And with that, I’m gone. Here’s some further reading. Bye!
Updated
Gareth Southgate has a brief chat on the telly:
[The last-gasp chance] was a set play we’d been working on, and I think it wouldn’t have been an unfair scoreline. First half, a couple of really good saves from Jordan but we also created a couple of really good chances. Room for improvement but a really good performance.
[Loftus-Cheek] did everything I know he can do. I think it took 10minutes to realise, I’m OK here. He needs that confidence because he’s capable of anything. He’s got the physical attributes and he can handle the ball. I think he’ll gain huge confidence from it. There’ll be even bigger tests, because I think Germany had even another gear from what they showed second half, but nonetheless, really pleased for him.
A couple of players submit to some gentle questioning. First, Ruben Loftus-Cheek:
I’m really happy. It was a tough game against a good Germany side and I think it was a very tactical game. With the age of the squad, it was good for the young players. I certainly learned a lot in this game. [Gareth Southgate] just said, do your best like you normally do. I had Gareth for nearly three years in the Under-21s so it wasn’t too much of a new thing coming here. To go to the World Cup, it’s still a long season and I look to improve, so I think there’s a chance. I have to keep getting better, and hopefully there’s a chance to get on the plane.
Note that he’s on first-name terms with the manager. Not “the gaffer” or “the boss”, it’s “Gareth”. This is a new-look, friendly England. Meanwhile, the captain, Eric Dier, says:
I think we did well. Obviously, against a very well-oiled machine in Germany, they’re going to have periods when they control possession, but I thought they didn’t really hurt us when they did that and we had periods when we controlled the game, broke well at times and are disappointed we didn’t score.
If you thought your football-monitoring day was over, think again:
Final score: England 0-0 Germany
90+4 mins: And that’s yer lot! It’s a decent, entertaining-for-an-hour, morale-boosting player-blooding draw.
90+4 mins: They should have! The free-kick is hit long and high by Rashford, Maguire heads back across goal and from precisely six yards Lingard swings his right foot and volleys England’s best chance of the game high!
90+4 mins: They couldn’t, could they?
90+3 mins: Ten seconds to play, and Lingard has won England a free kick, wide on the left and about 10 yards from the byline.
90+3 mins: Thirty seconds to play. I think this one might end goalless.
90+1 mins: Into the first of three minutes of stoppage time. England break, and as the ball arrives at the feet of Cork in the centre-circle Rashford makes his run. Cork passes sideways to his left, and Rashford kicks the air in frustration.
90 mins: Glenn Hoddle picks out Loftus-Cheek as his man of the match. Sané was considerably less influential in the second half, Hummels has had a near-perfect game in defence, but from Hoddle I thought that was the inevitable choice.
88 mins: I do believe the crowd just bellowed for Joe Gomez to shoot, from 45 yards out and facing the wrong way.
86 mins: I have news of four substitutions: Jesse Lingard and Jack Cork are on, and Vardy and Livermore go off. Meanwhile Sané and Gundogan are off, and Brandt an Rudy are on.
85 mins: The last few minutes have probably been England’s best of the half, though they haven’t really achieved very much. They win a corner, which Bertrand curls onto a German head.
A young England side is playing well against the world champions and the biggest cheers of the night are when a paper plane lands on the pitch. Football's coming home.
— Oliver Holt (@OllieHolt22) November 10, 2017
83 mins: England do well to work some space for Bertrand on the left, but there’s only one player in the middle for the left-back to cross to, and he doesn’t cross to him.
81 mins: A long period in which England seem perpetually just about to nick the ball away from a German toe, but despite frantic pressing from all involved they always just arrive a moment too late.
79 mins: England’s set pieces haven’t really been up to snuff today. Rashford hits the latest, a free kick from deep on the left, onto Hummels’ head. “Surely swapping both full-backs is a full full-back swap?” suggests Tom Fraine.
78 mins: After an extended period of peripheral meandering, Can hits a weak shot that rolls gently wide.
74 mins: Another substitution, as Germany swap Werner for Wagner.
73 mins: Maguire comes forward and finds Bertrand on the left – good play that – but the cross is cut out.
71 mins: A full-back swap for England, with Rose and Trippier off and Bertrand and Walker on.
Updated
70 mins: Every now and then the crowd makes a random roar for absolutely no discernible reason. Presumably for paper-aeroplane related reasons. Like I say, it’s been a slower half.
67 mins: A German substitution sees Julian Draxler go off and Emre Can come on.
66 mins: It has been a slower half, thus far. England are playing on the counter-attack, but imprecisely.
63 mins: “So one of the most significant things we can take from this game is that England without Jordan Henderson sitting in the middle of the park are much more entertaining and enterprising, right?” pleads Ed Rostron. “So he’s going to be left out when he’s back fully fit, right? Right?” The best I can do is a maybe, I’m afraid.
61 mins: Germany have massively dominated possession so far this half. What good work England have done has all gone through Loftus-Cheek, who is having a fine debut.
60 mins: England make a second change, Abraham coming off and Marcus Rashford coming on, to great acclaim from the stands.
60 mins: Livermore becomes the second English player to get booked for deliberately ending a German break.
Updated
59 mins: And now England’s best move of the match! Dier runs into the area, which Germany totally failed to anticipate, and Loftus-Cheek finds him with a fine pass, but Hummels clears the low cross.
58 mins: England win the ball on the edge of the area and break smartly, working the ball through Loftus-Cheek and Livermore to Abraham, who lets the ball run across his body and gets tackled.
56 mins: Pickford claims a cross in his box and immediately tries to play Abraham in at the other end. It was a nice try, but slightly overhit and England’s possession lasted about three seconds.
55 mins: Now Germany keep the ball for an age, before Kimmich’s cross from the right hits Rose’s outstretched arm. Free kick, just outside the area.
53 mins: England keep the ball for an age before passing to a slightly-offside Vardy on the left flank.
49 mins: Ter Stegen makes a great save! Trippier crosses from the right and this time he picks out Vardy, whose header is low and firm, if not really corner-bound, but Ter Stegen is down fast to block it with a firm wrist!
Updated
48 mins: Meanwhile in the World Cup qualifying play-off, it’s Sweden 1-0 Italy, Johansson scoring in the 61st minute. You can follow it live here:
46 mins: Peeeeep! The players are back out and action is back under way.
“What a player Sané is, though,” drools Daniel Timm in Berlin. “You never hear much about him over here, as is the case with pretty much every German in the Prem not named Jürgen Klopp – but to think a player with such pace and intelligence is only 21 is incredible. He’s got everything it takes to break out as Germany’s next generational talent after the Özils and Krooses pass on the baton, and what better stage to do it than a World Cup we’ll try to repeat at.” He does indeed look phenomenal, for club and country.
@Simon_Burnton This game is actually good! Oh sorry, I forgot I'm supposed to say I'd rather fish VHS tapes from down the back of the radiator than watch England.
— The Earl of Gamwich. (@lukegamage) November 10, 2017
It really is. The scoreline might say 0-0, but only because Jordan Pickford is great and England are perpetually one final pass short of real penetration. Still, lots of enterprising play from England, and though Germany’s own passing isn’t quite as phenomenal as their attacking movement, they should still have scored a couple.
Half time: England 0-0 Germany
That’s pretty much as much fun as you can have while watching a goalless draw in an international friendly.
45+1 mins: Trippier’s corner is cleared and Joe Gomez gives the ball away, and then takes out Sané to stop Germany’s break. He is booked.
45+1 mins: Into stoppage time, of which there will be about one minute.
45 mins: Then a ball over the top of the German defence from Loftus-Cheek picks out Vardy’s run, but his attempt to lift it over the advancing Ter Stegen goes in the wrong direction.
Updated
44 mins: Livermore’s low shot from 25 yards is slow, and also wide. Moments later a decent pass towards Abraham, running into the area, ends up just too long.
44 mins: Trippier is being left totally alone on the right wing pretty much all the time. Germany are presumably happy for him to have the ball.
Updated
42 mins: England nearly score! Abraham runs onto the ball in the area, turns onto his right foot and then shoots. The diving Rüdiger blocks and the ball loops up, leaving Ter Stegen helpless, and then drops just wide of the post!
This England keeper... 🤔 (39') #DieMannschaft #ENGGER 0-0 pic.twitter.com/53IDHgK4ld
— Germany (@DFB_Team_EN) November 10, 2017
40 mins: Draxler jinks about in the penalty area and takes on Trippier, before diving ludicrously. The referee doesn’t buy it. The poor, underemployed VAR must be feeling incredibly frustrated.
