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A win is a win, but England remain a marginal team and supporter patience is fraying

Wembley 
There were a huge number of empty seats at Wembley on Monday night Credit: getty images

The relationship is strained. And we are not talking Wayne Rooney here. England’s need to stop a decade of grumbling developing into a permanent loss of faith was served by a 2-1 win that should carry them to Russia, where the fun will really start.

The disconnect between England and their followers was further threatened by the arrival of a Slovakia team who conformed to Sven-Goran Eriksson’s stock description of opponents back in his time as manager: “Technical.” Just what you need towards the end of a sometimes somnambulistic World Cup qualifying campaign: another small country who can play.

Whatever the noise around them, this mostly young England team stuck to the job after falling behind inside three minutes. The “resilience” Gareth Southgate talked about at the weekend served them well - and will be indispensable in Russia, because they are unlikely, at this stage of their development, to scare the superpowers.

For much of the first-half, a distinctly reduced Wembley crowd were forced to wrestle with a familiar nagging image. Slovakia’s Stanislav Lobotka, 22, was a match for any England midfielder - and more incisive. His superb opening goal after two minutes 35 seconds showed why he was signed by Celta Vigo. He plays likes a prototype Spanish attacking midfielder.

Curiously, we strode back into this swarm of doubt after England had won an away game 4-0. The swell of disquiet has been there for decades, but now it has critical mass. If the defeat to Iceland at Euro 2016 was the lowest point since 1966, the subsequent phase produced Sam Allardyce’s sacking and Gareth Southgate’s fresh start, with passing and possession to the fore. The trouble is, Southgate is extolling patience in an impatient age. The bitterness of England fans in Malta stemmed from the lack of dynamism and haste; the sense that supporters are being asked to watch players develop at a glacial pace.

The renowned ‘loyalty’ of England fans is a mix of things: stubbornness, blind faith, basic optimism and a love of hanging flags in the squares of foreign towns. Hostility from the terraces in Malta was no one-off. First-night-of-school or not, this Wembley crowd was small by England standards. Dull friendlies used to pack this stadium. And this was England’s biggest home qualifier for Russia 2018.

The pattern of empty red seats told its story. A significant number decided £55 was too much to pay on a Monday evening to watch a work in progress and go home feeling listless. Southgate, though, was grateful to those who did show up. He said: “A lot was said to me about the crowd and they were brilliant tonight and that was a huge importance to the team.” Conversely Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was jeered off and Raheem Sterling booed on: a double insult to go with Alli’s alleged middle finger in the direction of the referee.

In the event, England’s approach play was reasonably assured, but their passing around the Slovakia penalty area jittery. Even with Harry Kane, Alli and Marcus Rashford, they lack a consistent cutting edge. Rashford, promoted to the starting line-up by popular demand, gave the ball away for Lobotka’s goal, but made amends with a shot from the edge of the box for England’s winner. Kyle Walker meanwhile was lucky to stay on the pitch after Clement Turpin, the French referee, missed his clear foul on Vladimir Weiss late in the first-half. As a theft of a clear goalscoring opportunity, Dick Turpin, never mind Clement, would have been struck by the audacity. 

Gareth Southgate
Gareth Southgate has fiercely defended his players Credit: afp

Pride became an odd heading for the debate about England’s performance in Malta, which set a new record for negativity, given that Southgate’s men actually won 4-0. But it was Southgate himself who turned it into a discussion about pride. It began as a conversation about the quality of this England squad, after fans in Ta’ Qali had sung “we’re f------ s---” and decided nearby bars would provide superior entertainment while the game was still in motion.

On Sunday, Southgate took his answers in a new direction, saying: “The notion that the players aren’t proud to play is outrageous, really. They’re unbelievably proud to play.”

If patience is the new English mantra, this team worked their way through the early shock of Lobotka’s goal and were in front by the hour mark. Doubts about the lack of creativity in central midfield could wait for another day. Southgate is trying to move the team and the mindset on, but they desperately needed a victory here. On this evidence, Rashford looks the best bet to be England’s game-changer – a department where they are painfully thin, despite hopes around Alli.

Nobody is really questioning this team’s “pride.” But since 2007, when England failed to qualify for Euro 2008, there has been an erosion of faith, hastened by the Premier League’s grip on its audience. The evidence has piled up: England are a marginal team in international football and supporter patience is fraying. This was a small, difficult step away from those shadows.

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