I can’t remember a single game of football being more representative of the enormous role momentum, and how quickly it can change, as last night. It swung like a pendulum, which made everything all the more tense and fraught, and ultimately exhausting. Right from the off, England came out of the traps and Southgate’s initial gameplan was fantastic and executed to perfection. I thought Italy were on the ropes for the first 10/15 minutes and so susceptible down either channel as we created and exploited overloads.
Then Mancini changed it, and things started to even out. Then England failed to take control of the midfield (fatigue, tactical appreciation, Italy being simply better – or a combination of all three) and Italy were completely on top. Then Italy faded in extra time and England were unlucky not to create a clear cut chance to win it.
The shoot-out, again, embodied that. I know it’s simplistic to say, but I firmly believe that if Rashford’s penalty is six inches further to his right, England win. Obviously Italy had already missed one, but Kane’s penalty settled the nerves and Maguire’s penalty was so emphatic that it hammered home England’s advantage. If Rashford converts, it makes Italy’s task daunting. But the sight of one of England’s most accomplished penalty takers hitting the post visibly enlivened Italy and clearly reverberated with England’s remaining takers. Neither Sancho nor Saka looked comfortable after that. Pickford’s heroics were game, but futile.
I don’t really buy that Southgate’s decisions on the penalty takers were at fault. There’s a due process and a methodology that’s been taken, penalties have been practiced in various formats throughout the camp and Southgate’s team had scrutinised every minute detail going into the tournament. It’s easy to lament that a 19-year old was left taking a penalty of enormous consequence but, by all accounts, he’d been amongst the most consistent takers over the last six weeks of training.
Ultimately England didn’t do enough/couldn’t create enough in 120 minutes to break Italy down twice. We rode our luck at times for sure, but equally there were spells in the game, particularly the first half of regular time and the second half of extra time, when we were on top and looked capable of winning the game. Watching Southgate’s press conference earlier he’s mentioned how Italy are that much further along in their journey than we are, and I fully subscribe to that – there’s a lot of talk in the Italian press and comments from Mancini that argue they’ve come full circle, and I think they’d acknowledge that they’re coming towards the end of a cycle that this England side are only just beginning.
The result is an absolute gut punch. A sickener made to feel even worse because of the sheer level of growth this England side, right the way through from the players to the coaching staff, has demonstrated. This tournament was the first I can remember when an England side has grown into a tournament, timing their improvement (almost) impeccably. Not just the players, but the manager and the coaching staff – if 2018 was the moment something was created, then this was the moment something really cemented itself within the national side. Even stripping away the results and the fact we’ve gone further in a major international tournament than we had for more than 50 years, there’s 26 players in that squad that truly represent the country have triggered an enormous sense of pride. That pride is almost paternal at times, which is why the result is so difficult to swallow, but also the abuse handed out to players so disgusting.
As for the conduct of the fans yesterday – I don’t know what people (and more to it – the police) expected to happen. First final in 55 years, a team that has inspired millions, the imminent end of nearly 18 months of restrictions… it was a perfect storm. Every professional and semi-professional club has its dickheads (some more than others), and all those dickheads come out in force behind the England banner once every two years. It just seemed they all made their way to London yesterday morning.
Where do we go from here? I’m genuinely in disbelief that people would even consider Southgate’s position today. The players have conducted themselves incredibly well these last few weeks, but Southgate has led them, coached them and managed them unbelievably well. I think Mancini was the tournament’s best coach, but Southgate was undeniably second for me.
One of the things I think England fans as a collective need to begin to appreciate is that coaches improve players, but coaches need to improve too. They need tournament and big game experiences to learn and grow from just as much as the players do. Southgate showed some material development this tournament over 2018 – he adapted gameplans, recycled the squad and managed the load this summer far better. What last night showed is that he needs to improve at changing things within a game if they’re not working and addressing situations like the first 20 minutes of the first half yesterday in which we had clearly surrendered the midfield.
That kind of nous will undoubtedly come with more experience. Yesterday will have been chastening for Southgate and the coaching staff, but I can’t see how anyone can have watched the last three years of Southgate’s reign and not seen the trajectory. With Southgate and his staff’s continuing improvement, coupled with this squad’s maturity, I can’t see how England fans won’t have more occasions like yesterday.
I just hoped the nation itself improves in how it handles them.
www.standard.co.uk
