Richard Buxton: Three Lions in dreaded deja vu
Another year, another third-place play-off - England do not seem to have progressed since World Cup
England should really be getting used to this particular drill by now.
| SWITZERLAND | ENGLAND | |
| 0 | 0 | |
| *England win 6-5 on penalties after match ends 0-0 after extra-time |
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Another semi-final exit in extra-time followed by a meaningless third-place play-off ordeal.
The Three Lions leave the Nations League Finals with their reputation tarnished on the pitch as much as off it, despite last night’s 6-5 penalty shootout victory over Switzerland at the Estadio D. Afonso Henriques in Guimaraes.
Gareth Southgate cannot do anything about the thuggish behaviour displayed by some supporters in the streets around Portugal at Uefa’s newest tournament.
Yet that pattern of ugly regression appears symbolic of where his side now find themselves.
Little appears to have shifted since England crashed out at the World Cup semi-finals barely 11 months ago.
The bar may have been significantly raised but standards appear to be slipping.
Successive semi-final runs in major competitions during the past year by no means constitutes a failure for the current England crop. Getting that far is an achievement in itself.
They are, however, guilty of falling back on some incredibly familiar bad habits.
No challengers appear to be forthcoming to the likes of Jordan Pickford and a defensive line which has largely remained in situ since Russia despite their poor performances since then and Trent Alexander-Arnold continually snapping at the heels of Kyle Walker for the right-back position.
Resting on those laurels came back to haunt Southgate in midweek, with Walker and Manchester City teammate John Stones both making errors that led to Holland’s 3-1 extra-time win in the semi-final.
A decision to rest key players who were involved in the Champions League final also backfired spectacularly against the Dutch.
Ronald Koeman had zero hesitation in deploying Virgil van Dijk and Georginio Wijnaldum, barely four days after they had stepped off Liverpool’s party bus.
Neither player appeared visibly drained by the experience of playing in the heat of Madrid, yet their club teammates were wrapped in cotton wool by England; seemingly incapable of handling the intensity of a second competitive match in the space of five days.
Southgate’s excessive caution was again laid bare in Guimaraes, this time with Alexander-Arnold regularly exploiting Switzerland’s threeman backline to provide a creative outlet which had been sorely lacking in the Holland clash at the same venue just days earlier.
Harry Kane, too, signalled a return to fitness and form with only Yann Sommer’s fingertips able to deny the England captain an exquisite chipped attempt after just two minutes.
The Swiss shot-stopper had to be at his best again when Fabian Schar almost cost his country with a second error in as many games when an attempted interception looped towards his own goal.
Complacency still managed to creep into this improved England line-up, just as it did last Thursday.
They were far too wasteful in front of goal with gilt-edged chances falling to Kane and Raheem Sterling.
But it was Dele Alli’s inability to find the target from a pinpoint delivery by Alexander-Arnold which Southgate may come to rue more than the others.
When they did break the deadlock in normal time, through substitute Callum Wilson, VAR intervened to deny England yet another late winner at the Estadio D. Afonso Henriques.
Penalties felt like a natural conclusion for the current summer of ambivalence.
Euro 2020 will need to offer more from Southgate’s charges to avoid the disconnect of decades past.
SWITZERLAND: Yann Sommer,
Fabian Schar, Manuel Akanji, Nico Elvedi, Kevin Mbabu, Granit Xhaka, Remo Freuler, Ricardo Rodriguez (Josip Drmic 87), Xherdan Shaqiri (Steven Zuber 65), Edimilson Fernandes (Denis Zakaria 61), Haris Seferovic (Noah Okafor 113)
ENGLAND: Jordan Pickford, Trent
Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Harry Maguire, Danny Rose (Kyle Walker 70),
Eric Dier, Fabian Delph (Ross Barkley 106), Jesse Lingard (Jadon Sancho 106),
Dele Alli, Raheem Sterling, Harry Kane (Callum Wilson 75)
: Yann Sommer,
Fabian Schar, Manuel Akanji, Nico Elvedi, Kevin Mbabu, Granit Xhaka, Remo Freuler, Ricardo Rodriguez (Josip Drmic 87), Xherdan Shaqiri (Steven Zuber 65), Edimilson Fernandes (Denis Zakaria 61), Haris Seferovic (Noah Okafor 113)
ENGLAND: Jordan Pickford, Trent
Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Harry Maguire, Danny Rose (Kyle Walker 70),
Eric Dier, Fabian Delph (Ross Barkley 106), Jesse Lingard (Jadon Sancho 106),
Dele Alli, Raheem Sterling, Harry Kane (Callum Wilson 75)
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