Bad Day at the Office for England Stars Offers Bench Boys Chance to Stake a Claim

Well, thank the Lord that one is done and dusted.

England escaped from Reykjavík with a 1-0 win over Iceland in the first match of their new Nations League adventure, but they were made to work extremely hard for the three points by their stubborn opponents.

There will be many supporters who sat through the torturous opening 89 minutes, only to nod off or give up and switch off the television in disgust. If you did, you missed a dramatic final few exchanges. It began with the Three Lions tucking away a very fortuitous penalty kick, and ended with Iceland skying one of their own.

For the players on the pitch, it was job done. It wasn't pretty - in fact, it was pretty damn ugly. But three points are three points, and a win is a win. England won. The supporters who stuck it out to the last won. Smiles all round.

However, those who didn't make it onto the pitch, or played their part as substitutes, may have been the real winners of the evening.

All the pre-game chatter surrounded Gareth Southgate's team selection, and several red flags were raised upon the starting XI's announcement. There was plenty of anticipation and excitement to see Manchester City star Phil Foden pull on the senior jersey for the first time, and the sight of Jadon Sancho lining up on the flanks with Raheem Sterling is always enough to get the blood pumping.

However, there was the odd grumble, too. A midfield consisting of James Ward-Prowse and Declan Rice was never going to be anything to write home about, while the exclusion of Trent Alexander-Arnold set alarm bells ringing.

Jordan Pickford's selection was another point of controversy, although he had one of the easiest nights he'll ever enjoy in an England shirt over the course of a dismal 90 minutes in which a game of football rarely threatened to break out.

England's starting lineup left some exciting talents waiting eagerly on the bench, with the likes of Jack Grealish, Mason Greenwood and Kalvin Phillips all hoping to make their senior debuts.

The race for the number one right-back title is a huge talking point in this England side, with Southgate seemingly reluctant to stray from Kyle Walker or Kieran Trippier, both men who have been sturdy and reliable when called upon.

However, it was a night to forget for Walker, who may be on the brink of surrendering his spot to the irrepressible Alexander-Arnold. The City star got caught on the wrong side of his man in the first half, and his decision to send the forward tumbling earned him a yellow card.

Time to use that experience and tread carefully, then. Instead, the full back threw himself into a dangerous and extremely late challenge with 20 minutes to play, received his marching orders, and placed the game into complete jeopardy. A disastrous and irresponsible display.

Southgate's loyalty towards the 30-year-old must be wearing thin, especially with an undoubtedly superior footballer knocking on the door behind him. Alexander-Arnold is a shoo-in to start the game against Denmark on Tuesday evening, and if he works his usual magic, he could make himself undroppable from that right flank.

As for the midfield, there was so little to cheer in a bitterly fractured performance. Ward-Prowse and Rice controlled the game, but against a side that showed very little intent to win, that's only to be expected.

What was missing - and has been missing in England matches at clutch moments for so many years - was that little bit of intelligence or sprinkling of stardust on the ball to unlock a defence or take the game by the scruff of the neck and drive the team forward.

A penny for Mr Grealish's thoughts then, as a game seemingly specifically designed for his particular set of skills was allowed to pass him by on the bench. The Aston Villa star will clearly have to not only pull up trees, but a bloody forest to win over Southgate, as Saturday's fixture was the perfect occasion for him to demonstrate his worth to this side.

Something a bit different. Something unpredictable. The joker in the pack. It would have been fantastic to see him inspire a team in the way he carried the Villans to Premier League survival last year, and prove to his doubters that even in a squad of superstars, he can still shine.

Still, he has a few days to force Southgate to make a decision, at least. Whatever happens, that midfield three cannot start together again. Leeds United supporters will certainly have been watching this game and believing Phillips' ability to dictate the play from deep and penetrate defences could have been effective against this resilient Iceland.

Maybe they're right. After watching the constantly safe and tidy passing around the Three Lions' midfield, Southgate might be wondering if it's time to take a risk or two in that area of the pitch.

One man who's not a risk is Mason Greenwood. The forward came on and looked bright for the short time he spent on the pitch, and you always get the feeling that a goal is coming when he's hovering in and around the box. While he's unlikely to oust Harry Kane as England's first choice striker, he possesses the credentials to be the difference maker off the bench on a regular basis. For the time being, anyway. He's destined for bigger things.

All in all, it was a classic England performance. It took us back to the years of those tedious World Cup qualifiers: winning, but in a style that hardly seemed worthy of our eyes and time. That may have been enough for Three Lions managers of old, but it won't be satisfactory for Southgate.

This squad is full of untapped potential and insanely talented youngsters, just waiting to be given a chance to earn their coach's trust. It may be time for him to truly embrace the new-look England that is dying to burst through, and give them their opportunity to become the future and the present.