Three Lions RELEGATED from Nations League A and Face Horror Euro 2024 Draw after Lacklustre Display
- 2 years ago
Not after England were condemned to relegation from the Nations League, without a win, not a single open goal, in five games and with only one game before a corrupt and immoral tournament in Qatar.
England's millionaire footballers may have gotten a hefty tax cut from the Chancellor yesterday, but Gareth Southgate's shares are falling faster than sterling on currency exchanges.
This Three Lions side lacked identity and lacked entertainment value as they sucked at the San Siro and were beaten by Giacomo Raspadori's blunt second-half finish.
The biggest roar of the night from the English fans came when a paper plane, a national symbol of boredom, was flung onto the pitch from the bleeding seats of this grand old stadium.
Southgate will remember similar scenes before the last World Cup in Russia, and that campaign went quite well.
But on the basis of this Nations League campaign, no one should be satisfied with England even making it out of a World Cup group that includes Iran, USA and Wales.
This damn big crumbling ruin of a stadium is doomed to bulldozers, but it still retains a great mystique.
England hadn't played here since 1939 and they haven't beaten the Azzurri on Italian soil since 1961.
Southgate gave Eric Dier his first England cap in two years and employed Bukayo Saka in the troublesome left-back position.
The England manager's favorite five defense was implemented, at least until Italy scored, and is likely to be his Plan A in Qatar.
When Southgate spoke on the eve of this match of having 'compromised' in his decision-making during a miserable run of games in June, he was likely referring to the fact that he has frequently used a crowd-pleasing flat-bottom four, which has rarely produced his best performances.
The Italians, European champions but absent from Qatar after a shock play-off defeat to North Macedonia, had West Ham's Gianluca Scamacca in the lead.
After an opera singer stripping down and removing her cape between God Save The King and the Italian anthem, the hosts got off to a flying start.
England, in that lousy kit, were slow: Maguire made an early error and then Federico Dimarco crossed to the far post where Nick Pope deflected Scamacca's header, replacing the injured Jordan Pickford.
It was something scratchy from England. They took too many free kicks in their own half, a trait Southgate will want them to drop in the tournament.
There were times when the Three Lions threatened at half-time, especially when Saka, oddly voted England Player of the Year by fans, led a charge but Kane fired wide.
And by halftime, the game seemed to be dying of death. It was as bad as the goalless draw between the same two teams at Molineux in June, and those of us who lived through it can assure you that's saying something.
Dier looked solid in the center of the back three, as he has for Tottenham since the arrival of Antonio Conte, and there were promising moments from Jude Bellingham, but the Borussia Dortmund kid didn't s
England's millionaire footballers may have gotten a hefty tax cut from the Chancellor yesterday, but Gareth Southgate's shares are falling faster than sterling on currency exchanges.
This Three Lions side lacked identity and lacked entertainment value as they sucked at the San Siro and were beaten by Giacomo Raspadori's blunt second-half finish.
The biggest roar of the night from the English fans came when a paper plane, a national symbol of boredom, was flung onto the pitch from the bleeding seats of this grand old stadium.
Southgate will remember similar scenes before the last World Cup in Russia, and that campaign went quite well.
But on the basis of this Nations League campaign, no one should be satisfied with England even making it out of a World Cup group that includes Iran, USA and Wales.
This damn big crumbling ruin of a stadium is doomed to bulldozers, but it still retains a great mystique.
England hadn't played here since 1939 and they haven't beaten the Azzurri on Italian soil since 1961.
Southgate gave Eric Dier his first England cap in two years and employed Bukayo Saka in the troublesome left-back position.
The England manager's favorite five defense was implemented, at least until Italy scored, and is likely to be his Plan A in Qatar.
When Southgate spoke on the eve of this match of having 'compromised' in his decision-making during a miserable run of games in June, he was likely referring to the fact that he has frequently used a crowd-pleasing flat-bottom four, which has rarely produced his best performances.
The Italians, European champions but absent from Qatar after a shock play-off defeat to North Macedonia, had West Ham's Gianluca Scamacca in the lead.
After an opera singer stripping down and removing her cape between God Save The King and the Italian anthem, the hosts got off to a flying start.
England, in that lousy kit, were slow: Maguire made an early error and then Federico Dimarco crossed to the far post where Nick Pope deflected Scamacca's header, replacing the injured Jordan Pickford.
It was something scratchy from England. They took too many free kicks in their own half, a trait Southgate will want them to drop in the tournament.
There were times when the Three Lions threatened at half-time, especially when Saka, oddly voted England Player of the Year by fans, led a charge but Kane fired wide.
And by halftime, the game seemed to be dying of death. It was as bad as the goalless draw between the same two teams at Molineux in June, and those of us who lived through it can assure you that's saying something.
Dier looked solid in the center of the back three, as he has for Tottenham since the arrival of Antonio Conte, and there were promising moments from Jude Bellingham, but the Borussia Dortmund kid didn't s