England were fortunate in victory as Roy Hodgson gave his side their first pre-Euro 2016 outing at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium, relying on a Jamie Vardy winner to edge out Turkey.
In amongst it all, Hodgson will have seen some positives and taken a few things on board that will need addressing before heading to France.
Here, we look at five of those things.
SHAKY DEFENCE
Despite the array of emerging English talent offensively, defensively they’re still lacking. Too many sloppy errors led to chances for Turkey, chances better sides would’ve punished.
Since the centre-back partnership of John Terry and Rio Ferdinand, no one has stepped up and made the position their own and it’s become a long-term problem no manager has tackled.
An impressive season at Manchester United has seen Chris Smalling play his way into Roy’s starting XI, but a partner is yet to be decided.
Gary Cahill and John Stones both endured inconsistent seasons, while Phil Jagielka’s form has seen him left out of England’s plans entirely.
Regardless of how well England can look going forward, unless a solid partnership is formed sharpish this side will undoubtedly come unstuck this summer.
KANE AND VARDY NEED TO BE CENTRAL
Questions have been asked on how the two – or even if the two – will fit into the same team.
Vardy has now scored in three consecutive international matches, while Harry Kane (the evening’s other goal scorer) continually impresses on the big stage.
But playing together in a system like Hodgson’s, with only one through the middle, means sacrificing the other. Vardy was pushed out wide, meaning England lost his ability to roll off the last man, while Harry Kane anywhere other than through the middle won’t cut it.
Both are top class forwards who are deserving of a starting place, but unless Roy is willing to adapt his approach to suit them both, it just won’t work.
JACK WILSHERE IS READY
Since his inclusion in the provisional 26-man squad, opinions have been voiced on whether Wilshere should be France-bound.
Playing less than an hour’s worth of domestic action after a lengthy lay-off isn’t ideal preparation for a major tournament, but should a team be picked solely on form?
Form is temporary, but class is permanent, and Wilshere has the latter in abundance.
He’s a game changer and – despite his injury struggles – is one of the most talented, exciting English players since Gazza.
If he’s fit, there are few better in the country than Wilshere on his day and he has the ability to turn a game on its head.
RAHEEM STERLING FLATTERS TO DECEIVE… AGAIN
Another player whose selection has come under scrutiny is Sterling, the Manchester City winger suffering a torrid season where he failed to make any sort of impact. However, despite his poor form, Hodgson remains a big fan.
Given the chance to impress this evening, Sterling again disappointed and failed to get a foothold in the game. He looked sluggish in possession and made bad decisions on a number of occasions.
There’s no chance of Sterling missing out on France, but questions will be asked if he’s in the starting XI come the game against Russia.
DELE ALLI’S TEMPER REMAINS A CONCERN
Dele Alli’s hair-trigger temper, which saw him miss the last three games of the season, surfaced again as he grabbed Oguzhan Ozyakup around the neck in the first-half before later sliding in late on an opponent.
Alli has emerged as one of England’s most influential players but will need to keep a lid on his emotions at Euro 2016 or he could cost England dearly.