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| Harry Maguire of England comes on the replace Bukayo Saka as England Manager Gareth Southgate looks on during the UEFA Nations League League A Group 3 match between England and Hungary at Molineux on June 14, 2022 in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom. |
The Three Lions’
6-3 loss to the Ferenc Puskas-inspired Mighty Magyars at Wembley in
1953, their first home defeat to non-British or Irish opposition, stunned the
nation. A bit like Tuesday.
It was the catalyst
to a major rethink in terms of tactics.
In this instance,
England’s latest humiliating result against Hungary –
and heaviest on home soil since 1928 – will not necessitate a
rip-it-up-and-start-again approach and nor should it.
At the very least,
it should ring the alarm bells in a World Cup year and a change of tack.
To suggest that the
mauling at Wolves was all down to tiredness, mental and physical, at the end of
a long season for many top-level players in a competition that many do not
particularly care for is a dangerous assumption.
This was not just
England’s fourth-successive match where they had not scored a goal from open
play, but also a fourth poor performance in a row.
Ah, it’s only the
Nations League, some might say. But, taking away these games, friendlies and
some World Cup matches against opponents who England should win at comfortably
less than half-pelt, they have won one match out of three against sides who can
be ranked as decent in a major qualification competition since reaching the
finals of Euro 2020.
Hungary took a point
in their World Cup clash at Wembley last October and England had to settle for
a draw in Poland in the previous month. The suggestion they have regressed
since July is fair.
England remain
overly reliant on Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling with Marcus Rashford, Jadon
Sancho, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Patrick Bamford having testing seasons for
various reasons.
Defensively, there
is no current centre-half pairing who you can also truly hang your hat on.
Harry Maguire has
had a grim 2022-23 season, while John Stones continues to have a mistake too many in his
locker given that he is a seasoned international at 28 who is operating for the
one of the best club sides in the world.
His sending-off on
Tuesday may have been a wretched decision, but his sloppy performance was far
more concerning.
With no pairing who
can be trusted, playing three centre-backs would provide insurance, with
wing-backs being an obvious strength in terms of Gareth Southgate’s options in
the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Luke Shaw and Ben Chilwell.
In midfield, Kalvin
Phillips had a rough time at Molineux without Declan Rice.
At their best, both
are mobile and quick to spot danger. What England lack is someone with the
touch, guile and vision to control a game. Jude Bellingham is still a rookie
and the jury is out on Mason Mount.
The next World Cup
finals are surely Jordan Henderson’s international swansong as well. The key
might just be getting a system to get the best out of Phil Foden and Jack
Grealish together.
The good news after
Tuesday is that England don’t return to action until September 23 and can
recharge and reflect. Southgate wil be grateful for small mercies.
Castigated with
chants of ‘You don’t know what you are doing’ in the second half at Molineux,
it was a far cry from the Sweet Caroline chants of not so long back for
Southgate and his players.
A tight bunch,
whose esprit de corps is strong and genuine, the group closed ranks after jeers
from some fans during Euro 2020 warm-up games when England players opted to
take the knee.
Their response on
and off the pitch was impressive.
Alongside
Southgate, Maguire also received censure at Wolves.
England’s unity is
a core strength.
They may need
another siege mentality going forward.
The honeymoon may
be over for Southgate, but no-one should doubt his inner toughness.
He is wise enough
to know that the moods of many fans, in these increasingly social-media driven
world are brazenly fickle. Equally, he also shrewdly accepts that is the ticket
as England manager.
On some fans having short memories, Southgate said: “I would say it has happened over a period of 10 days, not 11 months.
“I saw all my predecessors go through that and I know great people like Sir Bobby Robson with what he had to go through and how he was viewed in the end after getting a team to a World Cup semi-final.
“Football is emotional. People pay to come and watch and are going to give an opinion. If the flak comes my way, then I have to deal with that.
“As England manager, it’s not realistic to have the ride I’ve had for five years and not have bad, difficult nights and criticism. That is part and parcel of the job.”
Southgate handled
questions well after Tuesday’s evisceration.
After the summer
recess, Southgate will face some big autumn calls which he needs to get right.
Or the background noise will become a cacophony.
