Gareth Southgate's side were booed at the final whistle on Friday following their defeat at Wembley. Posted by: Getty Images/Julian Finney
It was billed as a great send-off, a stirring welcome from England to the Class of 2024 before they headed to Germany to soothe 58 years of pain. “I know it was then, but it could be again,” shouted the giant tifo at Wembley, conveying the longing for football to return home. With this, the country can forget any belated encore of 1966. The only story Gareth Southgate's players repeated here was the disastrous defeat to Iceland in 2016, considered by many to be the national team's worst moment of the 21st century. By the time the slogans of “Bring it home, boys” began to be heard from the huge screens, there were almost no fans left to cheer.
Southgate should have provided at least some cause for celebration as his 95th game in charge drew him level with Sir Bobby Robson. But it was perhaps the thinnest mess he has served in eight years with England, with 81,000 fans receiving just one shot on target against a team ranked 72nd in the world. It took those 90 minutes to confirm his team's status as European Championship favorites, but it was extremely premature. Where there should have been urgency, there was only a maddening sense of stagnation and lethargy.
The kindest interpretation was that England were desperate to avoid unnecessary injury. However, that doesn't justify the lack of breadth, vibrancy and character in their final setup for a tournament filled with anticipation. This is not the first time Phil Foden has gone from being Manchester City's top technical man to being a study in toothlessness. Marc Guey, a bundle of nerves in the second half, did little to allay concerns about the central defence. Somehow Southgate managed to turn the mood of overwhelming goodwill into one of gloomy foreboding.
On a Friday night under calm summer skies, with thousands of children watching in Harry Kane shirts, it seemed the perfect signal for England to instill optimism ahead of the sterner tests ahead. Instead, they acted as if they were afraid of their own shadows. Although Southgate insisted he was not worried about the result and insisted his side would be ready to face Serbia in Gelsenkirchen next Sunday, there was little to mitigate the woeful performance. Iceland missed out on qualifying for the Euros by a large margin, losing 3-1 to Luxembourg. And yet England made them look like world champions. They deservedly remained on the pitch long after the final whistle to take selfies to mark the moment.
The appearance of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Bukayo Saka brought the loudest cheers of the night. Yet England were still working to spark a resurgence after Jón Dagur Thorsteinsson's opening goal, and were lucky not to miss a beat when Iceland's deft counter-attacks split them in two.
England's defense is open again as Iceland miss a HUGE chance for their second 🏴 Football Football Football 🇮🇸#ThreeLions | #EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/wDZawe7Ap9
— Channel 4 Sport (@C4Sport) June 7, 2024
In some ways, Southgate was wise not to worry too much, knowing that England have a habit of correcting their shortcomings in early games. Remember the worries leading up to the World Cup in Qatar and how quickly they were dispelled by a 6-2 win over Iran? But it was also undoubtedly a bitter tonic for all the froth and passion that the triumph of the Euro was a predetermined destiny.
England are capable of tentative, disjointed performances too often for this prediction to hold water. For Southgate, the scoreline was doubly disappointing given the risk he took in his selection. While dropping Jack Grealish was justified in light of the striker's decline for City at the end of the season, one has to wonder if he felt as comfortable leaving Harry Maguire at home. Yes, Maguire may not have had a chance to reach the group stage at all. But a look at the center of defense without him, with John Stones suffering from worrying ankle pain and Guei looking out of sorts, reveals a team that is alarmingly porous at the back.
There is a sense that Southgate will only be fully appreciated once he has gone. After all, he has taken England to a string of semi-finals, finals and quarter-finals in his last three tournaments. That is far superior to Robson, with whom he has equalled the number of appearances here. However, that was no reason to convince those who believe he is holding the team back with an instinctive caution. Whenever they have pushed forward, England have had little momentum, and their attacks have too often been reduced to aimless sideways passes.
Southgate will draw a lot of force thanks to the heavy artillery he has in reserve. Jude Bellingham is not yet in action and England have decided to rest him following his Champions League win with Real Madrid. He could still be a figure that excites fans. God knows they needed someone to support a night like this, when by half-time many had to ditch their paper airplanes and experiment with cell phone flashlights. With 15 minutes to go, the rows of empty red seats were as unmistakable as they were deadly.
Believe England to deflate their balloon so abruptly. Trust them to turn your party into another unforgettable disappointment for Iceland. It felt as if we had seen their traditional gift of self-immolation even before the start of the Euro.
Tournament summer, of course, depends on your running time. But if these players have a chance to lift the dead hand of history in Germany, they will have to do it from scratch.
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