1) Captain Kane does the business again
This was Harry Kane’s first international appearance since he was named’s England’s captain for the World Cup by Gareth Southgate and he did what he has always done when leading his country – score. It is now six goals in five games with the armband and while his effort here should have been saved by Nigeria’s goalkeeper, Francis Uzoho, it was still hit with a level of decisiveness and snap that suggests the Tottenham forward is heading to Russia in good nick, mentally as well as physically, with his general linkup providing further encouragement before the finals.
2) Southgate should stick with Alli-Lingard axis
The deployment of Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard in an inside forward/midfield partnership immediately caught the imagination. Could two of the national team’s most creative and dynamic players succeed in the same team? Ultimately the answer was a positive one. The pair were a threat from their respective channels while also moving across the pitch in order to create disorder in Nigeria’s ranks. There were also attempts to link up, as seen when Lingard just failed to pick out Alli with a cute pass on 55 minutes. In games England are expected to dominate and win, namely against Tunisia and Panama in their opening two World Cup fixtures, the Alli-Lingard axis looks like one Southgate should stick with.
3) Balogun gives Brighton fans food for thought
There are no Brighton players in England’s squad here but this was still a match their supporters should have been intrigued by. That is because Leon Balogun, who joined the club from Mainz on a free transfer last month, was on show for Nigeria. Standing at 6ft 3in tall, the 29-year-old centre-back is a sizeable presence and showed encouraging flashes here, with the first coming on four minutes when he muscled Kane out of possession by the near touchline. However, Balogun was also part of a defence that was ragged and unconvincing from the outset and, as such, Brighton fans should perhaps not get too excited about his arrival just yet.
4) Green is the colour, but not quite as expected
It’s rare for there to be talk about the opposition’s kit before an England match at Wembley, but that was the case going into this encounter. Three million replicas of Nigeria’s new shirt, whose design pays homage to the team that reached the last-16 of the 1994 World Cup, sold on pre-order, with a huge queue also forming outside Nike’s Oxford Street store before its sale there on Friday. As such it was expected to be seen across this venue, but ultimately was not particularly noticeable. Saying that, there was still plenty of green on show among Nigeria’s sizeable and boisterous support.
5) Vulnerability at the back should not lead to a change of system
This was a strange afternoon for England. They cruised to a 2-0 half-time lead before showing signs of defensive vulnerability after the break, most notably in the buildup to Alex Iwobi’s goal on 48 minutes. That may lead to questions over Southgate’s persistence with a formation that requires a three-man defence and one holding midfielder to keep the back door shut, especially after a match in which John Stones was less than impressive at the heart of England’s rearguard. But persist Southgate should: the system provides England with refreshing fluidity and is, overall, a good fit for the players at his disposal.
