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IAN LADYMAN: Harry Maguire is still a problem but he’s not Gareth Southgate’s greatest… the England manager’s headache is only getting worse as the World Cup draws closer
- England lost 1-0 to Italy in San Siro . on Friday evening in the Nations League
- They are winless in their last five games as they prepare for the World Cup
- Despite his lack of recent playing time, Harry Maguire has put on a solid show
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On the giant screen during halftime in old, outdated San Siro, it simply said Grazie Milano. Thank you Milan. for what? For coming? To stay? Not to complain?
Either could have been appropriate. For a long time this was a very mediocre game of international football.
In the gods behind one goal, however, something else happened while the England and Italy players were drinking from the water. England supporters sang in support of Harry Maguire.
England lost 1-0 to Italy in San Siro . on Friday evening in the Nations League
It’s been a while since the English defender has heard anything like this. His recent career at Manchester United has been such that he must have long stopped reading the reviews.
It has generally been different with his country. Maguire didn’t play well for United ahead of last summer’s European Championship, but he did for Gareth Southgate during the tournament.
He currently does not play football for United at all. New manager Erik ten Hag has thrown him overboard. But Southgate remains loyal – admitted the night before this match that he has no better options – and here in Milan he was at least partially rewarded.
Harry Maguire put on a solid display at the heart of England’s defense against Italy
Again, England didn’t play well here and their World Cup chances continue to diminish as winter approaches.
Five games without a win. Only one goal – a penalty – scored. It’s desperate stuff in the context of what happened before under Southgate.
But England, with Maguire in the middle of a three-man defence, only conceded one goal and it was a very good goal that came pretty much out of nowhere.
After an uncertain start, Maguire had a great evening. Certainly as Southgate assesses his team’s problems ahead of Monday’s game against Germany, the performance of his back three will not come close to the top of a longer list.
The early stages of Maguire’s evening could have been taken straight from his United lowlights reel. It was a lack of conviction and an inability to make good decisions that characterized his football when he got the chance to play in the Premier League. At his best, Maguire defends with certainty, relying as much on instinct as on discipline. But he hasn’t been like that for a while and here he was weighty in the opening moments.
Gareth Southgate will have much bigger problems to think about before winter
Italian right-back Giovanni Di Lorenzo was offside when he ran through it in the second minute to shoot low at Nick Pope. But Maguire didn’t know this, as he struggled desperately in the wake of his opponent, unable even to illegally get hold of the Italian’s shirt as he ran past him and ran away.
Minutes later, Maguire was knocked into the air at the far post by Gianluca Scamacca and the header came back from the crossbar. Had that chance fallen, Maguire might not have recovered.
As it was, despite being re-muscled by Scamacca just before 15 minutes, Maguire was given Italy’s chance to progress to his first meaningful start since United in the second weekend of the Premier League after a 4-0 defeat at Brentford fell. season.
Mancini’s Italy was poor. The home side started well but failed to maintain any sort of regular intensity. Italy’s world has kind of collapsed since he became European champions 14 months ago and the most generous thing you can say about them here is that they looked like a team in transition.
Harry Maguire will still be looking for his way back to Erik ten Hag’s United team
Still, their failure to put any sort of regular pressure on Maguire was surprising. Maybe they don’t watch TV in Italy, but it was as if Mancini’s players were unaware of the struggles Maguire has endured lately.
It was like they didn’t know they were playing a defender who was out of touch and out of playing time. Corners and sets of pieces – many of which were overseen by an overly picky referee – were directed aimlessly by Italy. Theoretically, everything should have fallen on Maguire’s head. But so little happened that Maguire could grow in this game.
England will have to do better in Qatar. They will have to be better against Germany if they are to have a chance of beating their first good team since beating Denmark in the semi-finals of the European Championship. In general, there is a rather uneasy feeling that time is running out.
It can also get worse. It was okay to play against Maguire here as his United exile came recently.
But if Ten Hag refuses to change, can Southgate play him in a World Cup? It seems far-fetched to think that. Yet the Maguire riddle is somewhat removed from England’s most pressing problem.