German 1-1 England (Hofmann 50′ | Kane (pen) 88′)
ALLIANZ ARENA — Disaster averted, although England left it late.
Staring at the prospect of successive normal time defeats for the first time since the lowly days of Roy Hodgson and the group-stage exit from the 2014 World Cup, captain Harry Kane put in a captain’s shift, winning and scoring the penalty to level against Germany in a game that has given England manager Gareth Southgate plenty to ponder.
If Germany are the “benchmark” he spoke of before kick-off, a draw was, on balance, just about deserved, but after the humbling in Hungary boy were they close to hitting a seriously troubling dip in form with only four games remaining to put things right before the Qatar World Cup begins.
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Kane up front, behind him Raheem Sterling and Bukayo Saka either side of Mason Mount. The holding midfield spots appear Kalvin Phillips’ and Declan Rice’s to lose. John Stones and Harry Maguire were paired at centre-back, Kieran Trippier on the left, where Ben Chilwell will likely slot in when fit again, Kyle Walker on the right.
It provided an instant improvement to Saturday’s tired defeat. Where they had looked dull and disjointed, they were bright and cohesive here. Even in a stop-start first half punctuated by player injuries.
Phillips spent a lengthy period down, limped off with a team medic, was patched up and sent back out before collapsing to the grass a few minutes later. He had to be hooked on 14 minutes. It was a chance, at least, to see teenage Jude Bellingham in central midfield against top-class opposition. He didn’t look out place, while Rice spent the game mopping up like a janitor.
Trippier was on the ground for a while nursing his shoulder then Sterling was next, eventually able to hobble on before shaking off the problem. Saka limped down the tunnel at half-time but came back out. The price of never-ending football.
Germany twice had the ball in the back of England’s net. The first time the referee had already whistled with Phillips on the floor but the second was more concerning: Maguire out-thought and out-muscled by Kai Havertz on half-way, the German’s flick-on setting Jonas Hofmann free. The midfielder scored past Jordan Pickford only for a long VAR check to rule it out for offside. Worse was to come later for Maguire.
But first, England had their moments, too. A handful of England fans had still been queuing to get into the stadium right up to kick-off, having arrived 70 minutes ahead of time but missing the national anthems and the start after walking to the home entrance before being directed half-a-mile back to the away turnstiles. Fortunately for them, there were a mammoth eight minutes of first-half stoppage time during which England created their best chance of the 45: a quick break ending with a Saka shot that Manuel Neuer pushed over.
England player ratings
By Michael Hincks
Jordan Pickford- 6
Kyle Walker – 5
Harry Maguire – 3
John Stones – 5
Kieran Trippier – 5
Kalvin Phillips – N/A
Declan Rice – 6
Mason Mount – 6
Raheem Sterling – 5
Harry Kane – 6
Subs:
Jude Bellingham – 7
Jack Grealish – 7
Jude Bellingham – 7
Read the reasoning for the ratings here
Neuer displayed less safe hands when he spilled a Trippier corner, but when the ball dropped to Kane the striker unexpectedly lashed over. Naturally, #SouthgateOut started trending on Twitter towards the end of a goalless first half.
One of Germany’s best players was the one that got away for England. Jamal Musiala was a regular for England’s youth teams, from Under 15s to Under 21s, and spent nine years in the academies of Southampton and Chelsea before the 19-year-old was persuaded to represent Germany (where he was born) after moving to Bayern Munich. His quick feet, speed and movement in Germany’s rapid transitions between defence and attack were enough to make Southgate acutely aware of what he’s missing and to warrant resounding applause when he was substituted on 65 minutes.
It was Musiala’s team-mates, however, who combined to open the scoring six minutes into the second half. Joshua Kimmich slipped Hofman through a hole in England’s defence and the power of his shot beat Pickford, who should possibly have done better.
One second Maguire was the right side of Hofman, the next he had stepped forward and let the midfielder go. More concerning signs for the under-pressure Manchester United defender.
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Not a bad result, but between now and the end of November Southgate will have to work out how to turn games like these into wins if he wants football’s ultimate prize.
Analysis: Musiala, the one that got away for Southgate and England
By Oliver Young-Myles, i sports journalist
England aren’t exactly lacking in the playmaker department – Gareth Southgate is frequently criticised for not crowbarring more into his starting XI – but one more wouldn’t hurt, would it? Especially when they are as effortlessly gifted as Bayern Munich’s teen superstar Jamal Musiala.
The 19-year-old found himself fielding phone calls from Jogi Low and Gareth Southgate this time 18 months ago; the former Germany manager’s powers of persuasion won out. “I have a heart for Germany and a heart for England. Both hearts will keep on beating,” reasoned a philosophical Musiala at the time.
Musiala, who received the bulk of his footballing education at Chelsea’s esteemed academy in the Surrey countryside, represented the Three Lions from U15 to U21 level, but the pathway put forward by Die Mannschaft was more convincing. Southgate believes the Bayern influence also swayed him.
Fast forward 16 months from that decision, and Musiala is rapidly becoming the centrepiece of Hans-Dieter Flick’s new-look team. The buzz of anticipation around Munich’s Allianz Arena whenever the teenager dipped, ducked, dived or dodged into space was palpable, evoking memories of Wayne Rooney’s blistering England breakthrough almost 20 years ago. Flick made seven changes to his line-up and Germany certainly looked fresher than their counterparts.
None more so than the roving menace in the No 14 shirt. Youth coaches drill the importance of “scanning” into their players, of having one’s head on a swivel to constantly track the movements of their opposite man. Poor Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham – Musiala’s friend, former international captain and now domestic foe with Dortmund – will be nursing sore necks in the morning given the number of times he glided into space behind them and in front of England’s rickety back four.
It was the kind of performance that would have passed the eye test more so than the data analyst test: Musiala had three shots, one straight down Jordan Pickford’s throat and two that were blocked; he didn’t create a chance for a teammate, although frequently played the pass before the final pass; and completed two of his four attempted dribbles.
But he was a constant menace to England’s defence and Germany certainly looked an inferior side without him when he was taken off after 65 minutes. A wise move perhaps, given the sheer volume of football he has played over the past couple of campaigns, but a disappointing one in the scheme of a Nations League fixture that was absorbing rather than pulsating. He was greeted to a standing ovation upon his departure; no great surprise on his home turf, but an indication of the excitement surrounding him nonetheless.
You would expect Bayern Munich’s youngest Bundesliga debutant, youngest Bundesliga and Champions League goalscorer, and a veteran of almost 80 appearances already to be quite good. Perhaps not running an international game against elite – although admittedly off colour – opponents good, though.
“We’d have liked him to stay [with England] for certain,” Southgate admitted in his pre-match press conference. “We enjoyed working with him when he was in our junior teams. He was a really nice boy to work with. We knew he was going to be, and he is, a good player.”
That much was clear on Tuesday night. England have benefited from luring talented players away from rival national teams, as the Republic of Ireland will attest. But Musiala is certainly one that got away.
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