ENGLAND – HUNGARY 0-4: Gareth Southgate’s men were abysmal as they lost at home to Hungary at Molineux to seriously question their ambitions at the World Cup.
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England-Hungary match in pictures
Gareth Southgate suffered the biggest embarrassment of his international managerial career when Hungary took the sword for the second time in eleven days.
And Southgate’s HUMILIATED team has now gone four games without a win and no open goal.
Two attacks by Roland Sallai and one by Adam Nagy and Daniel Gazdag mean that England are now anchored at the bottom of the A3 group and face relegation to the second division of the League of Nations.
And a crowd of Molineux booed England and said to Southgate … “you don’t know what you’re doing.”
England was defeated by Hungary at Molineux (
Image:
Getty Images)
In a return to the bad old days, fans showed up early and poked at Southgate when he sent Harry Maguire for Bukayo Saka after John Stones had been sent off for a second bookable offense when England were three.
There is no chance the Football Association will make a change, but Southgate is under more pressure than ever since it took control in 2016.
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At one point during an international camp that lasted just over two weeks but seemed like ten, Gareth Southgate said he felt the major European countries were almost on par.
Five months before the World Cup, he suggested that there were no prominent candidates from the continent.
In other words, Southgate believes its England has a similar chance of success in Qatar 2022 than, say, France, Germany or Spain.
And, as it turns out, bookmakers are pretty much in agreement.
But with the evidence of this four-game period in the League of Nations, Gareth and the bettors have been wrong.
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Southgate is making its assessment based on the successes of the previous two major tournaments and the bookmakers only take us all for cups.
Nothing definite can be drawn from the matches that must have been a chore for the seniors who are guaranteed a place in Southgate’s final squad for Qatar 2022.
But the general impression is that this is a template that is not evolving, a template that has become too functional.
The struggle to create opportunities has become tough, the scarcity of creative sparks alarming.
Stones was expelled by England to Molineux (
Image:
Action images via Reuters)
Jarrod Bowen and Conor Gallagher were two players with a great incentive against the Hungarians.
If a World Cup team were selected right now, they would almost certainly not be there.
Their high levels of motivation were evident in their work pace, but to be brutally honest, they did not bring enough to the table in terms of manufacturing opportunities.
They are two overwhelming professionals and if they have a good club form when the Premier League restarts, Gallagher and Bowen could make the plane.
And it seemed a little hard for Bowen to get stuck in the middle and Gallagher followed shortly after.
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Certainly no one could criticize his effort, nor the effort made by all the players used by Southgate during all four games.
Given that this was the most tortuous of international breaks – and most players will now only have three weeks off before resuming club work – the commitment was considerable.
But there was a predictability about England’s game over the last four games that is not a good omen for Qatar.
A fit and sacking Phil Foden will make a big difference if Southgate has full confidence in the Manchester City player – who only had a 25-minute cameo here – while Jack Grealish, who didn’t start this game, can be a savior. .
Southgate was stunned (
Image:
Action images via Reuters)
And despite the proliferation of good English right-backs, Trent Alexander-Arnold must surely play a key role in the squad, although Southgate seems to have more liking for Kyle Walker, Reece James and Kieran Trippier.
The lack of goals in the open game is an obvious indication that Southgate should encourage more creativity, even if this is at the expense of defensive solidity.
With just two games in England before the start of the 2022 World Cup, this team looks one-dimensional.
And don’t let Southgate or the bookmakers tell you otherwise.
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