Rating the England Players Against Republic of Ireland

England and Republic of Ireland played out a rather underwhelming 1-1 draw at Wembley that was far too short on quality in the final third to ever catch fire. 

Shane Long provided the visitors with the perfect start, rising highest to deftly guide home a pinpoint Seamus Coleman cross, before Frank Lampard promptly equalised, capitalising on some hesitancy in the Irish defence.

From an English perspective, questions are sure to be raised over the tactical game plan deployed by Roy Hodgson. His side appeared unimaginative and a little predictable going forward, while often seeming vulnerable in front of their defence.

Here's a look at how England's players fared individually:

Joe Hart: 5/10

There's not too much to assess regarding Hart's 45 minutes on the pitch. He gathered a couple of stray crosses comfortably enough, but was occasionally sloppy with his distribution and left helpless to prevent Long's looping header nestling in his net.

Glen Johnson: 4/10

Lost out to Long for Ireland's goal and did little to recover his defensive dignity as Aiden McGeady waltzed past him later on in the half. Typically eager to advance into the final third, but could not provide his usual dose of end product and was substituted at halftime.

Ashley Cole: 6/10

Captain for the night, Cole spurned one of the better goalscoring chances to come his way during his lengthy international career. Other than that, he was quietly assured at the back, without offering too much of a threat going forward.

Gary Cahill: 6/10

Involved in a physical tussle with Long all night and did not always come out on top as much as he would have liked. Unable to bail out Johnson for Ireland's opener, but put in a fine tackle to thwart McGeady. Didn't appear as convincing as he would have hoped, but improved as the contest progressed.

Phil Jagielka: 5.5/10

Charged with providing a more vocal presence at the back, Jagielka will be disappointed with a few instances of confusion in the back four. As with his defensive partner, he toiled away against Long and put in some especially bruising challenges. Read the game well, but didn't seem as secure as a left-sided centre-back.

Michael Carrick: 7/10

Carrick was quietly efficient at the base of England's midfield. He managed to disrupt several Irish counterattacks with his side looking slightly exposed and played a decent foil to Frank Lampard's attacking urges. Recycled possession well and played some slick passes, but could do with more defensive-minded wingers alongside him.

Frank Lampard: 7/10

Lampard took his goal well with a typically smart finish. He seemed determined to raise England's tempo, but that didn't always result in his side retaining possession. Too often he went for an overly extravagant pass, when it would have been better to be patient and maintain control. Constantly roamed forward and was still involved in some of England's better passing combinations.

Theo Walcott: 5.5/10

The Arsenal man was poor in the first half but improved considerably after the break. Began the match sloppy in possession and overly ambitious with his dribbling, but a couple of mazy runs during the second half briefly lit up the contest. Still did not provide enough industry to suggest he belongs on the right of this current formation.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: 6/10

As with his club colleague, Oxlade-Chamberlain rapidly improved after the break following a slow first half. He was unable to close down Coleman for Ireland's goal and initially lacked any production of note in the final third. In the second half he was far more incisive and had a decent chance to win the contest when played through one-on-one. Benefited from Baines' willingness to overlap, allowing him to cut in more often.

Wayne Rooney: 7/10

Without doing anything spectacular, Rooney was still one of England's brightest performers. The bland contest was crying out for some individual brilliance, and he frequently provided a platform for others with some clever buildup play. Most of England's chances went through the Manchester United man, although he was unable to find many inviting openings for himself.

Daniel Sturridge: 6/10

Despite the fact England's goal was more a result of poor defending than anything else, Sturridge showed impressive composure in the buildup, loitering on the ball before picking out Lampard. He linked up well with Rooney and was involved in some attractive interplay before being prematurely withdrawn due to injury.

Subs:

Jermain Defoe: 5.5/10

Brought on for Sturridge, Defore worked hard without ever managing to find himself a clear sight of goal. Unable to link up with others around him as well as Sturridge had, he did little to strengthen his chances of earning a regular starting spot.

Ben Foster: 5/10

As with Hart, Foster saw little action in his 45 minutes of play—his first taste of international football since 2010. Managed to keep a clean sheet, but a late fumble almost gifted Ireland a goal, which didn't cover the West Bromwich Albion man in too much glory.

Phil Jones: 6.5/10

Jones replaced the disappointing Johnson and injected far more energy into England's right side, which seemed to quickly soak through to the whole team. Linked up intelligently with Walcott and performed well in his third different position for England.

Leighton Baines: 6.5/10

After a sloppy first five minutes, Baines settled down and, along with Jones, provided England far more of an offensive outlet from full-back. With the Everton man marauding forward while hugging the touchline, Oxlade-Chamberlain had more of a license to cut in and consequently became more of a threat.

James Milner: n/a

Emerged from the bench for the final three minutes to replace Oxlade-Chamberlain, but saw little of the ball.

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