It will mark 11 months to the day since the Euro 2020 final when Italy return to England, this time to Molineux, to face Gareth Southgate’s side once again in the Nations League.
More than 65 years on from the last time Wolves hosted a senior men’s international – the last was a 1958 World Cup qualifier against Denmark – what should have been a momentous moment in the Midlands has been overshadowed, with the game taking place behind closed doors due to Uefa sanctions.
England are being punished for the chaos that marred last summer’s Wembley final; Southgate has described this moment as one of national shame, an “embarrassment” and “not a good optic for our country”.
In so many ways, the defeat to Italy on penalties in July 2021 feels a lifetime away, yet England are still bearing the after-effects, both in terms of picking up the pieces from crowd trouble to reassembling a side capable of challenging for the World Cup in just over five months’ time.
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On and off the pitch then, it makes Italy’s return a painful reminder of the shift in mood, though not just for England. Since being crowned European champions, Italy have failed to qualify for Qatar 2022 and were beaten 3-0 at Wembley by Copa America champions Argentina in the Finalissima on 1 June.
England may have had no such problems reaching the World Cup, but neiher do they look like a team who reached a semi-final and final respectively in their last two major tournaments. Their Nations League campaign began with a totally flat and uninspired slip-up in Budapest, and only a late Harry Kane penalty in Munich prevented back-to-back defeats.
How to watch
- Date: Saturday 11 June
- Kick-off: 7.45pm
- Venue: Wembley Stadium
- TV/live stream: Channel 4, or stream on various devices with All 4. Coverage starts at 7pm
- Highlights: Channel 4 at 11.30pm
Indeed, Kane’s personal milestones – including his 50th England goal and the countdown to the Tottenham striker becoming the country’s record goalscorer – have been the only real positives. Kane is expected to be rested, not least because Southgate wants to see more of Tammy Abraham, though the England boss also revealed that some players could “barely walk in the dressing room”, the result of a gruelling season at the end of which player welfare has become paramount.
Southgate has also urged England’s other attackers to step up, conscious of an over-reliance on Kane and Raheem Sterling, but these are ultimately many of the same questions that loomed over last summer – and by consequence, it is hard not to feel that England haven’t quite moved on.
They stand accused of lacking imagination, favouring pragmatism at all costs, failing to accommodate Jack Grealish, Mason Mount and Phil Foden – and it was made easier this time around by Foden’s absence through Covid. The fact Jarrod Bowen is now thrown into the mix – well-deserved after a standout season with West Ham – has only served to complicate things at a time when Southgate might reasonably be expected to be settling on his World Cup XI.
Then there is the question of how they will win a midfield battle against the likes of Bryan Cristante, Nicolo Barella and Manuel Locatelli with Kalvin Phillips unlikely to play after suffering a knock against Germany. Jude Bellingham may be given another opportunity alongside Declan Rice.
Just as in Hungary on Saturday, a Uefa loophole means all this will not play out in front of an entirely empty ground; legislation allows under-14s to be given free tickets during stadium bans, with one adult permitted for every 10 children. As reported by i, however, that rule is now being re-examined after thousands of children booed England players taking the knee before kick-off.
England have just four competitive games to prepare for the World Cup – two in June and two in September. This is perhaps their last free hit.
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