Always following the same cycles, England’s biggest problem is now the easiest to solve

After about an hour on a hot, humid night in Cologne, the England fans behind Jordan Pickford’s goal began to sing along to the Great escape, led by a booming drum and bellowing with a renewed sense of purpose. When it came to an end, they started again, repeating themselves for at least 15 minutes, following the same cycles, maintaining the same rhythm in an endless hum. In a way, it was a fitting tribute to the players in front of them, given that was how England fared in that dismal 0-0 draw against Slovenia.

For a while there was something moving on the part of the traveling group, a determination to have fun and provide their own entertainment, even when Gareth Southgate’s failed team couldn’t. There was a dark humor to it, nothing more than pretending that England were winning. “The fans were exceptional in the second half,” Southgate said.

But as Scotland showed last week, when your fans and a continued feeling of support off the pitch are the biggest positives to have, it’s a sign that things have gone very wrong.

Then, at the end of the game, the boos came, cascading over the English players, with much reservation for Southgate, who went to applaud them alone. There were even some plastic cups thrown towards him, which landed in the penalty area.

You could say they came closer to the goal than England did here. This has been a difficult journey, which this time will have to be followed by drastic intervention. This English team somehow did enough to finish Group C as winners, but no one in the round of 16 will fear them.

Much of the build-up to what was suddenly a must-win game for England, given the clear incentive to top their group, was dominated by problems of lack of possession. England were too tired to put pressure on Denmark, Southgate suggested. No, we’re not, countered Declan Rice, in a remark that may have just been optimism from the midfielder, but could also have been a glimpse into how this fell apart, that England couldn’t even agree on what was wrong.

Against Slovenia, where England had 70 percent of the ball, there would be much more focus on working with the ball. Slovenia played in a 4-4-2 formation and left two forwards in attack. There should have been spaces for England to exploit, especially in the space behind Andraz Sporar and Benjamin Sesko. It was clearly the ball that was needed. But England were hesitant to find Rice even when he was available. Phil Foden had moments to turn, but he, again, often occupied the same spaces as Jude Bellingham.

And so England’s cycles became predictable and Slovenia retreated, completely unconcerned. If England’s opponents were prepared for a reaction, Southgate’s started slowly, even more so in the first two games. In the first five minutes, Bellingham and Marc Guehi carelessly lost possession, then John Stones threw the ball out of play, twice! But at least you can’t sit back and defend a one-goal lead if there isn’t one, right? Right?

This was basic in England, its standards were legible everywhere. Slovenia knew that Kieran Trippier would always play inside at left-back and would never get down to Foden, whose first instinct was to divert centrally. Foden, though, was at least a bright spark in the sense that he threatened to shake England out of their simple, mind-numbing moves. Conor Gallagher, who was the only change Southgate made to his starting line-up, was a ghost on the inside right channel. Slovenia mostly ignored him, as did England.

Kobbie Mainoo, at least, was harder to leave, as the teenager arrived and provided a brief buzz, even if the Manchester United midfielder went into the same areas that Foden and Bellingham were looking for. Cole Palmer entered, belatedly, in the first minutes of the Euro. He at least showed some urgency. However, it was more of the same for everyone else, the lateral passes, the turn inside, England playing with a shrug. Bellingham’s form is now also likely to be a major concern, with the Real Madrid midfielder involved in more disagreements with the Slovenian team than with England’s performance.

There is nothing positive to take from this, nothing to build on other than tearing everything up and starting again. Southgate won’t do that, but England’s biggest problem is also the easiest to solve. Trippier, for starters, is not a left-back. England need width, outside options, someone to help Foden. Luke Shaw is not yet fit and there are no other left-backs in the squad. How do we feel about Bukayo Saka going there? It doesn’t seem like such a crazy suggestion anymore. England have reached this point. Southgate desperately needs something to break the cycle.