Gareth’s flops are down and out in Milan
Problems pile up for England ahead of Qatar
In nations League terms, that’s England relegated. The Group B gathering of countries await from here. England could be leaving on a midnight train to Georgia. not to mention Albania, or Montenegro.
The bigger picture is what this says about England’s World Cup preparations. England have not scored a single goal in competitive football since beating San Marino last november. And they’re not super tight at the back as they used to be.
This was a below strength Italy — who won’t even be in Qatar, don’t forget — yet they still found a way through.
It was a cracking goal from Giacomo Raspadori, just 22 and very much part of the coming generation, but he turned Kyle Walker inside out to score it.
Until that point, England’s central three had been the good news of the night.
It was 1978 the last time England won a competitive match against Italy and 2012 when they last won so much as a friendly. This was the team supposed to be rewriting those old narratives. now, they are conforming to them.
There seemed a desperation about Harry Kane when, found by Jude Bellingham, he powered a shot against Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and then, when the ball came out to him, did it again, rather than try to find a team-mate in the middle.
England got closer towards the end — Reece James forced another good save from Donnarumma from a free-kick wide on the left — but the best side won and long periods elapsed when it was hard to locate England’s purpose.
There is one more game before Qatar, against Germany at
Wembley on Monday, and so many players need to find their feet.
This was not, it must be said, a classic. Italy have no World Cup for which to prepare, England do, but are too distracted by trying to get key players into form and fitness.
There were 41 minutes and 48 seconds gone when England mustered their first shot at goal, a hopeful crack from range on the run by Kane that travelled some distance over the bar.
Italy enjoyed the livelier start but there is a reason why this team have won just two of their last nine games under Roberto Mancini. The sparse attendance told its own story, too. The top tier behind one goal was entirely empty.
Yet this was still Italy at San Siro, so there was still noise and enthusiasm when they were on the ball. That was the case when Raspadori, the young napoli forward, outstripped Maguire to run in on goal early on.
He was judged to be marginally offside and nick Pope saved anyway, but the sight of Maguire the wrong side of his man, struggling to keep pace and making forlorn attempts to tug him back, were all too familiar to those who have witnessed his most recent performances for Manchester United.
There was more trouble after five minutes when Pope seemed to be in a poor position to deal with a cross from the left and Maguire got outjumped by Gianluca Scamacca. His header struck the outside of the post and was blocked by Pope, who had now recovered position.
Bukayo Saka deployed at left wing-back was one of Gareth Southgate’s braver calls but, again, one on which the jury remains out. On occasions, huge swathes of space opened up on his side.
Italy spotted it, and began to hit the area with raking crossfield balls. One of them found nicola Barella in enough space to turn an ocean liner, but his cross was poorly controlled by Raspadori and the moment passed.
Better was a 38th minute goalbound shot from Bryan Cristante, which struck a white shirt and ricocheted to safety. Yet if England grew into the game as it wore on, inescapably this is a team that is not where it was going into the last tournament.
With Pope — the first custodian from newcastle in more than a century — in for the injured Jordan Pickford, this may well be England’s starting XI for the first World Cup match with Iran in november. Bellingham played in the midfield berth that would have been occupied by Kalvin Phillips had injury and an ill-fated move to Manchester City not taken him out of circulation.
The centre-half positions saw the red-hot Eric Dier with the stone cold Maguire, probably the greatest beneficiary of Southgate’s loyalty. John Stones was out, suspended. Yet, strangely, it is Dier he has more chance of replacing. Maguire seems untouchable, still.
Just two minutes into the second-half, Dier made arguably the tackle of the night on Cristante. How Maguire must have wished that could have been him. It is exactly what he needs to fire his confidence now.
Yet, England couldn’t keep Raspadori, who was a threat throughout, at bay. nor the doubts about how ready they are for the finals.