cheeked rage. Indeed, conserving energy after a long season and ahead of a World Cup which will feature more games than any prior (should England make it through to the latter stages) is no bad thing.
As to how the players got on, Rashford looked lively in the first half on the left, with more touches than any of England’s other front-four, perhaps with a hint of extra motivation in his step after the awkward timing of Anthony Gordon’s move to Barca and question marks over Rashford’s future. He’ll have done his chances of selection no harm.
The first half saw England smash plenty of crosses into the box, showing an impressive level of cross-based chance creation from wide areas (even if many were more wayward than Tuchel would have liked). In the second half, we saw a slightly different pattern of play, with wide players playing more inverted and direct, cutting inside.
Of some concern might be England’s profligacy in front of goal. 23 shots, 4 on target is not great reading ahead of the tournament. But with Kane scoring again, the talismanic front man looks to be capable of wrestling goals from the ether in his usual style.
Ultimately, we think the result is largely meaningless. But a run out in warm conditions on a less-than-favourable pitch, and the opportunity to try two sets of players out bodes well for Tuchel’s data-collection, and you wouldn’t doubt that he’ll put the knowledge gained to great effect when England kick off the tournament against Croatia on June 17th.
8 min read
England v NZ: What did we learn?
You son of a pitch.
England took on New Zealand in a pre-tournament warm up tonight. But what can we take away from a restrained contest which saw Thomas Tuchel deploy two different XIs, one in each half?
First off, let’s address the elephant in the room. What on earth was that pitch?
Image: Reddit
Looking like a hastily-assembled tapestry smashed together by a drunkard, this monstrosity was deemed acceptable to host an international friendly featuring two teams about to enter a month-long tournament.
Surely there’s a minimum standard of pitch required to prevent silly injuries right before a World Cup?
In the end, the fretting was academic as everyone emerged unscathed. But, why risk it? Why did the FA not have a contractual agreement for a minimum standard of facility? Even the goals looked like they were pulled out of a shed from the 1994 World Cup. Maybe they were.
As for the game itself, should we be worried about the relatively minor margin of victory for England? No.
Tuchel took the opportunity here to mix and match two XIs, and experimented in an attempt to rotate everyone in. Can we read anything into Rogers starting ahead of Bellingham in the number 10 role? Probably not too much.
Not least because Bellingham ended up wielding the captain’s armband when he came on in the second half. But we do know Tuchel is a big fan of form, and it’s undeniable that Rogers has been firing on all cylinders for Villa this season while Bellingham’s campaign has spluttered.
In the end, you need to make the most of your squad in a tournament and I’m certain both will get minutes against different opposition. Bellingham may be the big game player vs Croatia, with Rogers coming in against the likes of Panama.
As for the scoreline, this was really a run-out in the heat to assess how things were clicking tactically, rather than an exercise in the destruction of the 2026 World Cup’s lowest-ranked side. England’s ranks are packed with players used to beating teams from the bottom half of the Premier League and FA Cup, where it’s not unheard of to come up against a low-block.
We know they can do it, and Tuchel won’t care about the margin of victory anywhere near as much as the armchair pundits chucking pints at their screens in ruddy-cheeked rage. Indeed, conserving energy after a long season and ahead of a World Cup which will feature more games than any prior (should England make it through to the latter stages) is no bad thing.
As to how the players got on, Rashford looked lively in the first half on the left, with more touches than any of England’s other front-four, perhaps with a hint of extra motivation in his step after the awkward timing of Anthony Gordon’s move to Barca and question marks over Rashford’s future. He’ll have done his chances of selection no harm.
The first half saw England smash plenty of crosses into the box, showing an impressive level of cross-based chance creation from wide areas (even if many were more wayward than Tuchel would have liked). In the second half, we saw a slightly different pattern of play, with wide players playing more inverted and direct, cutting inside.
Of some concern might be England’s profligacy in front of goal. 23 shots, 4 on target is not great reading ahead of the tournament. But with Kane scoring again, the talismanic front man looks to be capable of wrestling goals from the ether in his usual style.
Ultimately, we think the result is largely meaningless. But a run out in warm conditions on a less-than-favourable pitch, and the opportunity to try two sets of players out bodes well for Tuchel’s data-collection, and you wouldn’t doubt that he’ll put the knowledge gained to great effect when England kick off the tournament against Croatia on June 17th.
8 min read