Endrick, Brazil give England a wake-up call before Euro 2024

LONDON — England staged these high-profile friendlies to help answer one of the few remaining questions about Gareth Southgate's team: Can they consistently perform against the biggest nations?

Rather than silencing those doubts, Saturday's 1-0 defeat to Brazil at Wembley means they will become a little stronger. England are touted in some quarters as the favorites for Euro 2024, but their record against elite teams is one of the main factors tempering that enthusiasm. Southgate has made giant strides during his eight-year tenure, reconnecting the team with its fan base and guiding a young team to a semi-final, final and quarter-final in his three tournaments this season. day.

But each time they were defeated by a team currently in the FIFA top 10, outplayed in games by razor-thin margins as weaknesses in defense were exposed and an inability to control games in midfield sacrificed promising positions.

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Endrick's 80th-minute winner settled a contest that underlined how those concerns still exist, despite the positive spin Southgate sought to put on them subsequently. “With 15 minutes to go, we think we managed to see a lot of new players, we had more than our share of the game, we had as many attempts at goal as them, so in the end, the difference n “It was just a moment,” he said. “That’s the ruthlessness of football at this level.”

Yes it is. And this was the case in Qatar, during the Euro 2020 final and during the World Cup in Russia two years earlier.

Those who thought that simply moving Jude Bellingham to tenth, moving England from 4-3-3 to something closer to 4-2-3-1, would be a panacea need to think again. Bellingham was about to be abused by a Brazil side visibly wary of his threat, but he failed to achieve the decisive influence he exercises so regularly at Real Madrid. He can't do it every time, clearly, but the more daylight there is between his level for Real and that for England, the more attention will shift to Southgate to find a better way to maximize his undeniable talent.

England produced a few good spells here without ever posing a sustained threat. Of course, they were missing key players, including all-time record goalscorer Harry Kane and winger Bukayo Saka. At the back, they were without Trent Alexander-Arnold, Reece James, Kieran Trippier, Marc Guehi and Luke Shaw – to name just five – while Kyle Walker limped off injured in the opening 20 minutes.

But England's midfield woes and lack of a strong centre-back pair are long-standing issues that look like red flags when considering their chances of success this summer. “We don’t have many midfielders who play six in the league,” Southgate said.

The fact that Declan Rice is increasingly being used as a number eight by Arsenal rather than the number six they sorely need does not help Southgate's cause; the lack of alternatives partly explains his prolonged loyalty to Jordan Henderson and Kalvin Phillips, the latter ultimately omitted after a sustained downturn, while also justifying Kobbie Mainoo's acceleration after just a handful of games at Manchester United.

Mainoo, Anthony Gordon and Ezri Konsa all made their debuts here and although there were moments of encouragement for all three, Wembley passed judgment of their own, resorting to throwing paper airplanes – the first after just 31 minutes – as challenges as this struggle to hold on amid an exciting Premier League campaign shortly to reach its climax.

High-profile friendly matches aim to capture the imagination. Endrick certainly did, coming off the bench to become at 17 years and 246 days the youngest male player to score a senior professional goal at Wembley for club or country. But for England, they are also important barometers for assessing their ability to end a 58-year wait for a major trophy.

To be the best, they have to beat the best as the saying goes. Southgate's record against teams currently ranked in FIFA's top 10 now stands at seven wins in 23 matches. It's difficult to dominate at the highest level, but England's first 90-minute defeat at Wembley in 21 matches dating back to October 2020 is further indication that they still have a way to go to become the all-conquering team they are. 'they admire. paper.

Tuesday's match against Belgium offers a new opportunity to improve this record. Southgate must do so without Kane, who will return to Bayern Munich as he recovers from an ankle injury, while Walker will be assessed following a muscle problem. However, Henderson and Cole Palmer could come into contention after returning to training earlier on Saturday.

“Belgium have probably played a different XI, or almost so, so they will be a bit fresher,” Southgate said. “But we are talking about a high-level match, a brilliant experience for the players. It will be an opportunity to see new players again and build for the summer. I am not disappointed with the level of performance.

I know in the end when you lose a game there will always be a negative reaction to that loss, but I thought the crowd was really with the team, seeing a lot of inexperienced players come in and perform well , so I'm not depressed about my performance at all.

He may not be broken, but for England not to be similarly absent this summer, improvement is needed.