England will never please everyone, despite topping their group at Euro 2020 – but Jose Mourinho saw plenty of positives in their 1-0 win over the Czech Republic on Tuesday night.
A much-improved Three Lions side stormed out of the blocks and blew the Czechs away at Wembley, before a slower and more controlled second half ensured a comfortable win.
Raheem Sterling got the goal, created by the brilliance of Bukayo Saka and Jack Grealish, while Harry Kane started to look more like himself despite drawing another blank.
The reward for topping Group D? A daunting last-16 clash against France, Germany or Portugal – unless Hungary manage to finish second in Group F.
Mourinho joined talkSPORT after the match to analyse England’s latest performance and had plenty of positive things to say.
Here’s what the legendary manager makes of Gareth Southgate’s men at this point in the tournament…
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England can do both: Full-throttled attack and pragmatism
“Today they showed two different versions. Great mobility in attack and great creativity. Second half they were a team of position, positional play and control – you need that in the knockout stage.
“Probably people are not over the moon because people are always asking for more and a different kind of football, but probably inside the camp – they will be happy. They will feel they did the job well and they’re prepared for the next one.
“It’s important that the team knows what to do in different moments. Gareth Southgate would prefer the beginning of the second half the same as the first, get a second goal, go to a bigger scoreline, but the game went in a different direction.
“They managed the game the way they wanted to with pragmatism. They took Grealish out, they brought [Jude] Bellingham to play with [Jordan] Henderson and [Kalvin] Phillips, wingers were defending, the team was compact.
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“England is able to cope with what the game gives to England. The good thing for me is that England looks like they are in good condition, they have the tactical knowledge and they can cope with different things.
“The tactical level of the team is high and I think they are ready to cope with what modern football is.”
England’s new-look attack was impressive – and Kane was much better
“I think they all played well, the attacking group of four: Kane, Grealish, Saka, Sterling. In the first half, they were very good.
“There was a lot of mobility, a lot of creativity, there was a great dynamic and intensity. Post, goal, chances. Great transition when the team lost the ball. Doesn’t matter where the player was, they would react immediately.
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“There was a very high tempo and I liked it very much. They went from mobility to positional play and they were very stable in the second-half. Even so, these attacking players were in the game.
“Harry was completely different. Much more mobile, winning long balls in the air, winning the flicks, holding the ball, pressing, getting free-kicks to stop the game. I liked his game very much today.
“He got two amazing vertical passes in the first-half, one from [Declan] Rice and another from [Harry] Maguire. Long vertical passes into his feet, he doesn’t lose the ball, he holds the ball and Grealish can come to play, Sterling starts running on the left.
“They all played really well and showed that they can do it.”
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Maguire proved he was worth taking despite injury concerns
“I keep saying when you have an option to take 26 players, you have to risk, gamble and take an injured player if the player deserves that. Maguire is one of those players.
“He was confident, he was stable, he was intelligent, read the game well, and has a good partnership with [John] Stones.
“[Tyrone] Mings is doing a fantastic job, you could feel he was happy to come in for 10 or 15 minutes, he is a team player.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the next game is against Germany, the way they play with three at the back – I wouldn’t be surprised if England went with Stones, Maguire and Mings at the back.”
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What next?
“The next one is the one because it will be against a top team. Yes, an advantage because of Wembley, but pressure because it will be a big opponent.
“If they go to the quarter-finals, this match could be the one which pushes them all the way.
“What will happen with the better opponents is that they have the power to do the same to you.
“This is something we feel in the Premier League. It’s very difficult to keep control of the game for the whole of the game. Every opponent has potential. Even in the Premier League, we feel if we don’t kill, we are always at risk.
“That will happen from now on because now it will be probably France or Germany, then in the quarters and the semis it will be someone else.”
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But some negatives…
“The only two real problems I can find are Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell because of that ridiculous situation, which I prefer not to comment because I am not a specialist.
“The negative thing I would say is once more they were very poor on attacking corners.
“The service was dramatically bad. They have so many good players to attack corners. The crosses are not passing the first man.
“Luke Shaw, in my opinion, very good tonight but very poor on the corner. Phillips, the same.
“England has great power at this level and going to knockouts, one corner can decide a game.”
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