Tag: England

Rarely has a manager faced the simultaneous situation of relegation from one competition while being considered among the favourites for another. This is where England find themselves in their final gathering before the World Cup finals start in November, a curious juxtaposition of trying to salvage a faltering UEFA Nations League campaign while getting ready for the biggest show on Earth.

Of course, the Nations League pales into insignificance compared with what is to come in Qatar, but England’s position at the bottom of League A Group 3 hints at a persistently underwhelming level of performance which raises questions that Gareth Southgate needs to find answers to now.

The nadir undoubtedly came in mid-June when England slumped to their worst home defeat in 97 years, a 4-0 loss to Hungary in front of an unimpressed Molineux crowd, thousands of whom sang “you don’t know what you’re doing” and “you’re getting sacked in the morning” at a shellshocked Southgate.

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, more (U.S.)

It came with a much-changed lineup at the end of a long season, with many visibly exhausted players, but the public judgement was unmitigated and brutal. After 28 players assembled at St George’s Park on Monday for upcoming Nations League games against Italy and Germany, midfielder Jack Grealish described that reaction as “very harsh” on a manager who has overseen steady and undeniable progress during his near six years in charge.

England reached the 2018 World Cup semifinals before losing the third-place playoff to Belgium, finished third in the inaugural Nations League in 2019 and runners-up in last year’s delayed Euro 2020 final.

Fourth, third, second. The next step is clear. But for Southgate to deliver the nation’s first trophy in 56 years, there are several issues to resolve during this international break as players scramble for a place in his final 26-man squad.

Who plays in central midfield?

This is arguably the essence of the England conundrum. The central-midfield axis of Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice gave England the stability and protection to embark on a run to last year’s Euro 2020 final. However, neither is a particular dynamic passer of the ball and they cannot control games in the manner of, say, Italy’s Jorginho or Marco Verratti. Both those players took the final away from England at Wembley and it is a familiar problem: in 2019’s Nations League semifinal it was Netherlands’ Frenkie De Jong, in 2018 it was Croatia‘s Luka Modric, in 2012 it was Italy’s Andrea Pirlo.

There has often been a pass master ready to expose England’s inability to keep possession in the big knockout games. Phillips is a doubt for the tournament with a shoulder problem which may require surgery. Jude Bellingham continues to emerge with huge promise at Borussia Dortmund and the clamour for his inclusion in Qatar will grow if he performs well against Italy and Germany. It is a big ask of a 19-year-old with just six England starts to his name but his emergence would represent a genuine evolution in the team from last summer.

Is Southgate bold enough?

Southgate’s inherent caution is understandable. Mindful that England simply do not possess a metronomic midfield presence like Modric or De Jong, Southgate has constructed a compact team accentuating the importance of togetherness and diligence without the ball. That has led to accusations of excessive conservatism, given the wealth of attacking options at his disposal.

Southgate is right, or course, that any top side needs balance and he can’t throw in six forwards for any game, but there is a sense the brake could be applied a little less rigorously to unleash England’s full potential. It is hard to fault a manager who came within a penalty shootout of delivering tournament success for the first time in more than five decades, but performances have been underwhelming for a while and these Nations League games are an opportunity to shift the needle. Picking no fewer than 12 defenders in his latest squad raised some eyebrows in this context.

Big players out of form or injured

Harry Maguire is lucky to be in this England squad. He only made it because of Southgate’s enduring loyalty to a player whose decline at Manchester United has been stark and sharp. Maguire is England’s defensive lynchpin and with games in short supply at Old Trafford, he needs to seize his chance to reinforce that position in the next week.

Southgate has never been entirely convinced by Trent Alexander-Arnold, a view he can more easily accommodate given the depth of right-back and right wing-back options at his disposal. Alexander-Arnold is a phenomenal talent in possession but his Liverpool performances have been consistently laced with defensive errors. Jordan Pickford is just ahead of Aaron Ramsdale in the race to be England’s No. 1 but the former is missing this time with a thigh problem. With no warm-up matches immediately before the tournament begins, the chance to cement that understanding between goalkeeper and defence falls to Ramsdale.

Grealish, another yet to entirely win Southgate over, has been candid about his lack of form so far this season but was selected ahead of Jadon Sancho and should be a better player for a year’s tutelage from Pep Guardiola. Left-back is another spot to be decided with Luke Shaw, who excelled last summer, struggling with form and injury, while Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell returns to the squad for the first time since November following knee surgery.

READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS