The good news for England manager Gareth Southgate is that Hungary will not be at the World Cup finals in Qatar. Four fixtures against the same opposition, two of them stained by racist abuse of his players, is quite enough in the space of 10 congested months, especially when matches against the Hungarians now act as a clear gauge of England’s diminishing potency.
Last September, Southgate took England to Budapest for a World Cup qualifier. It was their first outing since a historic high, a first major tournament final since the World Cup in 1966, and if the experience in the final of the delayed Euro 2020 had been bittersweet after England lost to Italy on a penalty shoot-out, the display at the Puskas Arena spoke of a continuing upwards trajectory. England scored four second-half goals, and let in none.
After that, the Hungary gauge turns into a barometer of England’s slipping form against stronger nations. They fell behind at home in World Cup qualifying last October, and drew 1-1 thanks to a goal from the defender John Stones. Ten days ago, in a Puskas stadium from which adult spectators were mostly banned because of the abuse last year, Hungary took the lead thanks to another penalty. This time, England had no answer.
Unless Southgate and some weary England players can reverse that pattern against an all-too-familiar Hungary on Tuesday evening at Molineux, they face the very real possibility of relegation from the Nations League’s top tier.
That in itself would be a relatively minor setback. The principal aim of this month’s matches and September’s two games in Nations League Group A3 has been to finesse tactics and personnel for Qatar 2022, a tournament in which Southgate has a high standard to maintain.
He is approaching six years in the job and so far he has achieved England’s best showing at a World Cup in 28 years – the semi-finals at Russia 2018 – and their finest ever performance at a European championship.
A losing semi; then a losing final. Southgate is well aware there is only one available podium finish after that which can be interpreted as concrete progress – a gold medal at the next major tournament.
England 0 Italy 0: player ratings
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ENGLAND RATINGS: Aaron Ramsdale - 7, Made a brilliant save to deny Sandro Tonali, then pushed Matteo Pessina’s shot over the crossbar. Was lucky to get away with a poor pass that was cut out by Tonali. AP -
Reece James - 7, Defended well and positive going forward, notably putting in good deliveries to set up Jack Grealish and Raheem Sterling. Getty -
Fikayo Tomori - 7, Looked confident in his first England start and was astute in his defensive work, notably making a good block to deny Pessina in the first half. Had one scare when he lost the ball near the halfway line, but later made a brilliant challenge on Wilfried Gnonto. AFP -
Harry Maguire - 7, Some of his early passing was off, but he mostly defended well and cleaned up under pressure from Gianluca Scamacca when an Italian ball was played behind. Was alert when Ramsdale’s pass was cut out by Tonali. Getty -
Kieran Trippier - 7, Did a good job defensively and made some intelligent passes, with one getting Mason Mount into a promising crossing position. Did just enough to deny Giovanni Di Lorenzo when the ball was clipped to the back post. Reuters -
James Ward-Prowse - 7, Showed his intelligence by taking up some good defensive positions and moved the ball well at times. Hit a shot from range that swerved wide. Was booked for a sliding tackle on Pessina. PA -
Declan Rice - 8, While he couldn’t cap off his performance with a goal after hitting a volley over the crossbar, Rice provided an impressive display. He put in a lot of good defensive work, drove forward well and passed the ball nicely. AFP -
Raheem Sterling - 5, Played a perfectly timed pass for Mount’s attempt that hit the crossbar but missed a superb chance to put England ahead following James’ pinpoint cross. Had a decent shot saved well. Getty -
Mason Mount - 6, Hit the bar after brilliant link-up play with Sterling, but hit two efforts straight at Gianluigi Donnarumma. Played some nice passes to build up the play. AFP -
Jack Grealish - 5, Provided some lovely touches and moved the ball well but struggled to provide the end product, seeing a weak shot blocked by Federico Gatti. Booked for a lunge on Gatti moments after that. Tried to make things happen in the second half but couldn’t get the better of Italy’s defence. Getty -
Tammy Abraham - 6, Did well to shut down Donnarumma but couldn’t quite reap the rewards after winning back possession in the Italian box. Showed persistence despite some painful moments. Getty -
SUBS: Harry Kane (Abraham, 65’) - 6, Couldn’t find the target after doing brilliantly to work space in the box and struggled to make any other openings despite moving the ball well. Reuters -
