England on the cusp of something spectacular after North Macedonia win
DOMINIC KING: England thrashing North Macedonia capped an impressive turnaround from Gareth Southgate’s lowest moment against Hungary 12 months ago… this team could now be on the cusp of something spectacular
- England lost 4-0 to Hungary last year, leaving Southgate questioning his future
- They have had a strong last 12 months, thrashing North Macedonia on Monday
- The Three Lions are building serious momentum ahead of next year’s Euros
Gareth Southgate stood in the middle of the pitch, waving to all four sides of the stadium. He smiled as applause came back, put an arm around Bukayo Saka then disappeared down the tunnel, his contentment obvious.
It was a nice snapshot to finish the football season but, also, a moment to make you think back. A year and a week since Southgate’s lowest point as England manager here he was questioning what his squad might be able to achieve rather than questioning whether he should actually go on.
So much has happened in the intervening 371 days that it is easy to forget how jarring things were on June 14, 2002 when Hungary came to Molineux and inflicted a humiliation on an England team that couldn’t score (one goal in four matches) and looked horribly brittle.
But that is football’s beauty: things change, often dramatically and quickly and this campaign closes with you sensing that this collective of England players is on the cusp of blossoming into something quite spectacular. That comment is not made lightly.
Plenty will look at the scoreline of England 7 North Macedonia 0 and dismiss it as the kind of drubbing that should have been given to unheralded opponents, who eventually lost interest and heart, with the advantage of playing on home soil but that would be folly.
Gareth Southgate was clearly delighted for Bukayo Saka after his hat-trick on Monday night
It has been some turnaround for England after Southgate was left contemplating his future following a disastrous 4-0 defeat at home to Hungary last June
John Stones was sent off that night as England fell apart in the second half at Molineux
The standard of the opposition wasn’t the key here: what mattered was the way England went about their business – the aggression of the pressing, the absolute focus from start to finish, the bludgeoning way they kept going for goals when the chance allowed.
Compare that to Molineux and the chaos of the final 20 minutes against Hungary, when John Stones got a red card, Harry Maguire was barracked as he came onto replace Saka and the disintegration of England, physically and mentally, left observers open-mouthed in shock.
‘I think when we look back to last summer, there were four (Nations League) matches in 10 days, behind closed doors for two, we needed to look at new players,’ said Southgate. ‘There were a lot of circumstances around those games.’
There were but it still needed a response. The manner in which England have picked themselves up, then, has been compelling and there was a point on Monday evening when you could see things falling into place, a rhythm and understanding in the group and, most of all, an expectation.
Teams who go onto be successful must first endure difficulties. It used to get said about Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp that they would be perennial nearly mean, after they lost their first three finals he took them to and then fell short, by a point, in their first title race.
We know what happened next when they eventually broke the seal, winning the 2019 Champions League, and there is that sense around England: they have had three lots of agony (a World Cup semi-final, a European Championship final, a World Cup quarter-final) so what happens next?
Many had their doubts about Liverpool until they finally won their first trophy under Jurgen Klopp, lifting the Champions League in 2019
‘Post World-Cup, we have hit a sweet spot where there is a hunger to go further than we have been and desire to go forward,’ said Southgate. ‘There is a confidence from the big nights we’ve been involved in. It’s a good place but we have to keep pushing.
‘We have set a standard in last four games where anything possible. It is good and exciting to watch. Around all of that, there is a brilliant feel around the squad and that is what creates a strong team. The crowd have connected with that and they have seen a strong team.’
They are also looking at a team full of men who expect to win: the side Southgate started at Old Trafford had 590 caps but it also boasted 52 major honours and they carry with them the feeling they can beat anyone, anywhere – look at what they did to Italy in March in Naples.
England, along with France, set the standards that the rest of Europe must try and match. This is all coming together for Southgate and he has got the feeling that his group are ready to deliver on the promise, particularly so after what they did to North Macedonia.
England now have a team full of winners, including Declan Rice, after West Ham triumphed in the Europa Conference League final earlier this month
England are blossoming into a special team, and must be one of the favourites for Euro 2024
‘We have always had moments where clubs have done well but how do you match that in here?’ said Southgate. ‘When Declan (Rice) first came to play for us, he played in the Nations League semi-final and it was the biggest night of his life. He was still learning his trade, still learning position.
‘But now he has played a European final for us, a European final for his club. The experiences they have together are more important but you can’t take away the confidence you have if you are a European Champion.
‘The Manchester City boys have carried that into this camp. But they didn’t come as big shots, they got straight into the group on the training pitch. They mucked in when we they got to Malta and then they performed here. There’s that competition now and that drives the team on.’
Who knows where it will end? Whisper it quietly but it might carry them all the way to success in Berlin next summer. Then the journey would be complete.
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