In England’s first proper game since Thomas Tuchel blew the chance of beating Argentina in the World Cup semi-finals and blamed it on England’s history and traditions, we learned a little more about the manager’s DNA in the Nations League defeat to world champions Spain at Wembley.
Tuchel was powerless to help England keep their lead against Lionel Messi and co in Atlanta in July and he was powerless to help them protect their advantage against Spain at a sold-out Wembley last night. It is getting to be rather an unfortunate habit for a boss whose unique selling point was supposed to be dragging England across the line.
England had the chance to go into a 3-1 lead early in the second half when Harry Kane, who had already scored the 86th goal of his remarkable England career in the first half, stood over a penalty. But Kane slipped as he took it and double-hit it against the crossbar. England crumbled after that.
The hard truth is that even though England led at half-time, the opening 45 minutes had exposed a gulf between them and Luis de la Fuente’s side, reigning world and European Champions, whose unbeaten run now stretches to 39 games. They thoroughly deserved their 3-2 victory.
Spain sliced England apart time after time in that first half and it was only their profligacy which allowed Tuchel’s side to maintain a foothold in the match. If this had been billed as the World Cup final that never was, there was a crumb of comfort in Spain’s superiority.
There were bright points for England. Anthony Gordon was a constant threat down the England left, Jude Bellingham was as authoritative and as classy as ever and Elliot Anderson was a fine anchor at the base of midfield. But there was no sign that England are getting closer to dethroning Spain as the world’s best team. They are poles apart in quality.
England crumbled after Harry Kane missed from the penalty spot in a 3-2 defeat by Spain
Thomas Tuchel was powerless to help the Three Lions protect their advantage against Spain
To complete a chastening 36 hours for Manchester City, two of their players, Marc Guehi and Nico O’Reilly, gifted Spain their first two goals with careless defending. After the news the club had been found guilty of the vast majority of the 115 charges laid against them, two mistakes was the last thing they needed.
Kane will have taken some comfort from getting on the scoresheet but his missed penalty will not have advanced his cause in his battle with Spain’s Lamine Yamal and France’s Kylian Mbappe for the Ballon d’Or. Yamal suggested the prize should go to him or Mbappe and the goal he scored inside two minutes was a sign of his class.
England move to their next match in Czechia on Tuesday in an uncertain state. They are becalmed and Tuchel’s attempt to blame their World Cup exit on his players has backfired. Five players pulled out of the squad last week. There are suggestions of some disquiet in the camp.
Tuchel chose to start with Jarell Quansah at right-back rather than Trent Alexander-Arnold. Quansah is a fine player but to start him at right-back ahead of one of the best technically gifted players in the world, at a time when England’s ability to keep the ball is under the spotlight, was dispiriting.
The pre-game minute’s applause for Kevin Keegan, the former England manager who died in July, had scarcely faded when Spain took the lead. It came courtesy of an uncharacteristic mistake from Guehi.
Guehi got the ball on the edge of the England area, looked over his shoulder and saw Yamal closing him down. Guehi tried to turn away from danger but turned straight into it instead. Yamal stole the ball away from him, held him off with ease and clipped the ball past James Trafford.
Trafford, who had been picked ahead of Jordan Pickford, must have wondered what he had got himself into. Ferran Torres, the scorer of the goal that won the World Cup final, had the ball in the back of the net a couple of minutes later but had strayed offside.
England kept giving the ball away as they overplayed it. They were trying to beat Spain at their own game. They should have heeded the warning of Anthony Gordon, who has made such a fine start to life at Barcelona.
Kane slipped before hitting his penalty against the crossbar in a rare miss from the England captain
Mikel Oyarzabal’s delicious chip was worthy of winning any game as the world champions claimed a deserved victory
Kane’s header went in off Marc Cucurella to give England the lead before half-time
‘We can’t keep looking at other countries and trying to be like them, because we’re not them,’ Gordon said last week.
Ten minutes later, Yamal threaded a delicious through-ball into the path of Torres, who was played onside by Quansah as he burst forward. Torres ran clean in on Trafford but this time, the England goalkeeper was equal to it and blocked his shot. England were being sliced apart.
Spain missed another golden opportunity to extend their lead 20 minutes before half-time. Anderson gave the ball away to Rodri and Rodri punished him with a slide-rule pass that put Torres clean through. Torres drilled the ball wide.
The chances kept coming. Yamal freed Olmo with an extravagant backheel and Olmo lashed a shot across Trafford but just wide. Spain might have been four goals ahead. They were teaching England a football lesson. Then, as is often the way, England equalised.
It was a brilliant counter-attacking goal. Anderson started it on the edge of the England area and played the ball forward to Gordon. Gordon flicked it into the path of Jude Bellingham and Bellingham chose the perfect moment to play the ball back to him. Real Madrid and Barcelona in harmony. Gordon ran on to it and slotted the ball home.
Parity was more than England deserved but five minutes later, they were ahead. Kane had just bent a shot narrowly wide when he got ahead of his marker and nodded a cross from Nico O’Reilly goalwards. Marc Cucurella tried to intercept it but it bounced off the top of his thigh and past Simon
Eight minutes after the break, England should have gone further ahead. Bellingham was brought down in the box by Rodri and Kane took the penalty. But his left foot slipped when he planted it and he smashed the spot kick against the crossbar.
After an hour, Spain finally converted one of their slew of opportunities. O’Reilly gave the ball away to Olmo on the right flank, Olmo fizzed a pass into Baena and Baena stepped outside a challenge and bent his shot into the corner from the edge of the area.
England faded after that and Oyarzabal scored the winner 16 minutes from time, lifting the ball cleverly over Trafford. Spain deserved it. England must resume their forlorn search for their DNA.