Kalvin Phillips (Rice, 65’) - 6, Did well to hold up Pessina when Tomori lost the ball, then won the ball in his own box well. Some of his passes were a bit off. Getty -
Jarrod Bowen (Mount, 65’) - 6, Was direct with the ball at his feet and also pressed well from the moment he was introduced. PA -
Bukayo Saka (Sterling, 79’) – N/R, Took up good positions but couldn’t quite turn that into something threatening. Reuters -
Marc Guehi (Tomori, 88’) – N/R, Looked calm after coming on and help England keep their clean sheet. AFP -
ITALY RATINGS: Gianluigi Donnarumma - 6, Looked uncomfortable with ball at his feet and was lucky not to be punished after conceding possession in his own box. Wasn’t forced into too many difficult saves. AFP -
Giovanni Di Lorenzo - 8, Was effective in both attack and defence, delivering some brilliant crosses including the one to create Tonali’s opportunity. PA -
Federico Gatti - 8, Making his Italy debut, he looked a bit too keen to make an impression in the early stages but soon settled. He made a good block to deny Grealish, then did well to stop the winger’s pass to Sterling. Was booked for a foul on Sterling early in the second half. PA -
Francesco Acerbi - 7, Solid defensively, doing especially well in some of his aerial duels. Impressively halted Bowen on the edge of his own box when the winger ran at him. Getty -
Federico Dimarco – 7, Put in some good defensive work against Sterling and ran with the ball impressively. Was unlucky to see nobody attack his superb delivery across the box. Getty -
Davide Frattesi - 6, Showed good energy and moved the ball well but put a golden opportunity wide inside the opening two minutes. Getty -
Manuel Locatelli - 7, Did well to marshal Abraham wide after Donnarumma conceded possession in his own box and moved the ball well, while he saw an effort from range saved. Was booked for going through the back of Mount. Getty -
Sandro Tonali - 7, Moved the ball nicely and was unlucky to see his effort saved well after getting into the box. Used his body to help him disrupt English play. Was given a late booking for fouling Bowen in a dangerous position. Getty -
Matteo Pessina - 6, Showed plenty of intelligence in his first half play to cause England problems, doing well to create the chance for Scamacca. Had a shot saved by Ramsdale after cutting in. Was quieter in the second half. AFP -
Gianluca Scamacca - 5, Offered very little in terms of build-up play in the first half and blazed a shot comfortably over the crossbar from a good opportunity. His general play improved in the second period but he still couldn’t trouble Ramsdale. AFP -
Lorenzo Pellegrini - 7, Played some wonderful passes, including ones to create chances for Frattesi, Pessina and Di Lorenzo. Also made some good bursts forward. Getty -
SUBS: Salvatore Esposito (Pellegrini, 64’) - 6, Looked comfortable after being introduced and moved the ball confidently. Getty -
Wilfried Gnonto (Locatelli, 64’) - 6, Came close to causing problems and hit the side netting with a shot from a tight angle. AFP -
Giacomo Raspadori (Scamacca, 77’) – N/R, Bought a free-kick in his own box to relieve the pressure from a corner but struggled to do much in the attacking third. EPA -
Alessandro Florenzi (Dimarco, 87’) – N/R, Came on to help Italy see out the clean sheet and earn a point. Getty -
Bryan Cristante (Pessina, 87’) – N/R, Made a strong header to clear Ward-Prowse’s late free-kick delivery. PA
He is typically candid about the pressure that creates. “I won’t outstay my welcome,” he said after England had followed up the loss in Hungary with a 1-1 draw against Germany.
When those matches were followed by Saturday’s goalless draw with Italy he felt he had justify his choice of a more experimental side. “I didn’t want to keep rolling out the same team [simply] because a win might take pressure off my shoulders,” he explained in what was also a tacit acknowledgement that there are areas of his squad where there is a significant gap between those he banks on and the back-ups.
Above all, at centre-forward, where Harry Kane’s importance becomes more conspicuous as England chase a first goal from open play in 280 minutes of competitive football. Kane converted a penalty to earn the draw with Germany, marking his 50th England goal.
The burden of any England manager is to be judged according to the standards set at the top of the Premier League. As Southgate was fielding questions on Monday about the recent drought of goals, the two leading clubs in English football were unveiling or announcing the signings of exciting young centre-forwards, with Erling Haaland, 21, presented at Manchester City, and 22-year-old Darwin Nunez completing his transfer from Benfica to Liverpool.
