Scotland exorcise the ghosts of ‘96 and expose England’s old wounds.
Intensity was the buzz word which occupied the vocabularies of England’s chosen post match defendants,who stood on trial with the noise of a gloating tartan army lingering in the cold and wet Wembley air.From the opening kick off, Gareth Southgate’s side had lacked that very element which has become so intrinsic in a modern game mediated by the importance of pressing.
With the home side struggling to build a rhythm often found through the consistency of possession,Scotland imposed their will on the old enemy with Che Adams’ early chance a reward for their bravery in the attacking third. Yet whilst desire,passion and other common cliches may be thrown around to characterise Scotland’s performance, Steve Clarke’s gameplan was constructed with much more tangible ideas. This wasn’t just over exuberance from a team fuelled by the emotion of the occasion, there was a method to Scotland’s pressure, suffocating Phil Foden to prevent him the space and time to forge links with Mason Mount and the slugglish Harry Kane.
On the occasion where Foden was able to influence play higher up the pitch, England created their best opportunity of a frustrating 90 minutes.Mason Mount’s shot was deflected wide after a penetrative run from the prodigious Manchester City forward,as a result of the subsequent corner,Stones’ superb leap was to be in vain as his close range header crashed against David Marshall’s far post.
What appeared to be a catalyst for renewed English momentum would be overwhelmed by a Scotland midfield which represented all that their opponents lacked; urgency, aggression but most of all quality.
20 year old Billy Gilmour, who has shown formative flashes of brilliance for Chelsea was a contagious runner off the ball with a maturity and confidence on it to nullify England’s attempt to win possession in advanced areas. Kieran Tierney and Scott McTominay, who lined up either side of Grant Hanley in a makeshift back three, rarely showed signs of discomfort as Scotland hunted in packs to restrict the creativity of Mount and Sterling down the left hand side, which had been such a source of danger in victory against Croatia.
The lack of mobility in England’s front four was a symptom of the side’s collective conservatism, hamstrung by a system which elected for security over verticality. An approach epitomised with the removal of Foden just after the hour mark, minimising the impact of Grealish’s appreciated introduction. In contrast Steve Clarke asked for more from his players with Andy Robertson and Stephen O’Donnell’s tone setting runs at odds to England’s unsettling apathy.
Gareth Southgate now faces a delicate balancing act of using the talented squad at his disposal whilst retaining the harmony that has been central to the relative recent success of this set up.Next up for England is the Czech Republic, who came out on top when the sides last met in a qualifier for this tournament back in September 2019 and have looked a difficult to beat outfit with Patrick Schick leading the line.
This young side must develop short term memories in order to survive the bitter post mortem of a disappointing result. Player rotation will inevitably and necessarily be a feature of England’s final group game,Harry Maguire could return from injury to partner John Stones in central defence, Jadon Sancho’s much needed playmaking influence would be a shot in the arm to an underperforming attack yet the most critical addition could be in Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham.
Whereas Declan Rice struggled to provide impetuous into a midfield which needed not only an architect in build up play but a consistent instrument for pressing, the 18 year old has the versatility to fill both those roles and have a profound impact offensively.
For Scotland,in order for this result to retain its importance they must find a way to present a much greater threat in front of goal. Che Adams will surely start after a superb display at Wembley but with limited options in forward areas Steve Clarke will need to take risks,potentially pushing McTominay and Tierney into more advanced positions in midfield.
Croatia however should not be overlooked despite some below par performances, there is still quality in this side with Modric and Kovacic’s ball progression whilst Pericic’s wonder goal against the Czechs showed how dangerous he can be cutting in from the right flank.
As these young lions search for ‘96 equivalence,Friday night’s debacle was more reminiscent of lifeless displays against Iceland and Algeria, abject of energy and with little to no imagination.
Yet this setback does not require a reset but more of a recalibration, a chance for Southgate to address the issues that have been bubbling under the surface of this group since 2018.
The handbrake needs to be loosened if England are to continue into the deepest stages of this tournament. Rather than intensity, the word which needs to be indoctrinated into this team is more.
More attacking adventure from full back.
More risk taking in midfield.
More movement in attack.
Then potentially England can achieve more than a familiar distaste of underachievement.