Nations League: England relegated

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Italy 1 - 0 England

It was another awful night for England as they were relegated from their Nations League. There are now a lot of questions to answer for Gareth Southgate. 

He has of course been here before – in his nightmares at Molineux. Back in June, at the end of the 4-0 humiliation against Hungary, the England manager had ventured onto the pitch to applaud the home crowd. The boos that greeted him dripped with venom.

And so to full time here. After Hungary at home; goodness, after the loss to Hungary away – plus the draws in between against Germany and Italy which had got this Nations League campaign off to such a bad start – it was a night when Southgate desperately needed a mood-changer, something to restore belief. Yet there would only be more frustration, more dead-ends and an absence of creative inspiration.

Watch the highlights from England's dismal night. Footage from England - YouTube 

Jude Bellingham was England’s standout man on another poor night in the Nations League. Southgate went on to the pitch when it was all over, he looked up at the travelling support and he applauded them. 

Italy were clearly deserved winners, condemning England to relegation to the second tier of the Nations League, the decisive moment coming towards the end when Giacomo Raspadori killed a high ball and felt Kyle Walker give him too much room. The Napoli striker took a couple of touches to set himself, drifting further away from Walker before wrapping his right boot around a delicious curler that flew into the far corner. Raspadori only made his Italy debut in June. 

What happens next?

With the World Cup on the horizon in late November, England’s poor run of form has come at the worst time. The Nations League relegation stands will affect their Euro 2024 qualification draw. It will also see them play inferior opposition in the Nations League moving forward, reducing the chance to fine-tune against the best.

The big question looks at how Southgate and his players could recover before the opening World Cup tie against Iran. Whether they can get rid of the negative noise, the stifling narratives that are quickly building. Next up is Monday’s final Nations League tie against Germany at Wembley. This has the look of an intimidating assignment.

southgate-foden

Opinion - Southgate is still the one. For now

Southgate is still the man to stay in charge of England. After all, you'd have to ask, who would take on the job now? Nobody else has taken England to two successive impressive international tournaments. Yes, he didn't win, but neither has anyone since 1966. 

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