England suffered the humiliation of relegation from the Nations League’s top tier after a meek 1-0 defeat to Italy at the San Siro in Milan on Friday night that raises further concerns ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
Giacomo Raspadori’s second-half strike sunk England on the night, making it five games without a win for Gareth Southgate. The Three Lions failed to win any of their four June fixtures and produced a timid response to their 4-0 demolition at the hands of Hungary.
Lost their way over the last five or six games, relegated from the Nations League’s top tier, and the manager and players booed after the final whistle by travelling English supporters, the mood clearly in the England camp doesn’t bode well, especially with the showpiece event in Qatar looming large.
Gareth Southgate has come under fire since summer and has a lot of problems to solve, as England still seem miles off. Just one game to play on Monday—against Germany, here are three issues Southgate must sort out before the World Cup.
#Find a starting berth for Jack Grealish
On a mundane night in Milan, apart from Jude Bellingham’s impressive display in midfield, Jack Grealish’s cameo for England against Italy stood out.
Failing to unlock a tight three-man Italy rearguard for 70 minutes, Southgate brought on Jack Grealish and the player instantly added the tempo and energy to England’s play which was lacking all night. Not only did he look the most likely player to carve open the Italy defence but also brought the likes of Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane back into life.
Having become a fan favourite in the last 2020 Euro, Grealish has more often than not delivered in an England shirt and it is high time Southgate finds a way to include the Manchester City man in his first XI.
#Abandon the three-man defence
While Gareth Southgate has come under extensive criticism for being too cautious with his team selections, it can be argued that the three-man defence used by him over the last few years has largely worked out well. Nonetheless, it didn’t work out against Italy, as the back three of Kyle Walker, Harry Maguire and Eric Dier looked disjointed and lacked understanding.
Walker’s lapse in concentration led to Raspdori’s goal, while Bukayo Saka was wasted at left wing-back. The performance and organisation against Italy wasn’t up to the mark—and this evidence it is hard to see why the back three system should not be firmly in Southgate’s mind for their World Cup opener against Iran.
#Drop Harry Maguire
Before the Italy game, Gareth Southgate said he is willing to put his reputation on the line to back Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire. And Maguire kept his place in the England starting XI despite falling out of favour under Erik ten Hag at Man United.
Starting on the left-hand side of England’s back three, Maguire failed to put in an inspiring display against Italy. The Man United captain lost track of Gianluca Scamacca and then Giovanni Di Lorenzo inside the opening five minutes, and while he settled down as the match progressed, was outperformed by the returning Eric Dier—who may have just surpassed his England compatriot off the back of a strong display.
While Maguire may be England’s best centre-back and retains the trust of the manager, his confidence has been shot down to pieces over the last 12-15 months. A nervy, uninspiring and tepid Maguire is not at all good for the Three Lions, making it amply clear that the beleaguered defender should be nowhere near Southgate’s side when the World Cup kicks off in November.