For anyone that missed England’s game with the Republic of Ireland on Sunday – you make a lucky escape. For the most part, it was a truly dire affair, with the performances of a couple of our players perhaps the only highlight.
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The Liverpool stars were certainly out in force, with Jordan Henderson, Adam Lallana, James Milner and Raheem Sterling all featuring in the 0-0 draw. You can read our short review of how they got on in the list below:
Jordan Henderson – 6/10
He kept busy, despite this being his 60th game for club and country over the last twelve months. His passing was a little astray but no one was particularly impressive in that department. He certainly didn’t look as dynamic as he has at times at Anfield this season, although he came close to setting up what would have proved to be the winner early in the second-half, when he played a clever ball through for Wayne Rooney. Unfortunately, the England captain fluffed his lines when he looked to be set for a rare chance.
Adam Lallana – 5/10
Was worryingly quiet after finishing the season strongly with Liverpool. We’re all waiting to see signs of the real, Southampton version of Adam Lallana that has disappeared somewhat over the last twelve months. He did flash one decent shot wide but otherwise the only thing about his game to stand out was his poor passing. He was eventually withdrawn with ten minutes to go, with Arsenal’s Theo Walcott the man to come on and replace him.
James Milner – 6/10
His work-rate was as high as ever and in all honesty his performance was everything you expect from James Milner. Some might call that boring, but if you’re sensible you’ll call it consistent or reliable, and that’s just what Liverpool need right now. He was the only player to take a risk by trying to play the ball into dangerous areas, although he rarely found a teammate that was willing to move and get on the end of it. He’ll do well for us.
Raheem Sterling – 4/10
Every touch he took was booed – because of his contract dispute. Between that and a nasty kick to the face early in the game he never seemed fully focused on the task at hand and was eventually taken off just after the hour mark. There were a couple of trademark runs and one shot that he spooned wide but other than that he was marked out of the game by the Irish defenders, who were given a fairly comfortable afternoon all round.
