It ended Czech Republic 0 England 2 on Tuesday night in Prague.
Thomas Tuchel and his players bouncing back from the 3-2 defeat to Spain.
The red card for Sulc on 25 minutes for a really poor studs up challenge on Elliot Anderson all but ensured England were going to win.
Before that sending off the visitors had put together a few decent moves but as is so often the case, the opposition were gifted some very decent early chances as the centre of England’s defence creaked alarmingly. Against better opposition they could and would have been punished.
As it happened, this match was simply yet another perfect illustration of just how ordinary, with rare exceptions, the pool of ‘talent’ is that’s available to Thomas Tuchel.
It is easier to concentrate on those few rare exceptions.
Elliot Anderson did okay in midfield as Lewis-Skelly once again proved he isn’t any kind of an answer in midfield for England. The Manchester City midfielder seeing things get no better when he was saddled with yet another poor Arsenal player, as Eze replaced Lewis-Skelly. Attacking players should thrive when facing ten men for most of a match, especially when it is an average opposing team to start with.
Yet only Anthony Gordon and Lewis Hall showed that. They were both excellent on the left side and the Barcelona winger just edging out the Newcastle United fan and player for the man of the match award. The pair carried pretty much all of England’s threat and tortured the Czechs down that side.
Whilst on the other side of the pitch….Saka was shocking, offered nothing. Trent Alexander-Arnold not quite as bad but the media reaction simply embarrassing and so predictable after this game. The former Liverpool right-back looked vulnerable as always in defence and contributed so little in the match apart from a few moments and taking corners. He hit one good but hopeful long cross into a decent area and Anthony Gordon made it an assist with a superb header that was so difficult as the ball bounced up and he had to catch it with perfection, which he did.
It is laughable then that after contributing so little else, so many lazy and agenda-led journalists are wanting to make the big post-match story one of surely this must mean Trent Alexander-Arnold has to be first choice right-back for England…
It has been shown that he can’t play as a midfielder and time and again it is proved that he can’t defend to save his life as a right-back. He is a kid in the playground type of player, someone who can play some good passes if given all the time and space in the world AND not asked to do any defending. I would far rather even play Quansah there, which is saying something!
That Gordon goal on 47 minutes at last ended any Czech hopes of clinging on for a goalless draw.
Rogers had been totally anonymous apart from one clever turn and shot that unluckily came back off the post. However, just like Saka and the rest he refused to take on the responsibility of taking the ten men opposition apart, only Hall and Gordon accepting that challenge.
It was so refreshing to see them repeatedly carve open the right side of the Czech defence and if only England had others on the same level, in terms of ability AND effort. Once England were 2-0 up we saw Ngumoha, Scott and Gibbs-White do alright as late subs, Bellingham the same of course as he was only used for the last 20 minutes of this game.
Harry Kane provided a clinical finish when the ball luckily fell for him unmarked ten yards out on 67 minutes but that doesn’t cover up another terrible performance. Having a striker who gives so little else and struggles to even jog, surely England need to give an alternative a decent run, even though there are no stand out options to replace him.
With Bellingham, Gordon, Rice, Hall and Anderson, England do have the makings of half a quality team. Maybe Trafford can show he is on a similar level if continuing to get a chance ahead of the limited Pickford. Where though England get the other half of their outfield team from is anybody’s guess. One thing for sure, the likes of Kane, Alexander-Arnold, Saka, Lewis-Skelly, Rogers, Chalobah and Guehi are not the answer.
England team v Czech Republic:
Trafford, Alexander-Arnold, Chalobah, Guehi, Hall, Anderson (Scott), Lewis-Skelly (Eze), Rogers, Saka (Ngumoha 71), Kane (Bellingham 71), Gordon (Gibbs-White 81)
Unused subs:
Pickford, Steele, Konsa, Branthwaite, Garner, Calvert-Lewin, Quansah
Thomas Tuchel named his England squad 12 days ago but then lost five of the players to injury – Tino Livramento, Kobbie Mainoo, Cole Palmer, Marcus Rashford and Declan Rice.
At the same time as naming five withdrawing, The FA named two that had been added, James Garner and Morgan Gibbs-White.
Next then for Thomas Tuchel and his players it is Croatia v England at 5pm on Saturday 3 October. Finally, it is England v Czech Republic at 7.45pm on Tuesday 6 October.
Instead of having three international breaks each for a fortnight in September, October and November, the football authorities have combined the September and October 2026 ones in just one that lasts three weeks. The November 2026 break remains the same, lasting two weeks.
The England squad (see below) after the five dropped out and the two came in:
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Jason Steele (Brighton & Hove Albion), James Trafford (Leeds United)
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Real Madrid), Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Trevoh Chalobah (Como), Marc Guéhi (Manchester City), Lewis Hall (Newcastle United), Ezri Konsa (Arsenal) Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City), Jarrell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen)
Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Manchester City), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Alex Scott (AFC Bournemouth)
Forwards: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds United), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Anthony Gordon (Barcelona), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool), Morgan Rogers (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)