England’s midfield under Gareth Southgate has often been quite uninspiring, but rarely is it as boring as it was in Friday’s 0-0 draw with Scotland.
The manager’s infamous two defensive midfielders, consisting of Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips, did not work at all against Steve Clarke’s side, but neither showed the ball nor looked remotely interested in creating a chance.
Even further on, the trio of Phil Foden, Mason Mount and Raheem Sterling failed to inject that moment – fans shouted for Jack Grealish’s creativity.
We had to wait for more than an hour for Southgate to get the change that the fans were calling for, and it did not take long before Grealish’s presence was felt. He won a free kick within seconds of being on the pitch and spent most of his 30-minute outing on the ball.
Let’s not act like Grealish came in and saved the day. He did not and the score 0-0 shows it. But he would probably have if someone else on the field looked like they wanted something to happen.
Grealish had to wait until after hour to get started / Andy Rain – Pool / Getty Images
There were times when nine players from abroad in England stood still and watched Grealish and simply hoped that he would wave his wand and get something to happen. Unfortunately, he’s not that good. He can not carry an entire country on his back.
He was asked to cross the ball in a box that had no presence from England. Luke Shaw finally became the goalkeeper at one point, and why would Grealish ever play that ball? He may not know what an encyclopedia is, but he’s not an idiot.
From now on, Grealish must start every match for England. No one else in the group comes with that kind of creativity and willingness to make things happen. You could argue that Jadon Sancho is the only other player like that, and he has not even played a minute in the tournament so far.
Sancho hasn’t even played yet / Visionhaus / Getty Images
When Grealish came on the field, the tone of the match was already set. Scotland had been allowed to build full speed ahead and England licked its wounds at that time. They were all gone from it.
It was not good enough from England, and it was not good enough from Southgate.
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