England In Narrow Win Over Slovakia
Adam Lallana’s stoppage-time goal saw Sam Allardyce reign kick off with a 1-0 World Cup qualifying win over Slovakia in Trnava. England had looked set for a draw despite Martin Skrtel’s sending off and there’s lots of work left to do for the new boss, writes Adam Bate.
“I’m here because I think I can make the team better,” Sam Allardyce had said in his opening press conference as England boss, before adding: “I can turn things around pretty quickly.”
That wasn’t always obvious in a stuttering England performance all too reminiscent of Roy Hodgson’s tougher times, but after waiting over an hour for a first shot on target, Lallana’s goal against 10-man Slovakia ensured a dramatic winning start for the new manager.
Of course, there’s nothing particularly new about that. Every permanent England coach since Graham Taylor has won their first game and this result extends the team’s sequence of qualifying victories to 13 in a row. But there’s nothing new about England’s labouring either.
England failed to register a shot on target in the first half against Slovakia. The first time they’d done so since a friendly against Republic of Ireland in June 2015.
A lack of movement in the final third, minimal support for an out of sorts Harry Kane and continued uncertainty over Wayne Rooney’s role in the side remain issues that need addressing.
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