England’s first meeting with Italy since last year’s European Championship final was only a repeat of that night at Wembley in that both sides had cancelled each other out by the end of it. Otherwise, there was none of the jeopardy, none of the tension, no penalty shoot-out and thankfully, none of the trouble in the stands either. For the 1,000 or so schoolchildren watching this goalless draw in an otherwise empty Molineux due to a stadium ban on supporters, this was a memorable occasion. For everyone else in attendance, it was forgettable.
The question, three competitive games out from the World Cup, is how much Gareth Southgate has learned. For the first time in almost four years, England have gone three games without winning. This point keeps their chance of progressing from this group alive – thanks to Hungary holding Germany in Budapest – but still bottom of the group. The last goal from open play came in March, more than four hours of football ago. While admitting this end-of-season camp could have gone better, Southgate will not be overly concerned.
After all, it is difficult to separate the sluggishness on display with the fact that these Nations League games are coming at the end of a long, hard campaign. Both teams looked tired at Molineux – more tired than they did after a month of competition last year – and the fatigue particularly told during a second half that was low on real chances.
