England lack identity: Is Gareth Southgate the man to help find it?

Another droll England performance in the Nations League culminated with a 4-0 defeat to Hungary at Molineux — the worst result in the country’s history for almost 100 years. It was a spineless display from the Three Lions, with manager Gareth Southgate getting the brunt of the criticism for his approach to the fixture.

For a manager that has led England to two major finals in his two tournaments in charge of the national team, coming tantalisingly close to a win in the Euros against Italy, just losing the final on penalties as well as reaching a World Cup semi-final, many fans are convinced Southgate has taken this talented crop of players as far as he can with his limited tactical nouse. 

Often slammed for his conservative style of play with so much attacking talent at his disposal, you wonder if this poor form will carry over into the Qatar World Cup, which should be kicking off this month but is rescheduled until November.

With some time until the domestic season resumes you feel the FA are really at a crossroads. The initial 3-4-3 system that worked so well in Russia 2018 now looks stale and outdated, simply because of the options available. Players age, and while the Three Lions really lacked a world class player akin to their golden era of the mid 2000s, they had team cohesion, a real football culture back again. 

But the likes of Kyle Walker, Jesse Lingard and Jordan Henderson are ageing, and new players have to be integrated, but the duality of two new eras clashed in the West Midlands, resulting in a dreadful start to the Nations League campaign.

Having already sat threw a 1-0 defeat draw in Budapest, England fans were optimistic of their chances of getting revenge on Hungary back on home soil. They came into the game as favourites on the Betting exchange uk but a rotated side struggled to get out of the blocks. Roland Sallai scored twice for the visitors, who pressed high to prevent England’s fast build up play, cutting off passing lanes and exposing the fragility of Southgate’s centre backs, who are often protected by their sheer numbers in a makeshift low block.

Already 2-0 down you could see from the dugout something was trying to be conjured up, but it was clutching at straws. Almost like he was making it up as he went along, Southgate switched tactics, through the international break changing from 3-4-3 to 4-2-3-1 to 4-2-3-1 to 4-3-3 which then switched back to 3-4-3 at half-time. It was clear he was out of his depth and a swift dagger to the heart followed when Hungary made it 3-0 through Zsolt Nagy.

John Stones was controversially sent off in an already gutless display, and some England fans would have preferred had he at least committed a bookable offence, at least to show a bit of passion and give the crowd something to get up for. Dániel Gazdag added a fourth as he beat backup keeper Aaron Ramsdale to put the final nail in the coffin, as merciless boos rung around the ground. 

Southgate himself has admitted that he would leave his role should fans ask for a replacement, and you get the sense that the World Cup could either make or break the former Middlesborough man. Graham Potter has been linked with the role but Southgate still has time to turn things around, confident he can develop the next wave of talent coming through the ranks at St Georges Park.

“I’ve got to manage in the way I see fit. I won’t outstay my welcome but I think I can do a good job for the team, and I think we’ve done a good job for the team.” He added: “I think we’ll continue to improve the team, which we have done over a consistent period of time, and we’re also developing young players that will leave England in a good place for a long period to come.”