England winners and losers: Phil Foden impresses as Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane slumps continue

Jack Rosser @JackRosser_13 October 2021

Gareth Southgate tried to take England down a more attacking path across the October international break.

The Three Lions put five past minnows Andorra on Saturday but struggled to break down a well-drilled Hungary side at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday as they were held to a 1-1 draw.

Captain Harry Kane saw his club form seep into the international break as England looked blunt against Hungary, failing to win a home qualifier for the first time since 2012.

Here, Standard Sport assesses the winners and losers from the international break...

Winners

Tammy Abraham

AP

The Roma striker was a late addition to Southgate's squad but was nonetheless trusted to lead the line in Andorra. The former Chelsea man worked hard and was rewarded with his first goal for England in almost two years.

Abraham was also sent on to add some spark to England's forward line in place of captain Kane against Hungary. While he couldn't add to his tally, it appears he has taken a significant leap up the pecking order.

Ben Chilwell

Andorra v England - FIFA World Cup 2022 - European Qualifying - Group I - Estadi Nacional
PA

Another player who received a late call-up and took full advantage.

Chilwell has been in a difficult place since the summer. The full-back did not play a minute at Euro 2020 and has seen his stock fall in the eyes of Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea.

A start and first England goal in Andorra will do him the world of good, though there is still stiff competition in the form of Luke Shaw for a starting spot at left-back.

The FA via Getty Images

It may have been against limited opposition but Foden put on a clinic in attacking football in Andorra with a man-of-the-match display.

The 21-year-old may have got just the one assist at the weekend but he was the heartbeat for England high in the Pyrenees. It was Foden's free-kick too which created the opening for John Stones to level against Hungary on Tuesday.

In Pictures | FIFA World Cup 2022 Qualifier: England vs Hungary

1/25

Losers

Jordan Henderson

The FA via Getty Images

The Liverpool captain has long been one of Southgate's most reliable players for England. However, after a summer in which Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips claimed the two deeper roles for their own, Henderson was then overlooked for James Ward-Prowse in Andorra, with the Southampton captain grabbing one of England's five goals.

Henderson was sent on to try and help England to a winner against Hungary but made little impact from the bench.

World Cup - UEFA Qualifiers - Group I - England v Hungary
Action Images via Reuters

The Manchester City winger has struggled for game time with his club this season and, having been one of England's most potent attacking threats in recent years, looks to have suffered for it.

Sterling was wasteful in possession on Tuesday night and never looked to be posing questions to which the Hungary defence didn't have an answer.

Harry Kane

PA

Southgate's hope was that, despite Kane's torrid Premier League form, England would offer an escape and a chance for the striker to spark his season into life.

The England manager had every reason to believe so, given he scored three in the last international break and had notched in each of the Three Lions' last 15 qualifiers in which he had featured before Tuesday night.

It didn't prove to be the case however as Kane's poor Tottenham form found its way to the international stage. Few could argue when Southgate hooked his captain at Wembley.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in