The series of glorified friendlies known as the UEFA Nations League continued today, with the Three Lions in hostile territory against a German side that might have been looking for a bit of revenge after England eliminated them from the European Championships last summer. Neither side was really playing at full strength and this match comes at the end of a long and grueling season for players from both nations, so as is usually the case it’s hard to take away much from a match like this one.
Germany were the better side in the first half though, and comfortably. They had two goals ruled out (correctly) for offside, but England’s defense was opened up rather easily several times. England were holding on for dear life at times in the first half, and were lucky to not be down 2-0 or worse. There was just no creativity in attack and no one looked like they had any idea what to do. That pattern is becoming a worrying trend under manager Gareth Southgate.
England were indeed pegged back on 51 minutes thanks to a deflected strike from midfielder Jonas Hoffman. England keeper Jordan Pickford managed to get a hand to the shot and probably should have done better to keep it out, the lion’s share of the blame for the goal has to be put on center-back Harry Maguire. He was drawn out of position when he tried to intercept the ball, and it was simple for the German attacking players to pass the ball to Hoffman who was largely on his own in the box. Maguire usually plays well for England, but it seems his poor club form has finally spilled over to the national side. I still believe he is a top center-back, but he needs to step away from the game (and social media) for about a month or so. He needs to get his head right and fix the mental side of his game desperately.
But credit where credit is due – England grew into the game after that. Substitutes Jude Bellingham and Jack Grealish were magnificent as the half progressed. All of a sudden, England had options going forward. Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling, the attacking starters in this match, didn’t really have it today. I think Saka was tired from being played so much this season and Sterling picked up a slight injury early in the game. Both were limited in attack as a result. The final 20-25 minutes or so were good from England in the sense that there was a belief about them. England teams of old would have effectively rolled over and surrendered in a match like this one, but these lads kept pushing and they should be commended for it.
They were rewarded for their efforts in the final 10 minutes when striker Harry Kane was brought down in the box by a German defender. The contact in the box was clear, but VAR was consulted to ensure that Kane was onside before he made his run into the box. Candidly, the decision was marginal but it was upheld in the end. Kane stepped up to the spot and buried a low and powerful shot into the bottom left corner, with German keeper Manuel Neuer sent the wrong way. England were level, and moreover they were good value for their goal. Yes there was a little bit of luck on the penalty decision, but often in football and in life you have to create your own luck to an extent. You have to be in a position to get lucky, and that is exactly what happened today. Congratulations to Kane on his 50th England goal, now only three behind Wayne Rooney’s all-time England record.
Again, it’s hard to take away any future lessons from this match, but I don’t think anyone can complain about a 1-1 given how dominant Ze Germans were in the first half. What is abundantly clear is that the conservative approach from Southgate has to go. He seems to think England’s best defense is passive possession, but many are of the opinion that England are at their best when in attack mode. It’s no mystery why we got better once Bellingham and Grealish came on. Those two players offer talent in attack, while the players they replaced do not. Mason Mount had a below-average season at Chelsea and Kalvin Phillips was injured most of the year for Leeds United, so it’s curious why they even started in the first place. Southgate should get credit for bringing them on, but he also deserves criticism for not having them on from the get-go. Playing conservative cost us against Croatia in 2018 and against Italy last summer, and I think this style of play will ultimately be Southgate’s undoing if England don’t win a trophy soon. Personally, I’d rather lose while really going for it than lose via passive possession.
Speaking of, England fans need to stop being knobheads when they travel abroad. Seven England supporters were arrested by German authorities earlier in the day, and the charges are all related to drunken debauchery. These are the reasons why no one likes England supporters. We show up, drink all the beer, break stuff, and leave. I have no problem with passionate support for a team, but to act like entitled dickheads and to not respect the host nation reeks of arrogance.
England still sit bottom of Group 3 on one point, but a loss today would have really set us back. Still all to play for in the very early stages of this “tournament”. Rematch with Italy on Saturday!
4-4-2 