Raheem reprieve will be cold comfort for Gareth
ON a bright but cold evening, which spoke of long winter months ahead, England’s return to international football after almost 10 months away was a profoundly underwhelming affair rescued by Raheem Sterling’s late penalty and Birkir Bjarnason then spurning Iceland’s own injury- time spot kick.
Since November, Gareth Southgate has sat on his hands and reflected on what might have been had Euro 2020 taken place and had there been no global pandemic. On reflection he may decide that there was always plenty more work to do. And that on the basis of this display, the progress made since England were humiliated by Iceland in 2016 may have been overstated.
England were ponderous and uninspired, perhaps predictably given the disruption of the season, until on 90 minutes a Trent Alexander-Arnold corner resulted in a Sterling strike.
Sverrir Ingason threw himself at the ball which struck his elbow. The penalty was awarded, Sterling scored and England seemed safe. Yet almost direct from kick off, Joe Gomez contrived to pull back Albert Gudmundsson in t he box. Up stepped Bjarnsson, heroics pending, but he shot high over the bar towards Mount Esja.
On a crisp autumnal day, when bright Reykjavik sunshine belied the changing seasons, as the last vestiges of summer was ushered away by a fresh northerly front, England looked sluggish.
‘ Move it quickly,’ barked Kyle Walker while Southgate paced his technical area, cerebral and mainly silent, the quiet man.
The hope was England would put clear blue North Atlantic water between the class of 2016 and this new generation, bolstered by Phil Foden, finally given his debut, and the likes ofJa don Sancho, an England regular these days.
Southgate has held back with Foden, fearful of over-exposing a young man to unreasonable expectations. But in the digital age, this is a low key as debuts come.
Mount Esja overlooked proceeding somewhat majestically in the background but that aside, Foden and Co cut lonely figures at Laugardalsvollur Stadium. A handful of locals gathered at the far end of the stadium, where a wire fence was the only barrier to a clear view across the bend of the athletics track.
Only four England starters — Kane, Sterling, Dier and Walker — might have been haunted by the ghosts of Nice; likewise for Iceland, with so many key players out, only three of their team started in the game which was zenith of Icelandic football and nadir of the English game.
With a population of 364,000, roughly t he size of Coventry, they could ill afford the absence of Everton’s Gylfi Sigurdsson and Burnley’ s Johan Berg Gudmundsson, absent because of the‘ club issues .’ In addition, captain Aron Gunnarsson was unable to travel from Qatar.
Iceland — as English as it comes with their solid blocks of 4-4-2 — were squeezing England in midfield, happy to allow the ball out to the wings where Sancho and Sterling did their best to pick their way through. And if Trippier and Walker offered support from fullback, Sverrir Ingason and and Kari Arnason looked happy to deal with crosses all afternoon.
In the packed central areas, the sheer numbers of bodies made it hard to prise a way through. Foden and his midfield partner James Ward-P row se looked slightly overwhelmed.
The guile of the Manchester City player is exactly what is called for in situations like this. But it is hard to be nuanced when surrounded by a gang of 6ft 1in Vikings. Iceland had England where they wanted them, trapped in a plan of coach Erik Hamren’s making.
England simply could not move the ball quickly enough to pull the Icelandic defensive machine out of its preordained shape. Possession stats of 88 per cent count for little when you are constantly being forced sideways one way and then the other. England needed incision. Instead, there was indecision.
Such was the industry of the Icelandic front two Jon Dadi Bodvarsson and Albert Gundmundsson, that 4-4-2 often became 4-6. Southgate is a manager whose best qualities are his patience and calmness. Yet the stalemate begged a change and Foden was the fall guy. Patted on the back by his manager as he came off, it was nonetheless a frustrating afternoon. He had been neat in tight spaces. And no one doubts that he passes the ball beautifully. But this was a game in which he could only shine in moments.
Danny Ings — no longer a one-cap wonder — came on to earn a second cap, almost five years since his first, on 69 minutes.
Walker, who had done well on his first internatonal game for 14 months, had picked up a first-half booking for felling Gudmundsson. Now, on 69 minutes, he clattered into Arnor Ingvi Traustason, late and reckless, to earn a second.
Now we would get to see Alexander-Arnold, who will presumably play on Wednesday. And a debut for Mason Greenwood, so the best of the young ones were on display. But the frustrations remained familiar — until the late escape.