Half the England team is not functioning the way they had hoped. Just not the half that was expected to present problems. England’s struggles to gel, create, score and get the best from each of their star-studded attacking talents accounts for the widespread sense of dissatisfaction with Gareth Southgate and his team.
Then there is the back half of the side: shorn of the injured Harry Maguire, still without Luke Shaw, lacking the shield Southgate wants after he infamously admitted there was no natural replacement for Kalvin Phillips. But only Spain have a better defensive record, with England letting in a solitary goal. Their expected goals against, of 1.1, is much the best. Is this a triumph of the makeshift? With Kieran Trippier operating out of position at left-back, Marc Guehi promoted to partner John Stones in the middle and Declan Rice working his way through a series of sidekicks at the base of the midfield, England have still only conceded to a 30-yard goal, courtesy of Denmark’s Morten Hjulmand. Thus far, their outstanding player in Germany is not Jude Bellingham or Phil Foden, Harry Kane or Bukayo Saka but a footballer who, a couple of weeks ago, could have looked the weak link in the starting 11: taken from mid-table in the Premier League, shaky in the warm-up win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, untried in international tournaments. Instead, while others have attracted criticism, Guehi has earned compliments for his own efforts.
