Rarely has a manager dealt with being one of the favorites for one tournament while also being relegated from another. Trying to save a struggling UEFA Nations League campaign while preparing for the biggest show on Earth is where England finds themselves in their penultimate meeting before the World Cup finals begin in November. In the meantime, if you are looking to bet on England we have you fully covered. We offer some of the best online casinos for the World Cup. Check out our pages for more information.
The Nations League is minor compared to what will happen in Qatar, of course. Still, England’s placement at the bottom of League A Group 3 suggests a consistently disappointing level of play, raising issues that Gareth Southgate needs to address right now.
The low point unquestionably occurred in mid-June when England suffered their worst home loss in 97 years, a 4-0 loss to Hungary in front of a disgruntled Molineux crowd, with thousands of fans chanting at a shell-shocked Southgate, “You don’t know what you’re doing” and “You’re getting sacked in the morning.”
At the end of a difficult season, with many players clearly fatigued, it came with a significantly altered roster, but the popular response was harsh and unforgiving. Midfielder Jack Grealish called that criticism of the boss as “extremely harsh” as 28 players arrived at St. George’s Park on Monday for future Nations League matches against Germany and Italy. The manager has overseen consistent and undeniable growth throughout his nearly six years in charge.
England finished third in the inaugural Nations League in 2019 and came second in the postponed Euro 2020 final last year. In the 2018 World Cup, England advanced to the quarterfinals before falling to Belgium in the third-place playoff.
Second, third, and fourth. The next move is obvious. However, as players compete for spots in Southgate’s final 26-man squad, there are a number of difficulties that need to be resolved in order for Southgate to bring the country’s first title in 56 years.
How is the midfield situation looking?
This is possibly the crux of the England puzzle. Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips’ central-midfield axis gave England the security and defense they needed to start their journey to the Euro 2020 championship game last year. However, neither of them is a particularly effective ball-passer, and they are unable to exert as much control over games as, for instance, the Italians Jorginho or Marco Verratti. Both of those players denied England victory in the Wembley final, and the same issue had previously occurred with the Netherlands’ Frenkie De Jong in the 2019 Nations League semifinal, Croatia’s Luka Modric in 2018, and Italy’s Andrea Pirlo in 2012.
In the important knockout games, there has frequently been a pass master ready to draw attention to England’s struggle to maintain possession. Phillips’ participation in the competition is in danger due to a shoulder issue that could require surgery. Jude Bellingham is still showing great promise at Borussia Dortmund, and if he plays well against Italy and Germany, the demand for his participation in Qatar will increase. Even while it is a lot to ask of a 19-year-old with only six England starts to his credit, his emergence would be a significant improvement over the team’s summer roster. It makes sense why Southgate is naturally cautious. Southgate has assembled a small team that emphasizes the value of cohesion and work without the ball, aware that England lacks a metronomic midfield presence like Modric or De Jong. Given the variety of attacking alternatives at his disposal, this has given rise to allegations of extreme conservatism.
Southgate is correct that every top team needs balance and that he cannot start six forwards in any match, but it seems like the brakes may be pushed a little less firmly to allow England to perform to its full potential. It is difficult to criticize a manager who came within a penalty shootout of leading his team to their first tournament victory in more than five decades, but performances have been lacking for some time and these Nations League games offer a chance to turn things around. In light of this, some people found it odd that he selected no less than 12 defenders for his most recent team.
Harry Maguire is fortunate to be a member of this England team. Southgate’s unwavering dedication to a player whose slide at Manchester United has been swift and quick is the only reason he succeeded. With few opportunities to play at Old Trafford, Maguire must take advantage of the potential to strengthen England’s defensive core in the coming week.
Trent Alexander-Arnold has never quite won over Southgate, a point of view that is easier to accept given the variety of right-back and right-wing-back alternatives at his disposal. Although Alexander-Arnold is an incredible talent in possession, his Liverpool performances have frequently been marred by defensive miscues. In the battle to be England’s No. 1, Jordan Pickford is narrowly ahead of Aaron Ramsdale, although the latter is out this time due to a thigh injury. Ramsdale has the opportunity to solidify that relationship between goalie and defense because there aren’t any pre-tournament games.
Grealish, another player who hasn’t completely won Southgate over, has been open about his lack of performance so far this year. Nevertheless, he was chosen ahead of Jadon Sancho and should improve after a year under Pep Guardiola’s guidance. Luke Shaw, who thrived at left-back last summer, is battling with form and an injury, and Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell, who underwent knee surgery in November, is making his long-awaited return to the squad. This leaves another position at left-back up for grabs.
What about scoring goals? Harry Kane would be the quick response in this case, and given that he had a stronger August at Tottenham than many others previously, few would bet against him scoring in Qatar. However, after beating Ivory Coast 3-0 in March, England has gone four games without scoring from open play and has lacked the unity they had when playing at their best under Southgate. In World Cup qualifying, no side scored more goals than England’s 39, yet 24 of those goals came in four games against weak competition San Marino and Andorra.
What about scoring goals? Harry Kane would be the quick response in this case, and given that he had a stronger August at Tottenham than many others previously, few would bet against him scoring in Qatar. However, after beating Ivory Coast 3-0 in March, England has gone four games without scoring from open play and has lacked the unity they had when playing at their best under Southgate. In World Cup qualifying, no side scored more goals than England’s 39, yet 24 of those goals came in four games against weak competition San Marino and Andorra.
Raheem Sterling has been an important player for Southgate over the past 18 months and is a lock to start alongside Kane, but if England play a variation of the 3-4-3 (more on that below), the third attacking position is up for grabs with options like Grealish, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, and Jarrod Bowen in this most recent squad. Ivan Toney of Brentford has been given an opportunity to build a late claim for Kane’s backup spot, however, Tammy Abraham of Roma will feel that it is her post to lose.
Overall, England has always been a top contender and it will be interesting to see how the Three Lions squad will adapt to the uncertainties. This will certainly shift the sports betting perspective across the gambling sector.