Germany 1 England 1: player ratings
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GERMANY RATINGS: Manuel Neuer 7 - Made one incredible stop, maybe slightly lucky in terms of it pinging off his hip, when he got himself across his goal to deny Harry Kane with 15 minutes to go. Looked comfortable for the most part, more so than some outfield players while in possession. AP -
Lukas Klostermann 6 - The RB Leipzig man looked comfortable defending against Sterling and Kane and covered well when others were caught out of possession. EPA -
Antonio Rudiger 6 - The Real Madrid signing made some good blocks and interceptions, many of the things he did well for Chelsea, but doesn’t always look comfortable in possession. Did enough to limit most of England’s chances to shots from distance, so did his job. Reuters -
Nico Schlotterbeck 6 - Dortmund’s new signing accidentally came together with Kane with six minutes remaining and conceded the penalty that gave England the equaliser. Defended well against Kane for the most part and limited the Tottenham man to half chances, but didn’t use the ball particularly well. EPA -
Jonas Hofmann 8 - The midfielder received a pass from Kimmich a couple of yards inside the England penalty area, controlled and swivelled all in one movement before smashing the ball past Pickford. Caused England’s defenders problems all night with his well timed forward runs from midfield. Getty Images -
Joshua Kimmich 7 - Played the decisive pass for the goal when he zipped the ball into Hofmann’s feet. A high energy display showcasing his pressing ability to stifle Rice and Belllingham in the England midfield. PA -
Ilkay Gundogan 6 - A quiet night for the Manchester City schemer, but still kept the play ticking over in the German midfield and continually tested the full-backs by attempting to slide balls up the inside of Trippier and Walker. PA -
David Raum 7 - Worked well with Musiala as Germany created problems for England down that side. Lovely cross that he stood up to the back post for a Havertz chance in the first half. AP Photo -
Thomas Muller 6 - A quiet night by his standards, but still showed enough quality to cause England concern when he got on the ball in the attacking third. Reuters -
Jamal Musiala 8 - Stung Pickford's hands with a solid strike in the first minute as Germany signalled their intent early on. The Bayern Munich winger had a willingness to drive at the visitors and produced an end product with multiple shots and crosses. Man of the match. EPA -
Kai Havertz 7 - Should’ve done better with a header when he rose above Kieran Trippier at the back post 10 minutes before half time. Overall though, did enough to cause Maguire and Stones plenty of problems. EPA -
SUBS: Serge Gnarby 5 - The Bayern Munich winger who could be on his way to Arsenal replaced goalscorer Hofmann on 65 mins. Reuters -
Timo Werner 5 - Came on for Jamal Musiala with 25 minutes to go. The Chelsea man looked lively and caused England some problems down that right hand side. EPA -
Leon Goretzka N/A - Replaced Muller on 76 minutes and almost got in on a couple of occasions. EPA -
Leroy Sane N/A - On for Gundogan with seven minutes remaining. Had a couple of runs as Germany pushed for the winner. Getty -
ENGLAND RATINGS: Jordan Pickford 4 - Got a hand to Hofmann’s strike which was straight at him, but somehow almost dived out of the way and couldn’t keep it out. Good stop at the near post from Muller, but also a save you’d expect a goalkeeper to make. Did well to deny Werner on the counter. Shouted a lot. Action Images -
Kyle Walker 6 - Vital piece of defending after only two minutes when got in front of Musiala at the back post and somehow flicked the ball over his own cross bar from a yard out. Defended well apart from suspect positioning for the goal when he should’ve recognised the danger. Getty Images -
John Stones 5 - Did OK. Didn’t make any glaring errors, but didn’t really assert himself on the match either. Reuters -
Harry Maguire 3 - The Manchester United defender got lucky in the first half when he got himself tangled up with Havertz and the ball bounced through to Hofmann who was in an offside position. Posted missing for Hofmann’s goal when he inexplicably wandered out of position. Reuters -
Kieran Trippier 6 - Did just enough to deny Havertz’s opening the scoring with a header at the far post when the Chelsea striker looked to have the leverage and momentum as he rose above the Newcastle United defender. He also made some timely recovery challenges and interceptions as Germany tried to slide balls between himself and Maguire down England’s left hand side. AFP -
Declan Rice 5 - Made a bad decision to vacate his slot in front of the defence as Germany attacked for their goal, which had a knock on effect for Harry Maguire and Kyle Walker’s equally poor decisions thereafter. The West Ham skipper worked tirelessly as always and had a better second half, but didn’t really click with Bellingham in the England engine room. AP Photo -
