England suffer Nations League relegation as Giacomo Raspadori fires Italy to victory in Milan
England suffer Nations League relegation as Giacomo Raspadori fires Italy to victory in Milan: It’s hard to think that a little over a year has passed since England was on the cusp of claiming a glorious reward.
Perhaps they would have been crowned kings of Europe.
They have been banished from the Italian royal court and are heading into the woods to spend some time with countries like Albania, Kazakhstan, and Georgia.
In the face of the possibility of the first relegation in English international football in 150 years, Gareth Southgate looked to the strategies of his predecessors.
Game plan
The Three Lions’ game plan for this evening was to keep it disciplined at the back, hit it long to the front players, and try to win a set piece—all things that Sam Allardyce and Roy Hodgson were hired to do.
Unless Jude Bellingham performed a miracle, it never seemed like it would pay off.
The five-game win streak is the worst for this country since 2014, and the goal drought in open play has reached seven and a half hours, spanning three matches.
It was unthinkable that Southgate, the most successful England manager in a generation, could have lost the loyalty of his fans even after the crushing loss at Wembley in the Euro 2020 tournament.
After the summer’s 4-0 loss to Hungary at the Molineux, the crowd erupted in chants of “mutiny;” it’s reasonable to wonder if the same thing will happen against Germany on Monday.
You’re beginning to understand the point of Southgate’s harshest detractors.
Euro
His success at the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020 has given him the authority to do things his way, but with only 56 days before England’s opening game in Qatar, it’s reasonable to wonder if he still knows what that is.
His team is a strange hybrid of his more conservative instincts and a large pool of offensive potential. It was unable to provide the sophistication expected on the internet, and it showed no signs of being able to hold Italy at bay in a 1-0 setback in Milan that could have been far worse.
Of course, there is a middle ground to find. As a rule, the best teams at international events are not the ones who play the most attacking style of play.
All three World Cup champions—Spain, Germany, and France—won by performing below expectations. However, they did have a legitimate threat to score goals.
An impression that they would tear you to shreds if given any openings to exploit, as in the case of Italy in 2012 or Brazil in 2014. At last summer’s European Championships, Southgate’s England lost 5-0 to Ukraine.
Over a year into this version, people are already killing themselves with their breathing apparatuses.
Team
To make room for Phil Foden and Raheem Sterling to play with Harry Kane, Southgate had to move National Team of the year Bukayo Saka to left wing-back.
When you factor in Bellingham, Reece James, and Declan Rice, you have a team full of veterans who are accustomed to dominating their opponents.
In a dull first 45 minutes at the San Siro, they never seemed like they were going to threaten. Aside from Bellingham’s sporadic darts through the middle, England appeared to have no plans to get the ball to their incredibly skilled front line.
Nick Pope’s inferiority to Jordan Pickford and Aaron Ramsdale with the ball at his feet does not help.
Meanwhile, Harry Maguire was performing like a man, fully aware that the English audience was watching the left side of the back three, waiting for him to make a mistake.
The time involved was little. Gianluca Scamacca sprang above the Manchester United captain at the far post and flicked the ball against the post.
Maguire’s best trait is his pass-picking ability, but he was as wary of the potential threat posed as any spectator.
Italy, however, patiently probed a Southgate selection with a more offensive bent, waiting for the moment Saka moved too far ahead before bursting into the void he left.
Players
The number seven player for Arsenal rarely plays on the club’s left side of the field. England possessed a stable ecology in Sterling, Rice, and Maguire and seasoned internationals who could help the 21-year-old play to a plan; nevertheless, there was no sign of this plan.
This seemed like a choice made to appear more progressive, but either Saka should be playing in a position that is somewhat equivalent to his strength, or Southgate should pick someone who is at least somewhat at ease on the left wing.
Even though the visitors improved in the second half, this just gave Italy more openings to attack. The game was ultimately decided by a marginal offside flag that prevented Nicolo Barella from scoring when he should have turned in Federico Dimarco’s cross.
Although England had more of the ball, it was in a defensive position; the remarkable Giacomo Raspadori seemed to know a way to get towards the goal that no one else did.
Position
The Napoli attacker got in behind Kyle Walker and finished off Leonardo Bonucci’s long ball over the top about halfway through the second half.
Having three central defenders gives a team the security to press forward against the opposition while still knowing they have guys in reserve to cover them.
Despite this, no one approached Raspadori, allowing him to get into position before bending the ball out of the way.
England’s desperation paid off as Harry Kane forced a brilliant double save from Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. However, Italy still had plenty of opportunities to add insult to injury after they ripped England apart 4-0 at Wembley last summer.
Fourteen months later, England is like Monty Python’s “Black Knight”—completely helpless against their adversary.
It’s impossible to shake the feeling that the elite of European football will laugh at Southgate’s team the way King Arthur laughed at his limbless rival as they were knocked out of the top division.
Read More: England condemned to Nations League relegation after dismal defeat to Italy