Young Arsenal and Everton stars were handed chances alongside Chelsea veteran, recently released Frank Lampard, and Southampton’s Adam Lallana. Who impressed?
England manager Roy Hodgson blended youth with experience as England’s second string side took on Costa Rica, but it did not pay off with a win.
The result was a drab 0-0 draw, with the Three Lions wasteful in front of goal, landing just one of their eight efforts on target.
| Possession | Total Attempts | On Target Attempts | |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 56% | 8 | 1 |
| Costa Rica | 44% | 4 | 2 |
Handed their first starts of the tournament were the midfield quartet of Jack Wilshere, Ross Barkley, Adam Lallana and Frank Lampard.
Barkley and Lallana both picked up bookings during the match against the eventual group winners, with Wilshere and the Southampton man substituted in the second half.
The match could land up to be Frank Lampard’s final game for England, while his selection could be seen as pointless exercise, chosen out of sentiment, how did he actually get on in comparison to his young teammates?
| Match | Matchday | Pos | Key Passes | Total Scoring Attempts | Won Dribbles | Pass Accuracy % | Fwd Pass | Accurate Cross – No Corners | Mins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Wilshere | vs Costa Rica | 03 | MF | 2 | 0 | 1 | 84.85 | 7 | 0 | 73 |
| Frank Lampard | vs Costa Rica | 03 | MF | 1 | 1 | 2 | 88.46 | 20 | 0 | 90 |
| Ross Barkley | vs Costa Rica | 03 | MF | 0 | 1 | 2 | 86.36 | 12 | 0 | 90 |
| Adam Lallana | vs Costa Rica | 03 | MF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 77.78 | 3 | 0 | 62 |
Adam Lallana’s contribution was poor from an attacking perspective, with his passing also the least accurate among his teammates.
Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere was narrowly the most creative player of the bunch, while Lampard was the most composed as suggested by his pass completion rate, offering as much if not better than the acclaimed Ross Barkley in key areas.
| Match | Matchday | Pos | Won Tackles | Interceptions Won | Ball Recoveries | Total Back Zone Pass | Successful Final Third Passes | Mins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Lampard | vs Costa Rica | 03 | MF | 3 | 2 | 10 | 46 | 10 | 90 |
| Adam Lallana | vs Costa Rica | 03 | MF | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 62 |
| Jack Wilshere | vs Costa Rica | 03 | MF | 1 | 1 | 6 | 14 | 8 | 73 |
| Ross Barkley | vs Costa Rica | 03 | MF | 0 | 0 | 8 | 15 | 8 | 90 |
A look at where Frank Lampard played his passes showed that while he was busy keeping the ball in his own half, he actually played more successful balls in the final third of the pitch than any of his teammates too.
Lallana making just two successful passes in the final third is a particularly poor return from a player valued so highly in the transfer market by his club.
Lampard won more tackles, interceptions, and recovered the ball more than any of his teammates in each area, and at least indicated his selection was not totally sentimental.
While the Chelsea man does not represent the future for England, he showed to potential club suitors that he may have plenty more to offer.
More poignantly, the likes of Wilshere and Lallana need to up their game, as they should really have been putting the veteran in the shadows and increasing England’s reasons to be positive.
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