“They have been together for a long time with their manager and they have some good players so we knew it was going to be tough”.
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Sam Allardyce needed a moment of luck to snatch victory on his bow as England manager, but goalscorer Adam Lallana had to share the credit with a shiny gold coin. “Sometimes you’ve just got to stick it out until the last minute and thankfully we got the goal”. Faced with a rematch from Euro 2016 against Slovakia, there was every opportunity for Allardyce and England to make a statement.
Much of the post-match debate centred on the performance of captain Wayne Rooney, a player Allardyce said was entitled to a free role due to his years of service as an England worldwide. Harry Kane struggled for service from the wide areas and chances were very rare, and when he did get one it was either blocked or he was harassed then often fouled by Martin Skrtel.
“We played them in the Euros and they are a very well organised team”, Dier told reporters.
Thus, it is important that Allardyce brings out the best in his captain and plays him in an advanced position rather than giving him the freedom to roam all over the field.
England made an assertive start with good periods of possession but Allardyce’s side lacked quality in the final third, the visitors unable to test Kozacik in the Slovakia goal.
Kane was pleased to get Allardyce off to a winning start ahead of a qualification double-header against Malta and Slovenia next month.
However, he added: “But I think I saw a little nervous tension and it’s bound to be in the back of their mind”. Here it is. I had it with me in my pocket, we won, so it’ll stay with me.
“I can see the logic in terms of the odds but it wasn’t a route I felt I was ready to take”.
While Sam Allardyce opted to play Kane as his main striker for his first game as England boss, the arrival of Vincent Janssen at White Hart Lane has resulted in Kane operating in the number 10 role on occasion for his club.
England scraped through a 1-0 victory over Slovakia in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, but captain Wayne Rooney was yet again subject to growing criticism. It’s not a big thing and I think there’s a big over-reaction to it.
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Robert Snodgrass gave Scotland the early edge over neighbour England in Group F with a hat trick on the Mediterranean island as the team chases its first tournament appearance since the 1998 World Cup. He’s been a goalscorer all his life and I want him still to score goals, but he reads a game as he reads it.
