England manager Gareth Southgate applauding fans after the 1-1 draw with Denmark on June 20. As England performances go, the comparison that came to mind was the infamous 0-0 draw with Algeria at the 2010 World Cup. Or perhaps the dreadful performances at Euro 2016 that ended with humiliation by Iceland.
The 1-1 draw with Denmark on June 20 was the type of thing that used to happen, that Gareth Southgate was supposed to have banished to the past. His team were certainly booed from the Frankfurt field in a familiar, old-school fashion. Southgate himself then amazed reporters by declaring that his team had missed the balance of having Kalvin Phillips in the team.
Though beyond the longing for a midfielder who has had two disastrous seasons at Manchester City and then West Ham, the key issue was a lack of balance. Already a subscriber? Log in Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month $9.90 $9.
90/month No contract ST app access on 1 mobile device Subscribe now All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you. Read 3 articles and stand to win rewards Spin the wheel now.