Kalvin Phillips N/A - It’s been an injury riddled season for the Leeds midfielder, and unfortunately, he didn’t last a quarter-of-an-hour here after sustaining an injury in an accidental clash with Schlotterbeck. Replaced by Jude Bellingham. Reuters -
Bukayo Saka 5 - Showed good feet to make half a yard on the right to unleash in a fierce strike which Neuer dealt with well. England's best and only chance of the first half was followed minutes later when the Arsenal man cut in from the right and had Neuer scrambling to cover a powerful curling left foot effort from the edge of the box. Reuters -
Mason Mount 6 - Forgot the Chelsea midfielder was on the pitch until he slid in Saka for a near post strike. Tested Neuer from distance just after the England goal, but the Bayern Munich stopper dived to his right to make a good save. Was more involved and looked dangerous early in the second half as he tried to take a hold of the gam. Getty Images -
Raheem Sterling 4 - A quiet night for the Manchester City forward and he was replaced by Bowen with 10 minutes remaining. He didn’t do much to affect the game for the 80 odd minutes he was on the pitch. PA -
Harry Kane 6 - Got a bit lucky when he felt Schlotterbeck’s contact for the penalty and VAR asked referee Carlos del Cerro Grande to take another look. Dispatched the spot kick, sending Manuel Neuer the wrong way for his 50th international goal. EPA -
SUBS: Jude Bellingham 6 - Replaced the injured Kalvin Philips after 14 minutes. Gave possession away far too easily and on too many occasions and was unable to play the simple pass. AFP -
Jack Grealish 6 - Initiated a bit of a momentum shift when he came on for Mason Mount on 73 minutes. The City schemer injected some positivity into another flat English display, creating chances with positive runs and dangerous balls into the Germany penalty area. Getty -
Jarrod Bowen 6 - Replaced Sterling with 10 minutes remaining. Looked lively and rifled an excellent ball across the face of the German six yard box that was just begging to be put away. EPA
Between them, these starlets have already scored 29 goals in 30 Champions League matches. Kane’s understudies for England – the likes of Tammy Abraham, Ollie Watkins, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin – are not with clubs involved in club football’s leading competition.
Nor will Manchester United be in the Champions League next season and Southgate has indicated that United’s Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho have work to do to be on the plane to Qatar.
He also nurses concerns about how close to City’s best XI Jack Grealish and Raheem Sterling will be in the coming season, although if they are in and out of Pep Guardiola’s team as it accommodates Haaland, there may also be some benefits for England.
The calendar from August to mid-November, when pre-World Cup preparation begins, will be packed and exhausting for the best club footballers. If the often drab Nations League two weeks has reminded of anything, it is that most of England’s players are in need of a proper summer rest.
Hungary 1 England 0: player ratings
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HUNGARY RATINGS: Peter Gulacsi 8 - Solid display from the Red Bull Leipzig No 1. Didn’t have to make loads of saves, but was sharp and tidy when called upon. His best and most vital stop was with his legs from James early in the second half. AFP -
Adam Lang 7 - Good on the ball and defended well against Mount and Justin. Used the ball well with channel passes to Nego and Sallai. Reuters -
Willi Orban 7 - The Red Bull Leipzig defender didn’t look comfortable matching up Kane in the early part of the game, but found he found his feet and didn’t give the Spurs star much space to exploit. AFP -
Attila Szalai 7 - Good block to deny Bowen in the ninth minute after getting in the way of the West Ham forward’s strike when Kane flicked on from a throw-in. Defended well against a poor England attack. AFP -
Loic Nego 9 - A lovely first touch cross from one of Hungary’s top performers on the night, set up the best chance of the first half. After that, the winger whipped in some wicked crosses and caused England major problems. AAFP -
Adam Nagy 8 - Played a sublime quarterback-esque diagonal pass into the path of Nego after 11 minutes that set the tone of the game. The Pisa midfielder blocked passing lanes, pressed Rice and made him play sideways or back. Worked well to control England’s central attacking threat alongside midfield partner Schafer. PA -
Andras Schafer 8 - A disciplined performance in the Hungary engine room from the Union Berlin midfielder. Like his midfield partner, made it difficult for England to link the play through Kane. Missed a sitter to seal the match with 10 minutes remaining. AFP -
