about England.
Another two dull qualifiers and the pundits are wetting themselves over yet again another two Southgatesque performances, that saw them beat Andorra and Serbia.
We’ve seen all of this before, it’s all just the same, just one or two faces have changed, and yet one or two are still hanging on. Tuchel’s England is the same as Southgate’s England. It’s Continuity Southgate.
Players who aren’t playing picked. Players played out of position, while players in that position who are playing and playing well overlooked. Players not doing anything picked.
The struggle against Andorra was played out many a time under Southgate, all the same traits, while Lee Dixon said all the same things during those games. But here he thought it wasn’t that bad, while saying that games like this are difficult, while also stating the ways in which they shouldn’t be.
Playing at a ponderous, almost sub-walking pace, is one way to make them difficult. There was a general air of “lads, it’s Andorra”. Wandering about with no intent or purpose. Well, as per usual the only purpose was personal glory. Being the one to score. Not the one to lay it on. “Why would I want to do that, when the scorer gets all the plaudits?”
It was telling when Dixon complained about Kane’s ball to Anderson in the box, where the Forest player nearly got his first England goal, but for the pass being just behind him. Never mentions the fact that if it had been any of Dixon’s favourite players, Madueke, Saka, Bellingham, Foden, Rashford, then the ball wouldn’t have been played, Anderson wouldn’t have had the chance, they would have taken a shot instead.
A trend that carried on against Serbia. A team massively talked up before hand that looked Andorraesque on the pitch, just with a higher line. Which made things easier for England. But again, the wingers are only really interested in cutting inside and having a shot. Rice, further up the pitch in these two games, was doing his Bellingham routine of having a shot at every opportunity.
The fullbacks against Serbia, well both teams really, passed the ball back far too much. Though if one went for a one-two run down the wing they never got the ball back, so in the end why bother, just pass it backwards, it’ll probably end up there anyway. Because if the winger can’t take a shot, they’re not passing it through to someone with a better opportunity. Where’s the glory in that?
There were a couple of players who were playing for others, playing as a team. Rogers starting the second game, coming off the bench for the first, was the only outfield player who started the Serbia game not to have a shot. Playing balls through. Yes, he did that. Play people in. He did that, his flick for the second goal was nice. Playing for the team, yes. Gibbs-White never made it on for the second game, but did in the first and while having one shot, was again more a team player.
Imagine if Tuchel actually picked these guys. Team players. Not glory hunters. Then Kane might not have to drop deep to chase after balls. Then maybe there’d be something to be optimistic about. But while he keeps picking “me” players – and the pundits say just think what’s not here and list a bunch of “me” players – they won’t win anything. It’ll all go pear shaped once they meet a half decent team, which this Serbia weren’t. Certainly not good enough for the way the pundits were creaming themselves.