‘Next stop, Euro 2024!’ So read the jaunty messages on the big screens thankfully replacing the accusing image of the ‘England 0 Iceland 1’ scoreline. Wembley was largely empty by then, just a few paper darts scattered around like some of England’s occasionally rubbish passing.
When England last lost a tournament warm-up match, Louis Armstrong had just vacated the No. 1 spot in the hit parade with ‘Wonderful World’. Fifty-six years ago. It’s hard to read too much into pre-tournament fixtures. England arrived in Brazil in 2014 full of belief but returned home before even finishing their course of malaria tablets.
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Some perspective is required when dissecting the embarrassing showing against visitors ranked 72 in the world. Gareth Southgate and his assistant, Steve Holland, now have to answer some troubling questions swiftly.
Was the worrying absence of physicality simply due to players not wanting to risk injury on the eve of Euro 2024? Or a symptom of fatigue after long season? The players’ union, the Professional Footballers’ Association, warned nine days ago about its members risking exhaustion. Yet other teams are packed with Premier League players, not least Denmark, England’s second group-stage foe.
A refreshed Jude Bellingham returns to the fold this weekend, and will bring more pressing, invention, control and threat. Building on that injection of adrenaline, Southgate has to be bold, bringing in more urgency, more speed in transition. England need to get higher up the pitch, and that means Trent Alexander-Arnold has to start in midfield, unleashing those 60-yard passes to pick out the advanced Bukayo Saka on the right, Harry Kane in the middle, Bellingham off him, and Phil Foden in off the left. And then Anthony Gordon when he comes off the bench.
Alexander-Arnold can release the full-backs, Kyle Walker in particular, on rapid raids. Against well-organised opponents quick to man the barricades in numbers, England have themselves to think and move faster. Alexander-Arnold’s right foot can do that.
Kobbie Mainoo was tidy alongside Declan Rice, Adam Wharton is a long-term option in there and Southgate could also revert to cautious type and start the pressing machine Conor Gallagher, but England need to be more on the front foot, exploiting their strengths. England need to get into a position where they can manage more than one shot on target, their pitiful tally against Iceland. That demands the presence in midfield of Alexander-Arnold, the quarterback, offering no quarter back to the opposition.
Southgate also has to instruct Kane to remain as a No. 9, keeping a threat high up, and not drop off and play No. 10 as he did occasionally (and effectively) against Iceland. Let Bellingham, Alexander-Arnold and Foden do the scheming between the lines.
For all the flurry of boos at full-time, and negative headlines chasing them to Germany, England will expect to journey successfully through Group C but it promises less of a smooth passage than originally anticipated. Aleksandar Mitrovic, Rasmus Hojlund and Benjamin Sesko lie in wait.
As well as addressing England’s need for greater directness at times, Southgate has to tighten his defence. Harry Maguire’s steadying presence will be missed. So will the balance Luke Shaw brings, although he is expected back in the middle of the group stage.
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Southgate will be praying that John Stones’ injury is not serious. The experienced centre-back left Wembley with strapping on his right ankle, and the very least it will hamper his training when he needs minutes on the grass after playing less than two hours for City in the past month. At least, Marc Guehi looks in form. England will need the Palace guard in the days to come.
Serbia, England’s first opponents in Gelsenkirchen on June 16, are ranked 33 in the world compared to Iceland’s 72 and can field such dangerous players as Dusan Vlahovic, Dusan Tadic and Luka Jovic as well as Mitrovic. But a run of only three wins in nine highlights their inconsistency.
Denmark, who England face in Frankfurt on June 20, have Hojlund and Kasper Dolberg, an attack capable of troubling even better defences than England’s. They also have a score to settle after what their seething players saw (rightly) as a tumble by Raheem Sterling to gain the decisive penalty to reach the Euro 2020 final.
England will hope to emerge from their final group-stage stop on June 25 against Slovenia in Cologne smelling of success. Slovenia, though, are flying. They’ve won eight and drawn one of their last 10 games, boast Sesko, the forward coveted by Arsenal amongst others, and the dynamic playmaker Adam Cerin.
England will reach the knockout stage but, following Wembley, the pressure grows on Southgate to show that he can blend brilliant individuals into a team, make Foden play with his City menace, otherwise the criticism will be far, far louder than heard at full-time at the end of a warm-up match. The heat is on.