GARETH’S GOULASHED
Southgate’s laid to waist
GARETH SOUTHGATE needs to bring back the waistcoat sharpish because he has never been so out of fashion.
England fans didn’t just boo his side off loudly here, they jeered and jeered for long spells during the game too as the Three Lions were made to look like frightened kittens.
It is more than six hours now since Southgate’s side found the net from open play and many of the locals walked out of Molineux before the final whistle.
Two goals from Roland Sallai, a third from Zsolt Nagy and a fourth by Daniel Gazdag left them singing: “You don’t know what you’re doing.”
And frankly, that’s exactly how it looked by the time this horror show was over because England were a rabble by then, even after Southgate had thrown on the big guns.
John Stones getting himself sent off for a second bookable offence was just the icing on a very sourtasting cake for Southgate.
England had never previously gone four games without a win under his leadership. They are going backwards. And what a disaster this Nations League campaign has been.
Yes, the players are tired. Yes, they’ve played too many matches. But they shouldn’t be getting thrashed 4-0 at home by Hungary.
Some England fans even taunted Southgate with chants of: “You’re getting sacked in the morning.”
And while that won’t happen, the England manager’s vow not to outstay his welcome suddenly looks like being seriously tested.
Because as of right now his team have never looked less like winning a World Cup and there are only two games left to put it right before Qatar.
England actually started brightly with Reece James, playing as a makeshift left-back, creating the game’s first chance only for Jarrod Bowen’s header to be blocked on the line. But
the visitors silenced Molineux when England failed to clear a free-kick and Sallai smashed it home.
James then cleared another Hungary free-kick before Denes Dibusz did well to save an attempted clearance by Willi Orban after a Bukayo Saka cross.
Desperate for a goal, Southgate showed he wasn’t messing about by hooking Bowen and sending on Raheem Sterling after the break.
Harry Kane was inches away from getting on the end of a superb low cross from the right from James. But even after bringing on Mason Mount and Phil Foden, little changed. In fact, things got worse when Kalvin Phillips was caught in possession and Sallai took full advantage to bang in a Hungarian second.
Kane then headed against the crossbar from a Mount cross.
But yet more sloppiness allowed Hungary to score a third when Nagy smashed home from range.
And there was no way back when Stones was shown a second yellow for a foul on Gazdag. England complained that it was soft.
Gazdag then ran through unopposed to a score a fourth.