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Leicester City’s Ben Chilwell made his first ever start for England during Friday night’s dull 0-0 Nations League draw with Croatia, played ‘behind closed doors’ in Rijeka. The 21-year-old was clearly unaffected by the eerily lifeless surroundings as he produced an eye-catching display. His Man of the Match performance was the highlight, from Gareth Southgate’s perspective, of an otherwise drab affair. 

The left-back berth is something of a problem position for England, and Chilwell has certainly now posited himself as a potential solution. With Ashley Young now 33 years of age, there is no obvious first choice left-back in line for Euro 2020.

Tottenham Hotspur’s Danny Rose, Manchester United’s Luke Shaw, and even Fulham’s Ryan Sessegnon will all hope to compete for the role, though, Chilwell appears to be in pole position at this early stage.

However, whilst the Leicester man was generally impressive against Croatia, his game is far from complete and the likes of Rose and Shaw ought to back themselves in the battle for the left-back berth.

Chilwell’s stats from Friday night illustrate his weaknesses as a player. On the ball, the England man committed three unsuccessful touches - only Kyle Walker and Marcus Rashford, of Southgate’s side, were guilty of more.

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What’s more, his pass completion rate of 82.9% was not exceptional. The fact that he managed 56 touches (16 less than England’s right-back, Walker) and completed just 35 passes (12 fewer than Walker) in total suggests that he was at times a peripheral figure in the match.

When Chilwell did get on the ball he did try and spark England into life. His performance against the World Cup finalists was certainly not short of endeavour.

However, he ultimately failed to produce the required end product or supply the final killer ball. From three attempts, the left-back provided one accurate cross and didn’t perform a single successful dribble. He did manage one key pass, but as was the theme of the night, in front of goal England were found wanting.

Whilst the Leicester man was certainly one of the Three Lions’ most adventurous and aggressive players, he could not significantly effect the outcome of the match.

Chilwell’s defensive work was solid too. The left-back made two tackles and one interception as he contributed positively to his country’s clean sheet.

In earning just his second cap, the 21-year-old did his chances of further starts no harm in Rijeka, however, his starting XI place is far from cemented.