England managed a 3-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina at St. James’ Park last night in a friendly match in preparation for the European Championships that start later this month. While the result was comfortable in the end, there were periods especially in the first half when England looked second best. There were some standout performers from the game, but there were also some players who will need to do more to impress me, and more importantly, Gareth Southgate.

Eberechi Eze

Appreciation post for Eberechi Eze 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿😮‍💨

This guy was on fire tonight, defenders couldn’t get near him. Was balling out from minute one ⭐️

HAS to be in Southgate’s 26-man squad now 🤷‍♂️💎 pic.twitter.com/oXajSFlNMs

— Rising Ballers (@RisingBallers_) June 3, 2024

In what was a dull first 45 minutes, England’s only bright spark was the Crystal Palace man. Every time he got the ball he looked to beat players, rather than head backwards like many of the other players on the pitch. He was substituted after England’s first goal, but has certainly made a case for being included in Southgate’s plans for this summer’s tournament as the boss looks to cut the squad down.

Trent Alexander-Arnold

Scorer of the Three Lions’ second goal (and what a goal it was) Trent Alexander-Arnold started the game in a deep midfield role and moved back to right-back later in the second half. While in midfield, he controlled the game excellently and a vast majority of England’s attacks came through him, due to his wide passing range. While Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham are definite starters in midfield, Trent has put his name on the final role in that position and only time will tell if Southgate agrees.

Conor Gallagher

Gareth Southgate: “I thought Conor Gallagher was an important performance for us with how important Declan (Rice) is for us. Conor’s work with the ball has improved, we know what he can do without the ball. He showed real maturity.” pic.twitter.com/vuo41MEuoV

— Vince™ (@Blue_Footy) June 4, 2024

As Trent’s partner in defensive midfield, Conor Gallagher really put himself about against Bosnia and Herzegovina contributing to both the attack and the defence. Like Trent, he was able to control the game, especially in the second half, and also gave the players around him more confidence, particularly the likes of Adam Wharton, who came on as a substitute for his England debut. Gallagher’s performance has definitely given Southgate another selection headache in midfield, but is he too similar of a player to Rice to play alongside him?

As mentioned earlier, not every player impressed me in last night’s performance, and while I think no one had a bad game, these three players did not live up to my expectations of them.

Ollie Watkins

Uneventful first 35 minutes for Ollie Watkins with just 3⃣ touches #ThreeLions pic.twitter.com/kghhXl5AlU

— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) June 3, 2024

It now looks as if Ivan Toney is one step ahead of Ollie Watkins in the battle to be Harry Kane’s back up, which seems ridiculous to say seeing as he only scored four Premier League goals all season. Watkins was up against three central defenders last night, which didn’t make it easy for him, but he did have two good opportunities to score before he got substituted around about the hour mark. The Aston Villa man should be worried about his spot on the plane, especially if Southgate decides to only take two number nines, but he still has one more chance to impress, against Iceland later this week.

Marc Guehi

This seems harsh, especially as England kept a clean sheet last night, however Marc Guehi had some shaky moments that, if Bosnia and Herzegovina were more clinical, would have made the game a lot closer. In a position that is not assured in the team, with Harry Maguire’s up and down form, Guehi will be hoping to get another opportunity to prove that he is worthy of a ticket to the Euros.

Cole Palmer

Cole Palmer buries the penalty for his first goal for England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

He's 10/10 from the spot this season 🥶 pic.twitter.com/zBI4r5dcPr

— B/R Football (@brfootball) June 3, 2024

Despite scoring, I think Cole Palmer had a disappointing game. Had the game actually been at the Euros, Kane would’ve taken the penalty instead of him, and he would’ve contributed nothing to the game. The first half was poor from the majority of the England team, and Palmer was unable to drive at the Bosnian defence like Eze was. I think he is also unfortunate that he was substituted, as the game opened up after he scored, allowing players like James Maddison and Jarrod Bowen to provide a greater impact on the game.