England are not only bad but they are boring too. It's a terrible and depressing combination and the worrying thing about another night of nothing in Germany is that Gareth Southgate and his players are showing absolutely no sign of finding a solution to a puzzle born of misapplication and confusion.
Southgate called an end to the Trent Alexander-Arnold midfield experiment here in hot and heavy Cologne and gave Conor Gallagher of Chelsea a try. That didn't work. Gallagher was anonymous and was replaced at half-time by Manchester United's Kobbie Mainoo. That brought about a little improvement but not enough.
The truth is that this mess is not necessarily about personnel. It's about belief and attitude and freedom of thought. England have none of it at the moment and that goes from front to back. The midfielder Declan Rice - someone on whom we can usually rely - had promised England would play with freedom. They didn't. We were told England would be off the leash. Maybe they were but that only enabled them to run around without direction.
England had more of the ball than against Serbia and Denmark but then their opponents here were ranked lower than Scotland. On the whole they did absolutely nothing with it. The statistics at the end of the game showed that the England players who had completed the most passes were the four defenders. Sideways and back. Sideways and back.
This is not the England we know. This is England from the bad old days of fear and self-loathing. From the days of talk and no action. How dismal it is to find ourselves back here again. Somehow England have won the group and are now in the slightly more palatable side of the draw. But that doesn't matter. They are a team waiting to be beaten.
Slovenia, to be correct about it, never looked like doing that. They never looked like heaping the ultimate humiliation on their storied opposition. They never looked liked scoring and didn't create a worthwhile chance.
Neither did England, though, and Southgate's reshuffle in the middle of the field didn't really achieve anything at all. As expected, Gallagher was given his opportunity but failed to take it. Indeed he didn't touch the ball at all in the opening 10 minutes.
Southgate and his coaching team are aware of Gallagher's technical limitations. They brought him here to Germany to ideally use as an impact sub, a player who could be sent on late in games to try and drag England up the pitch. Here he was asked to do that job from the start. To say it didn't work is an understatement.
Meanwhile Southgate had said as Mainoo arrived on the scene this season that England would be a little more open with him in the team. The national coach is a former defender and often returns to those very first instincts.
But England had laboured so much that something had to give, a risk of some degree had to be taken. And England were better with Mainoo on the field. The United academy graduate has a neat touch, nimble feet and can manoeuvre the ball quickly.
For a while there was a greater urgency to England's football and he played his part in that. But how much of England's territorial dominance in the second half was down to a marginal improvement or merely Slovenia's understandable tendency to retreat in search of a valuable point is hard to say.
What is clear is that England's big name players have not brought their true selves to this stage. In order for England to improve on what they had given before here, each player had to step up by 10 or 20 per cent. That was always going to be much more important than personnel or tweaks to formations.
The truth is that it didn't happen. Jude Bellingham continues to play as though the football has his name on it and gives out less than satisfactory messages in body language when things don't go his way. At the moment that is often and if the 20-year-old really does wish to be seen as a leader of this team then he must do better than that. One imagines, he will feel that none of this is his fault.
Southgate made changes as time wore on. Cole Palmer got 19 minutes. Anthony Gordon got one minute. And then on came Alexander-Arnold and that seemed fitting. England had come full circle to find themselves back in the same place. Lost.
widbcost
0
Most of the big names are overrated by their country's media. Actually and in real evaluation,they are not big in performance
Rubabcdlmt
0
Great spot on article. England's teamwork missing. Axe the coach & his assistants
jaydklnopu
2
so far TAA was the best player England had, only that Southgate tactics hinders and wasted his talent. If England wants to win, better start to what they do best, STOP playing deep or else the midfielders will suffers and the striker don't know what to do. England misses- 1. Hendo tenacity, vocal point and leadership. 2. Jones n Elliot can open plays and support winger and cf. 3. Grealish, Rashford, Sterling and Sancho pressing, running wingers and wide forwards. TAA will assist them, and his task will be easier 4. Plays Ivan Toney or Watkins, drop Kane. 5. Kane is so quite, not a leader as a captain. Better give Stone, Trippier, TAA or Gomez as more experienced as a Captain.
foobeimosz
1
England change your coach
Jebdiknpz
1
Which one is their true self? English players only do well when they play in the midst of Spanish, French, German and African players.. We are now seeing their true football identity... This is not the first time. It happens even in their golden age with the likes of Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Carrick, Scholes, Terry, Ferdinand, Ashley Cole, Rooney, Owen,
Samtex7
0
The big players only come along with there wags and forget there mission in Germany
Rucdeknot
2
Their big in England not outside their country ππππππEven in their teams those players they are good because of other players from different countries...and when it comes to come together to make a good team...wooo...they failπ΅π΅,they only good in talkings, in the media and in the businesswise...In those three areas they are 100% very good.
Zetkopsyz
2
Your headline is wrong: it should read: England big players not big enough for ocassion this big occasion
Jehblrtuz
0
look at the comments n news i really saw much palmer name so soughtgate u should give time to palmer once 90min
Pehcdlmnrt
0
they may struggle now but win the Euro don't count them off
zotbklmy
2
They are so over rated by their english pundits
myclubliverpool
1
I thought TAA is only player responsible for England's failure .I'm surprised names are coming up. TAA has played a total of 90 mins but has created the most chances for English side
myclubliverpool
0
I thought TAA is only player responsible for England's failure .I'm surprised names are coming up. TAA has played a total of 90 mins but has created the most chances for English sits
kiubeilnsz
1
Show Southgate the Exit Gate!! This guy is ineffective, incompetent and boring!! π₯±
can't be any gate though, gotta be the south one
wemalnsy
2
Show Southgate the Exit Gate!! This guy is ineffective, incompetent and boring!! π₯±
vuaabdipu
0
Yes π
AdrianShion
1
actually I didn't read the article. just jump to comment after reading the headline ππ»ββοΈ
AdrianShion
0
they only can shine at the league. even their run to final last time out also not spectacular. always over hyped
levina08
0
Have they ever?
[image]
haha π€£π€£
netadoptu
0
Southgate is technically inept
Vuacdnoprs
0
π§π§
Barcelonian99
4
Have they ever?