LONDON - England reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup with just three goals from open play. Gareth Southgate and his coaching staff mainly compensated for this issue by developing a constant and inventive threat from the set piece, mastering the adaptation of VAR better than most other nations.
The rich array of attacking talent England has developed in the intervening three years has demanded much of them at Euro 2020, but Friday's 0-0 draw at Wembley highlights how much work remains to be done is.
Scotland was well organized and disciplined, and was a real threat when the opportunity arose, cheered by the 2,500 members of the Tartan army, whose noise far exceeded their numbers. Considering the history of the world's oldest international fixture, none of this would be a surprise for Southgate - this is the 115th installment from 149 years ago (the first also ended 0-0) - and expectations have been dashed. Beware is possibly creating a misguided sense of entitlement.
Perhaps it spoke of the conservative streak within him. England's passing was certainly a measure of caution, a lack of exposure or penetration, especially in mid-midfield where they miss a playmaker capable of injecting the requisite momentum to save a team as the Scots are here. Were.
Southgate is well versed in the peculiarities of tournament football, and England are undisputedly on track for their first goal: qualifying for the knockout rounds from Group D.
"We didn't do enough to win the match or create enough chances," he said. "I thought he defended very well. We couldn't find a solution. We had moments down the sides, where the spaces were against them, but we weren't able to take advantage of the spaces.
"Ultimately, it's not enough to win but it's a tournament and it's important when you can't win, not lose. It certainly feels tough in the last 15 minutes of a game like tonight where the fans are desperate for your next." To grow and give up all size because this is Scotland, this seems like a unique opportunity. But we still have to approach it in the context that a point is an important step towards qualification, and that is our first objective. is. "
Yet if they are to justify the pre-tournament hype that this young side can really compete with Europe's giants and start a longer run in the later stages, they need to offer more than that. is.
Harry Kane currently solves the problem. Kane had won the Golden Boot in Russia three years earlier, but made the absolute most of the limited service he received, including an accidental goal against Panama when the ball flew off his heels while he ran in the opposite direction. Were.
In the last World Cup, only five teams made fewer chances from open games. No team had more shots on target than a set piece - an average of six per 90 minutes.
Southgate's main objective was to increase England's power in normal play, yet here he made a single shot on target all evening. Kane's 19 touches, playing for over 45 minutes, are the fewest ever in an England game.
The England captain looks far from his best, yet it is indeed rare to see the 27-year-old taking off when his team - Tottenham Hotspur or England - need a goal but Southgate has 16 minutes to spare. That's what happened. It was a logical decision, as Marcus was presenting Rashford in some capacity and of course, he is perfectly capable of playing from the middle. But the Manchester United forward did not start any qualifying games there and, generally speaking, is more confident than the left flank. Dominic Calvert-Lewin seemed more clearly suited to the physical fight created by Scotland but remained an untested substitute. Southgate should properly receive these calls as the tournament progresses.
Typically, when the focus has been on Kane's two tremendous individual performances so far this summer, he sought to generalize.
“We have to look at the overall performance, our use of the ball and review where we can be better. "It's true across the board. It's not about one person. Scotland have marked him very well. Not a lot of space in the last five. Whatever is played, they are aggressive and good. Kind of defended. We couldn't find the answer."
It was a performance structurally similar to what Croatia managed to see, but the caution in their approach was more understandable in those conditions. There was always going to be more balls in England, yet it followed almost the same pattern as last Sunday: start well, hit the post early, then slowly lose your way as the opposition gets into rhythm .
At the start of the second half against Croatia, fans of England started calling Jack Grealish. Raheem Sterling broke the deadlock but let's not forget that the goal came at a time when England were looking at their weakest.
This time the goal did not come. Grealish's participation was sought again, and this time Southgate overtook Phil Foden, who had yet to set up the tournament the way many had hoped.
Grealish briefly threatened to take his life in England, but the mass malaise soon caught up to him as well. Southgate opted not to change the team's 4–3–3 shape, yet the playing patterns still looked disjointed.
England worked the ball into the crossing position for full-backs – Reece James and Luke Shaw were two changes to the starting lineup due to "their technical ability with the ball" according to Southgate – only for those players to cross the turn frequently. chance less. Players ran down the cul-de-sacs or played straight passes that were handy for Scotland's relentless Back Five.
"The timing of our movement, our rotation patterns could have been better," Southgate acknowledged. "We didn't get to the level we wanted or needed. Tonight we have to accept whatever comes our way. What I will say is that I understand absolutely anything that I have as a manager." What we have to do is make sure we fall behind the players. There are a lot of young players who need everyone's support."
After this the demand to induct some new faces will increase. For example, Jadon Sancho didn't even make 23 and neither did Bukayo Saka. These were always likely to be decisions that would go a long way in determining England's tournament hopes. There is plenty to do near Southgate.