Zsolt Nagy 7 - Good strike from a switch of play that had Pickford diving to his left to make a comfortable save. Had another good strike at the beginning of the second half that flew just wide of Pickford’s left hand post. The lively winger looked to get in behind the very advanced Alexander-Arnold every time Hungary broke with the ball. Reuters -
Roland Sallai 8 - The Freiburg winger linked well with Nego to cause England problems down their left side. A clever cushioned header from one of those long diagonals that Hungary utilised time and again was almost dispatched by Nagy just after the restart. PA -
Dominik Szoboszlai 8 - Had a big chance after 11 minutes when he got on the end of Nego’s sublime first time cross and almost bustled it over the line with Pickford advancing. The 21-year-old was the match winner when he cooly dispatched the penalty confidently, low into the bottom right corner. PA -
Adam Szalai 9 - The Hungary skipper had the audacity to try his luck from just inside the England half and almost had Pickford beaten but the big striker’s long range effort was a couple of yards off target. A bustling, all action performance from the Basel target man. Reuters -
SUBS: Laslo Kleinheiser (Salli 71’) 7 - The lively attacking midfielder almost scored, cutting in from the right with 10 minutes remaining and testing Pickford with a left foot curler. Schafer should’ve buried the rebound. AFP -
Callum Styles (Nagy on 82’) N/A. PA -
Attila Fiola (Szoboszlai 82’) N/A. AFP -
Balint Vecsei (Szalai 88’) – N/A. AFP -
Martin Adam (Nagy 88’) – N/A. AFP -
ENGLAND RATINGS: Jordan Pickford 6 - Did enough to deny Hungary early in the first half when he smothered at the feet of Szoboszlai. Almost got done from the halfway line, but was relieved to see Szalai’s speculative effort sail past his right hand post. The busier of both keepers on the night, the Everton keeper dived the right way for the penalty, but couldn’t get anything on it. PA -
Kyle Walker 6 – Cap No 66 for the Manchester City defender. Didn’t really do anything wrong. Excellent piece of defending at the back post when he headed a dangerous cross back to Pickford just before the hour mark. PA -
Conor Coady 6 - Made a vital clearance as Szoboszlai’s effort squirmed under Pickford and towards the goal after 11 minutes. Almost equalised with a glancing header from James’ free-kick delivery with 14 minutes to go. Should’ve put his header on target. AFP -
Harry Maguire 5 - The Manchester United centre back never looked comfortable covering that left channel when James Justin was caught too high up the park. Played a nice diagonal for Bowen in the second half, but looked uninterested. Getty -
Trent Alexander-Arnold - 4 Very poor set pieces from the Liverpool man and once again showed his defensive frailties as he continues to struggle to know where opponents are when the play is switched to his side. Reuters -
Jude Bellingham 5 - The Borussia Dortmund man tried his best to have an impact in terms of possession and making forward runs, but was too often robbed of the ball and found it difficult to make a meaningful pass. Getty -
Declan Rice 5 - An average performance from the West Ham midfielder. Couldn’t stamp his authority in a midfield that Hungary stifled. Reuters -
James Justin 5 - Got caught too high up the pitch with players in behind him on a couple of occasions. The Leicester City full-back has just returned after an 11 month lay off and, unfortunately, had to be replaced after the first half of his debut. Getty -
Jared Bowen 7 - Textbook display from the debutant. Always busy, alert, England’s biggest threat in the first half and then had their best chance of the second. He couldn’t connect cleanly with a volley from a lovely left to right ball flighted over the top from Maguire. AFP -
Harry Kane 5 - Too little too late for the skipper when he smashed a first time effort on the turn into the side netting after the ball ricocheted to him just inside the box. Shackled well by Hungary’s back three. Getty -
Mason Mount 5 - A tenacious but ineffective display from the Chelsea man. Looked lively early on but fell out the game as Hungary stifled forward passes. Reuters -
SUBS: Bukayo Saka (James 45’) 6 - Hungary’s defence early in the second half with a direct run and produced a good stop from Gulacsi. Got England into better attacking areas and along with Bowen, looked the liveliest in a lack lustre England performance. AFP -
Reece James (Alexander-Arnold 62’) 5 – Only on the pitch a matter of minutes before conceding a penalty when Nagy nipped in to steal possession after a poor first touch from the Chelsea full back. It looked a bit innocuous, but there was no hesitation, with VAR confirming a clumsy and needless tug. PA -
Jack Grealish (Mount 62’) 4 - Tried to work his one-twos from that inside left area we’re accustomed to him patrolling for City but didn’t get much joy. Reuters -
John Stones (Walker 62’) 4 - Tried to instigate attacks as England tried to push for an equaliser but got caught out positionally as Hungary countered. PA -
Kalvin Philips (Coady 79’) - N/A. PA
