World Cup 2018: 5 Things We Learned From England's First Game

We saw two sides to the Three Lions in the game against Tunisia. For large periods, particularly in the second half, England were slow and sluggish, passing the ball around aimlessly and seemingly waiting for some kind of spark to ignite their play out of nowhere.

However, we also saw some passages where England actually looked unplayable. Gareth Southgate's tactical rejigging of the England team has actually been quite impressive since he took over, with a greater emphasis on free-flowing movement, creativity, and fast pass-and-move play.

The first quarter of an hour of the match showed that when the Three Lions can make that system work, it actually works exceptionally well. Time and again, England carved the Tunisian defence open, creating some huge chances that could easily have seen them sail into a two or three goal lead within a matter of minutes.

As the game wore on, some of the creative players began to falter, and we saw the potential flaws in Southgate's plan as mistakes led to dangerous counter-attacks, but it was inspiring to see England playing so well and with such freedom. The likes of John Stones and Harry Maguire were often seen moving forward to contribute to attacking play, and Kieran Trippier was outstanding on the right.