England – Hungary: Magical Magyars Maul The English On Home Soil (0-4)

Hungary have developed a habit of thwarting the European elite in the last twelve months, but few would have foreseen the outcome of this clash. A brilliant bulwark and an almighty collapse at the end of the contest gave way to a result rendering the favorites subject to scrutiny.

Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere.

Do the means always justify the ends? The present crop of English talent has fans dreaming of free flowing football, but Gareth Southgate's success from the dugout has grounded itself in resisting this impulse. Reaching the EURO 2020 final, thanks to a style of play centering on the art of stability, England are on the brink of the promised land. But if the outcome of matters in Qatar at the end of this year fall in line with their results in this Nations League campaign, public patience may wear thin.

On the other hand, the Hungarians are riding the crest of a wave. Under the direction of Marco Rossi, they were less than ten minutes away from making it through the Group of Death last summer. Their development in the new year has not ceased. Holding the Germans to a stalemate on the weekend, they sat in second spot in their Nations League group ahead of kickoff. Should they beat the English for the second time in nearly a fortnight, their safety in League A would virtually be a guarantee.

Southgate made nine changes to the outfit that started the goalless draw with Italy in England’s last fixture. In front of Aaron Ramsdale, Marc Guéhi featured next to John Stones . . .