After five Nations League appearances, England's footballers are not only safely relegated, but are also without a win in the current game. Before the World Cup dress rehearsal against Germany, concern for the Three Lions is great. Especially since a solution has not yet been identified.
Germany's penultimate World Cup test in football's motherland England should also come to the "peak of uncertainty". After their 0: 1 (0: 1) at European champions Italy, the hosts are not only going into the prestige duel on Monday (8.45 p.m. / RTL and in the live ticker on ntv.de) in London as a disgraced relegation from the top Nations League category with the German team, but also contest their dress rehearsal for the World Cup tournament in Qatar (November 20 to December 18) with the burden of now five competitive games in a row without a win and goals played.
"We had a bad run of results and again didn't get the result we needed and wanted. But it's up to us to put things right again," said England team manager Gareth Southgate in the catacombs of Milan's Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on the third bankruptcy of the Three Lions in the ongoing Nations League series. Nevertheless, he stated: "I personally think that the performance was a step in the right direction."
However, given his team's continued lack of goals, hopes of at least some tailwind for the World Cup appear limited. Especially since Southgate continues to grope in the dark when investigating the cause: "It's difficult to give an exact reason why we don't score. We get into the right zones, but if we have to deliver, the last piece of quality is missing."
But the coach didn't want his team's failed revenge for the lost EM final in 2021 to be rated too badly either. "There were a lot of positive signals from us as a team," said Southgate, despite the fewer chances he had, obviously with his protégés as the main addressees, "it was a step in the right direction. We have to believe in what made us strong and what made us strong in the past tournaments has also brought success."
At least the fans who traveled from the island still lack faith. In any case, the whistles of the English supporters before the World Cup group games against Iran (November 21), the USA (November 25) and Wales (November 29) audible doubts about a return to the road to success.
But at least Declan Rice spread confidence for the ultimate World Cup test in Wembley against Germany and even more so for the World Cup tournament: "We fell short of our potential in the Nations League, but it wasn't all bad. It'll get better, we were stronger than in the summer games," said the West Ham United midfielder, adding demonstratively: "We'll still be good before the World Cup."
