England beat Bosnia Herzegovina in friendly

 England beat Bosnia Herzegovina in friendly.

Last night England got it absolutely right but only just. They did what they were supposed to do but it all felt very downbeat and none of us could explain why this was the case. For some unfathomable reason England were not entirely convincing and by the time the final whistle went, we were all scratching our heads convinced that the whole night had fallen flat on its face. This was all a shuddering anti climax and there was a sense here that although the margin of victory had been comfortable, the manner of England's 3-0 friendly victory here against a very poor Bosnia Herzegovina side was just not good enough.

The hairline cracks and faults are there, the cutting edge and penetration up front was missing and the killer touch had deserted Gareth Southgate's England and Euro 2024 in Germany is just weeks away now. Of course, England had been sufficiently prepared for last night's friendly but another gruelling Premier League season had taken its toll yet again and England were just pretending to be something they're quite clearly not. Judging the England football team is almost an impossible job because every time they come out of the tunnel for any match, the microscope will always find something that doesn't seem quite right.

And so it was that Gareth Southgate emerged from the St James Park tunnel and the passionate fans of Newcastle United were ready to celebrate the national side on their latest provincial tour of England. Most of us had thought we'd seen the last of these fun filled friendlies at football's regional grounds. When the new Wembley was being built, England had to find temporary accommodation. But the new Wembley arch has now become the most familiar aspect of football's modern architecture. So we settled down and just admired the scenery in another city and another set of circumstances.

England eventually came, saw and conquered against Bosnia with enormous difficulty but they did get the result they were looking for. Dress rehearsals can be so nerve racking and the main protagonists can freeze on the big night. For a while England were doing everything right, the fundamentals of the game were being carried out efficiently and everything looked both smooth and streamlined. Their passing was precise, aesthetically pleasing and a simple delight to the eye. But then the vital connections faltered and too many attacking movements just came unstuck. England were overcooking everything, well intentioned but far too over elaborate and perhaps trying desperately hard to make a credible impression.

For well over an hour, England moved the ball around so effortlessly it felt as if this was destined to turn into the most one sided international contest since the beginning of time. But Bosnia were not the Turkey and Luxembourg who visited the old Wembley during the 1970s just to be battered and demolished with eight or nine goal hammerings. This was the first time England had ever met Bosnia so perhaps it was unfair to dismiss the game as just one of those chastening experiences where the opposition just sit back and take their punishment. Bosnia were not only at Wembley on a flying visit but here to provide England with a much stiffer test of their resolve than they might have been expecting.

In the end, it didn't really matter. England beat Bosnia quite easily in the end but the critics will always find faults. England were far too pretty, fussy and fastidious, determined to create a masterpiece rather than just establishing a template that needed no tweaking. You felt sure that when Da Vinci or Matisse were applying the final touches to their art work there would be no need to add unnecessary details that were somehow inappropriate. Perhaps England simply needed to tune into their inner Lowry where matchstick men and dogs were the only requirement next to industrial factory gates.

There was a somehow relaxed early summer feel to last night's game that must have been quite reassuring for Gareth Southgate's well organised England team. There was no necessity for big, bold strokes, no sense of urgency and yet it all felt as though England were looking for jigsaw pieces in the puzzle that didn't really fit properly. The air of experimentation was very much in evidence, players simply undergoing severe examination and maybe unsure of what Southgate has in mind, come the Euros in Germany.

Most of us have been here for England so many times that we've lost count. You do more than enough to complete qualifying games for both the Euros and the World Cup only to come a cropper when it matters most. For much of the game last night, England passed the ball amongst themselves as if this was some private business discussion that should never have been aired in public. Occasionally it was reminiscent of a France or Germany at their most unbeatable but perhaps a France or Germany who may well have beaten their opponents much more decisively.

And yet England were singularly unable to break down the seemingly intractable defensive barrier that their Bosnian opponents were so hellbent on erecting. While Lewis Dunk, Marc Guehi, the superb Trent Alexander Arnold and the ever dependable Kieran Trippier were never less than secure and almost unchallenged, England seemed to take an age to cross the half way line at times, venturing forward patiently if too deliberately at times. 

True, Chelsea's Conor Gallagher, Crystal Palace's Ebere Eze and the frequently threatening Cole Palmer found common ground with cute geometric angles and passing patterns at their most syncopated. But there was something lacking in the end product. Maybe it was that fiendish, devilish element in England's play that should have taken this game well beyond Bosnia's reach sooner rather than later. Eze, in particular, set off on one mazy, sinuous and startling run at his defenders that drew foul after foul. For much of the first half hour, Eze could hardly be held back, dribbling purposefully with the ball and drifting past players as if they weren't there. 

While the players went off for half time goal-less, we began to wonder whether England could find the technical resources to break down a stubborn Bosnian defence. But once Jack Grealish came on as a sub, England found their bearings again. From a driven corner floated deceptively into the six yard box, players collided into each other and Ezri Konsa's shirt was tugged back illegally. Cole Palmer, with all the unfazed aplomb of a 20 year old colt, stepped up to tuck home England's opening goal on the night from the penalty spot.

Now Palmer began to assert his presence on the game with all the confidence in the world. You began to wonder why Pep Guardiola, Palmer's previous manager at Manchester City, dispensed with his services. Palmer looks the genuine article with his hunger and appetite for goal at every opportunity. Suddenly things were clicking into place for England, the pulleys and levers operating at full strength.

With momentum building for England, a second goal eventually gave Gareth Southgate's men the perfect platform for inflicting further damage on brave Bosnia. Gallagher, Eze, Jarrod Bowen and Arnold were stringing passes together like runner beans and England's attacking machinery began to hum contentedly. From a short ball to feet, Grealish sent over an immaculately weighted ball that flew over the visitors heads and the ball fell at Trent Alexander Arnold  who, on the volley, drove the ball home low and impressively across the Bosnia goalkeeper. A second goal gave England the comfortable cushion they were almost hoping they'd get.

And then Harry Kane, who always knows that his remarkable goal scoring prowess for his country sets him apart from the rest, came on as a substitute. Immediately, England had a more of a focal point to their attack. Kane's consistency for England has never been questioned and that adept holding up of the ball, which brings most of his colleagues into so many dangerous positions, once again gave England's attack another important dimension.

From another inswinging corner, the ball plunged into the six yard box and after Bowen of West Ham and Grealish had tentatively jabbed at the ball in front of goal, Kane confirmed the third goal of the night. Peace of mind had been restored and the victory was England's to cherish even though the England fans were just distinctly underwhelmed by it all.

At the far end of Wembley Stadium, the electronic scoreboard put all of our lives into a very humble perspective. The sad passing of legendary rugby league legend Rob Burrow was observed with perfect reverence and moments of silence, sombre reflection. Sport sometimes gets in the way of  far more significant events around us. Last night, though, it struck exactly the right note.