England's Nations League struggles continue vs. Italy
By Doug McIntyre
FOX Sports Soccer Writer
While England are among the favorites to hoist the World Cup in Qatar later this year, they can’t seem to win a match in the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League.
After being stunned by Hungary in their opener and barely salvaging a point against Germany on Harry Kane's late penalty kick Wednesday, the Three Lions settled for another tie Saturday at Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, where they finished scoreless against Italy in a rematch of last year’s European Championship final.
Highlights: England vs. Italy
Here are three quick thoughts on Saturday’s match.
England’s slump continues
As the Three Lions came into the game against the four-time World Cup champs sitting dead last in Group 3, this was one that Gareth Southgate’s squad needed to win.
But Southgate decided to rest several regulars Saturday, star striker and captain Kane among them. The Tottenham forward eventually came on for starter Tammy Abraham a little bit after the hour mark. But this time, Kane couldn’t reproduce his late heroics from midweek. Truth be told, Kane and his teammates looked terribly out of sync for the third consecutive contest.
The good news for England is that their easiest game this month comes next — in theory, anyway. Hungary followed last week’s stunning upset of England by holding Germany to a draw Saturday. Southgate’s side certainly won’t underestimate the Hungarians again. It should help that they’ll stay at Molineux for this one and that this time fans will be allowed in the seats. Most of the modest crowd allowed in against Italy was made up of schoolchildren under the age of 14, with regular supporters barred by UEFA as punishment for England fans’ behavior before the Euro final at Wembley last July.
Despite the disappointing result, there were a few moments for the hosts to build on. Mason Mount hit the crossbar in the first half, and Raheem Sterling missed a glorious opportunity in the second.
If one of those goes in, perhaps it’s a different ballgame. Instead, England find themselves in the throes of their longest winless streak in four years and still looking for not just their first Nations League victory but also their first goal from open play.
Unbeaten run reaches three for Italy
The Azzurri, meanwhile, came into their fourth match this month feeling far better about themselves. After being embarrassed by Lionel Messi and Argentina in last week’s "Finalissima" in London, Italy reeled off a win over the Hungarians and a stalemate versus Germany to top the group.
On another day, Italy might have stolen all three points in England. The visitors squandered a golden chance to take a lead in the opening minutes. Later, only a top-shelf stop by home keeper Aaron Ramsdale kept them from finding the net.
Still, Saturday’s outcome was more than acceptable for Roberto Mancini’s young squad, which the veteran manager is overhauling completely this summer after the Azzurri failed in March to qualify for the World Cup for the second straight tournament.
It felt like it could be an extremely long summer for Italy after the humiliating 3-0 defeat to Messi & Co., but they've done themselves proud over the past three games. Their next test, against Germany on Tuesday in Monchengladbach, will provide another data point. Based on Saturday’s evidence, it will also be their most difficult test yet.
How worried should Three Lions fans be?
It’s hard to know exactly how much to make of these Nations League performances. Players from multiple countries have bristled at the heavy workload being asked of them this month following a grueling, COVID-condensed season at the club level. They’re only human, after all. You could hardly blame teams for not treating a four-year-old competition the same way they will the World Cup.
Yet it’s also becoming more and more difficult to ignore the fact that England just haven’t been playing very well. Maybe it’s physical or mental fatigue — or both. Maybe they’ll be sharper when the Nations League resumes in September, just weeks before the World Cup. Whatever the reason, though, it has become a legitimate cause for concern.
With just three more tune-ups before the World Cup kicks off in November, England are simply running out of chances to find their feet.
One of the leading soccer journalists in North America, Doug McIntyre has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.
