England talking points: Jude Bellingham scaling remarkable heights but Kalvin Phillips needs minutes
England wrapped up qualification for Euro 2024 with two matches to spare as Harry Kane’s brace helped Gareth Southgate’s side secure a 3-1 win against Italy; Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford impress but concerns over Kalvin Phillips match fitness linger
Wednesday 18 October 2023 16:00, UK
Bellingham scaling remarkable heights
Jude Bellingham started running deep in his own half and kept on going, his legs pumping and defenders trailing in his wake as the space opened up and the Wembley crowd rose to its feet.
That sensational, surging sprint to set up Marcus Rashford's crucial, second goal as England came from behind to beat Italy and clinch their place in Euro 2024 was an exhilarating sight to behold and just the latest example of a player hitting staggering heights.
England boss Gareth Southgate said after the match: "His mentality is incredible. To show such maturity and humility at such a young age is incredible and we're lucky to have him.
"I think he's been a catalyst. I just think the way he carries himself and the way he plays on the field shows that. He has had that since he walked through the door frankly."
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Harry Maguire said afterwards there is "no chance" that any other midfielder in the world comes close to Bellingham right now and you can't really argue otherwise. Not when this one-man wrecking ball is capable of laying waste to European giants internationally as well as domestically.
- England 3-1 Italy - Match report and reaction
- How the teams lined up | Match stats
- Euro 2024 Qualifying fixtures | Results | Tables
What he is doing, at only 20 years old, is extraordinary. His first 10 games for Real Madrid, the biggest club in the world, have yielded 10 goals. He is yet to find that prolific streak in an England shirt but what does that matter when he is doing so much else?
He won the penalty for England's equaliser, proving too quick for Giovanni Di Lorenzo inside the Italy box, and his explosive power was even more evident for that sensational second goal.
Italy simply could not handle him, their beleaguered players left with little choice but to haul him down. Indeed, in addition to making more successful dribbles than any of his team-mates, Bellingham won the most fouls. He topped the rankings for chances created and interceptions too, underlining his all-round contribution.
His completeness is scary. Or rather, it is scary for England's opponents. For England themselves, it is a reason to dream of Euro 2024 glory. Because, as Italy found, Bellingham can be difficult to stop when he gets going.
Nick Wright
Record-breaker Kane delivers again
Harry Kane had to contend with a lengthy delay before his penalty. Even once the VAR check was finally complete and the referee blew his whistle, he paused and took two deep breaths before firing his spot-kick, with unerring calm, right into the corner.
He said his costly miss from the spot against France at last year's World Cup would haunt him forever in the aftermath of that tournament but it's business as usual for Kane. The same methods, the same relentless capacity to score goals.
His second, finished similarly emphatically after bursting in behind the Italy defence, took him to 61 goals for England and saw him overtake Sir Bobby Charlton as England's record scorer at Wembley. He now has 24 goals at the stadium.
Bellingham is the heartbeat of this England side, but he is not the only one who keeps getting better. Even at 30, the same appears to be true of Kane, who has now been directly involved in 33 goals in his last 30 appearances for England.
Southgate said: "There's a risk we take the goals for granted, but his all-round play, the way he physically dealt with the centre-backs, his vision, his passing… Because we've had him a while, it's easy to underestimate, but he is a top-level player."
Nick Wright
Revitalised Rashford's timely boost
This was more like the Rashford of last season. He produced a clinical finish to put England ahead in the second half and he carried plenty of threat throughout the match.
There had been earlier warning signs, even when England were below-par in the opening period. His knuckleball 30-yard free-kick flew just over Gianluigi Donnarumma's crossbar and the Italy goalkeeper was alert to smother another snapshot on the stroke of half-time.
Rashford's goal appeared all about the driving run of Jude Bellingham, but on second inspection, it was the Manchester United forward's pace and soft touches to move away from two defenders before finding the angle for an unstoppable shot which was made to look easy.
It felt like a performance Rashford sorely needed and this will do his confidence the world of good.
Declan Olley
Phillips can't take Southgate's loyalty for granted
Phillips most have thought he was in for a long night. A surprise inclusion from the start, the forgotten man of Manchester City was lucky to avoid a booking inside 50 seconds after a high boot on Giovanni Di Lorenzo. French referee Clement Turpin showed mercy, but he had little option but to show a yellow card just nine minutes later for a challenge on Davide Frattesi.
This was Phillips' first competitive start for his country since March. Southgate's unwavering loyalty continues to be a huge bone of contention, but the 27-year-old would overcome a shaky start and put his caution behind him. That was until another crunching tackle on Bryan Cristante brought a final warning. Southgate instantly moved to replace him with Jordan Henderson.
"I knew straightaway it was going to be a yellow card," Phillips told Channel 4 on his early booking. "I was quite fortunate in the end not to get sent off. It's the type of player I am, so I've just got to be careful.
"As a footballer, you always want to be playing and that's the case with me. I've not done it enough over the last year-and-a-half. I came in against Scotland and got a yellow card early in that game as well. Luckily, Gareth played me tonight. I want minutes and I want to play at the Euros, so let's see what happens."
With just 70 minutes of Premier League football under his belt this season, Phillips must surely seek a move in January to be certain of his place in Germany.
Ben Grounds
Italy profit from England's makeshift left side
What perhaps pleased Southgate most will have been the manner in which his players responded to Gianluca Scamacca's 15th-minute opener. Italy had appeared to make a blatant play at targeting England's makeshift left side.
Without the injured Luke Shaw and Ben Chilwell, Southgate handed Kieran Trippier his 14th cap in the left-back position. But he and the retreating Rashford were unable to prevent the cross which led to Italy taking a surprise lead, with their first shot of the game.
There was another occasion before half-time when Domenico Berardi and Giovanni Di Lorenzo combined to force an important intervention from Jordan Pickford down the same channel.
Italy lacked the quality on the night to fully expose the perceived weakness; in spite of Trippier's set-piece ability, his preference to use his right foot provides an imbalance. Southgate will be looking to improve this area in preparation for Germany next summer.
Ben Grounds
