A late, late goal from Harry Kane was required to earn England a point in a strange World Cup qualifier against Scotland on Saturday.
England looked to be crawling towards a just deserved albeit boring 1-0 win thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s finish but two wonder strikes from Leigh Griffiths in the 87th and 90th minute put Scotland on the brink of their first win against the Three Lions since 1985.
Yet Kane – on his first game as captain – struck home the latest equaliser to keep England undefeated in their last 35 qualifiers.
It was a peculiar match; one that looked like drifting away into obscurity before pulling us back in with a crashing crescendo of a climax.
We ended up with a number of talking points from the Hampden Park fixture, so check out the five things that we learned during Saturday’s 2-2 draw.
1. England are lacking a midfield controller
Eric Dier is a decent footballer and Jake Livermore has earned his place in the last couple of England squads, but a two-man pairing of the duo was hardly going to dominate the game for the Three Lions.
The cold truth is Livermore is not really good enough for this level and Dier, while a good player with tons of potential, is not yet at the stage where he can be the leader in a midfield partnership.
It was disappointing then when Gareth Southgate, rather than trying to cover a weak area where England have been ravaged by injury, opted to play both and make obvious his side’s weakest area.
The manager should have instead overcrowded the midfield by bringing Adam Lallana in centrally and utilising him with Dele Alli alongside either Dier or Livermore. To be fair to Southgate Lallana did come deeper in the second half for added protection.
If Southgate wants to persist with a two-man pivot then it will need to be with a personnel change. Michael Carrick would be ideal but the 35-year-old is not a long-term option. Jack Wilshere or Jordan Henderson will likely have to be that man and that composure and control will be essential for England.
2. Marcus Rashford is not suited to the right-flank
It was somewhat surprising to see England line up with both Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford in the starting XI, but even more of a shock when the Manchester United man went to the right wing.
With Alli through the middle and Lallana favouring the left it was down to Rashford to drive on the right flank and create space, but the 19-year-old struggled.\
Rashford drifted at times, coming more central and even cropping up on the opposite flank. He wasn’t suited to the right-wing, something that became clear just a few minutes into the game.
The United forward was overthinking his options, whereas when up front or on the left Rashford’s actions are instinctual. It’s when Rashford doesn’t have too long to think that we see the best of the youngster.
Hopefully Saturday’s match will mark the last time we see Rashford on the right. This particular Gareth Southgate experiment failed.
3. Oxlade-Chamberlain brings much-needed directness to the Three Lions
It took Oxlade-Chamberlain just six minutes to make an impact after the Arsenal winger was subbed onto the field in the second half. The versatile midfielder’s shot squirmed past Craig Gordon to give England a lead.
Before the Ox came on the pitch England lacked spirit in their attack. There were no penetrating runs of note while each player looked to pass rather than risking a run at Scotland’s defenders.
Once Oxlade-Chamberlain entered the fray though that all changed. The 23-year-old used his pace and power, driving forward and causing problems. His goal, aside from a noteworthy assist from goalkeeper Gordon after a limp attempt to save, was all of his own making.
It was this very attribute that England lacked for most of the match – the desire to make a difference, the drive to be the match-winner rather than the fear of being the match-loser.
It’s been a good season for Oxlade-Chamberlain and his contribution in this game ended his campaign on an even bigger high.
4. End of season internationals need to be scrapped
England vs Scotland, no matter the sport and no matter the occasion, is supposed to be one of the most emotive fixtures in the calendar and to be fair to the supporters at Hampden Park they made Saturday’s match feel like the most important of the year.
It’s a shame – aside from two good goals from a certain striker (and we’ll come to that), and a frantic final few minutes – the players on the field couldn’t do the same.
It’s not all down to the respective squads however. This World Cup qualifier is being played in the middle of June, three weeks after the Premier League came to an end. These players should now be on their holidays, resting up for the new campaign, not worrying about international football.
The opening 85 minutes of the game lacked spark, creativity and, dare I say it, passion. With the season starting last August, and with next summer bringing the World Cup, surely it would have been more beneficial to these players for this match to be played earlier in the calendar or even a few months later?
End of season internationals need to become a thing of the past, and soon. Players are tired, fans are tired and the integrity and quality of the game needs to be protected.
Both teams were poor tonight and the fixture list has to take some responsibility for that.
5. Leigh Griffiths writes his name into Scottish folklore
It’s embarrassing for England but the story of Saturday’s match at Hampden Park has to be the excellent duo of strikes by Leigh Griffiths.
The 26-year-old, heading into this match, had never scored an international goal before and it looked very much like not being his day again as the striker missed a good chance.
Yet as the end of the game drew ever closer the Celtic attacker found himself with an incredible opportunity from a free-kick, and Griffiths tucked home a wonderful effort to draw his side level.
Even more spectacularly he did the same again just two minutes later with an even better effort. It was the stuff of fairy-tale for Griffiths and Scotland fans.
Unfortunately the team could not hold on for what would have been an incredible win, as England’s own captain fantastic in Harry Kane came to the rescue with a late goal.
But Griffiths has guaranteed his place in Scottish football legend for years to come, and no result can change that.
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