The winners and losers from England’s October internationals | OneFootball

England’s performances during October’s international break were a mixed bag, as the Three Lions continued their UEFA Nations League campaign against Greece and Finland.

A humbling home defeat to the former dampened the early optimism brought in by Lee Carsley’s arrival as interim manager before England expectedly returned to winning ways in Helsinki on Sunday evening.

After another camp, we’ve looked at the winners and losers from England’s October internationals.

Winner: Trent Alexander-Arnold

Arguably for the first time, Trent Alexander-Arnold is enjoying his football in an England shirt. Gareth Southgate never truly trusted the Liverpool right-back, with his safety-first football at odds with Alexander-Arnold’s adventurous game. Carsley has handed the keys to the 26-year-old, however, and has been rewarded.

Alexander-Arnold has claimed three man-of-the-match awards in Carsley’s four games in charge, including against Finland on Sunday. He led his England teammates for touches (130), passes (110), shots (3) and crosses (4), in addition to scoring with a fantastic free-kick.

The criticism of Alexander-Arnold has never been the end product and the true tests await defensively when the opposition steps up. However, there is no right-back in world football capable of what Alexander-Arnold can do. England must find a place for him.

Loser: Phil Foden

Phil Foden finds himself as the odd one out for England. While Bukayo Saka and, to a lesser extent, Jude Bellingham have delivered for the Three Lions, Foden has struggled to find the form so often seen in a Manchester City shirt. After an anonymous outing against Greece, in which Foden failed to register a shot, dribble, cross, or create a chance, he was dropped to the bench for the win in Finland.

The 24-year-old has now scored just four goals in 43 caps for England, while he’s failed to score or assist in his last 16 appearances for the Three Lions. Coaxing more from him needs to be a priority for England.

Winner: Angel Gomes

Having impressed on his full England debut in September, Angel Gomes was brought back into the side in Finland after an experimental midfield was left exposed in defeat to Greece.

The 24-year-old passed his audition alongside Declan Rice, receiving the ball comfortably in tight areas of the pitch and providing the positional discipline to allow the Arsenal midfielder to roam forwards.

Though not a specialist defensive midfielder, Gomes’ press-resistance is a welcome addition for the Three Lions. He also showed his ability further forward, including a superb round-the-corner pass to set up Jack Grealish’s opener on Helsinki. The balance was better with Gomes alongside Rice.

Loser: Cole Palmer

Cole Palmer might have been the Premier League’s finest footballer over the opening weeks of the season. The 22-year-old was handed his first competitive starts against Greece and Finland, though he was unable to produce the performance levels seen in West London.

An unfamiliar box-to-box role against Greece did Palmer no favours, though he failed to find his form when moved to a more familiar position on the right against Finland. After an instant impact at Chelsea, this month’s internationals showed that Palmer – who has just 10 caps – may need time to find his role in the England side.

Winner: Jack Grealish

Jack Grealish has taken his snub from Euro 2024 personally. Having publicly admitted he disagreed with Gareth Southgate’s decision to leave him out of the squad last summer, Grealish has found his former under interim head coach Carsley.

After scoring against the Republic of Ireland in September, Grealish was on the scoresheet again in Finland to double his international haul in just four games under the new manager.

The 29-year-old is one of the few players who does not look fazed in an England shirt, while his ball-carrying and ability to retain the ball in high areas of the pitch are ideally suited to the demands of the international game.

Loser: Kyle Walker

Kyle Walker has done incredibly well to see off the competition for England’s right-back role, with Kieran Trippier, Reece James and Trent Alexander-Arnold all unable to dislodge the 34-year-old under Gareth Southgate.

Lee Carsley’s more progressive brand of football has threatened Walker’s place, however, and the defender’s lack of contribution going forward was evident against Finland. Loose in possession and caught out of position on occasion defensively as Finland threatened in transition, the 91-cap full-back could be squeezed out.

Read – England player ratings vs Finland: Gomes good, Trent shines

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