39 mins: Pickford makes another fine save! A ball intended for Kimmich doesn’t find its target but rolls through and lets Werner hare beyond the England defence. He brings the ball into the area and then shoots low across goal, but Pickford gets down well to stop it!
37 mins: Vardy wins a free-kick on the right by running in front of Rüdiger, abruptly stopping, then falling over when the defender runs into him. Trippier’s free-kick flicks off a German head but is picked up by Maguire, who picks out Rose, whose first-time shot causes momentary excitement before crashing into a German player.
35 mins: England might not win this game but they are passing to each other more often than not, which will please Ian Copestake (see the moments before the game started).
33 mins: Tammy Abraham wins the 2017/18 overhit pass of the season award, with a hilarious attempt to play in Jamie Vardy.
32 mins: In the last few minutes Trippier has put in a succession of pretty, pacey, dipping, curling but sadly overhit crosses, including one from that corner.
31 mins: Loftus-Cheek passes to Rose on the left, and it looked like the ball left the pitch before the Spurs man crossed. It’s cleared for a corner, sadly, as had a goal gone in it would surely have been disallowed after VAR review, which would have been jolly.
28 mins: A long spell of neat German possession ends with Rüdiger slamming in a powerful long-range shot that Pickford saves and holds.
26 mins: Meanwhile the sports desk’s chief sub-editor, Philip Cornwall, emails in fury: “Persistent standing is a big problem at Wembley, apparently. So is spelling.”
25 mins: And Jones is replaced by Joe Gomez.
23 mins: And it looks like that headed clearance may be Jones’s final contribution to the game, as he is now receiving treatment.
22 mins: Germany have a triple chance, and miss all of them! Ozil passes to Werner, whose low shot is saved by Pickford! The ball rebounds to Sané, whose shot is headed off the line by Jones! And that ball rebounds to Draxler, whose shot goes over the bar!
20 mins: Sané hits the bar! He picks up the ball a couple of yards outside the penalty area and sends a lovely curling, dipping left-footer over Pickford and onto the underside of the bar, from where it bounces down and away!
Updated
20 mins: Werner sprints down the right, but his cross is blocked and then Livermore boots it clear.
18 mins: Loftus-Cheek loftus-cheekily nutmegs Halstenberg on the right wing, and is promptly fouled for his troubles. Ter Stegen flaps away the free-kick.
16 mins: Germany’s defence has dropped deeper since those early moments when they could easily have conceded, and it’s the visitors playing chipped through-balls over their opponents’ rearguard. With Werner and Sané v Abraham and Vardy, there’s lightning pace at both ends, but the right pass has yet to be played.
13 mins: Sané is being a real pest, moving all over the place and running really quickly and stuff. He has spent most of his time on the left, but he just turned up on the right of the penalty area, running onto Ozil’s chipped pass but failing to control it.
Updated
10 mins: Vardy and Abraham both look sprightly and ready to take advantage of Germany’s high defensive line. Talking of defensive lines, England’s is currently weakened by the presence of Phil Jones, who is moving a little gingerly.
8 mins: Jones beats Sane to the ball inside the penalty area but limply hits it against the German’s leg, and it rebounds handily for him to have a shot on goal, which goes just wide.
7 mins: Halstenberg runs clear down the left, with plenty of white shirts in the box, but his low cross is cut out at the near post.
4 mins: Werner, meanwhile, is still a bit limpy after that very early rush at Pickford.
3 mins: Ter Stegen was all over the place during that attack – sprinting out to cut out the through-ball, thinking better of it, scurrying backwards and then being stuck nowhere very relevant when the cross came in.
2 mins: England nearly score! A simple ball forward down the left flank finds both Vardy and Abraham sprinting beyond the defence. The Leicester man reaches the ball first and crosses low, but it’s just behind Abraham, and just in front of Loftus-Cheek, and though it rolls to Trippier beyond the goal, his shot finds the side netting.
2 mins: Maguire plays a back-pass towards Pickford, but not really firmly enough. Werner closes down, and nearly gets there first.
Updated
1 min: Peeeep! We’re off!
“Call me unambitious, but my hopes for the England team are not that they suddenly become world-beaters and deliver titles but that the common supporter who dares follow their games at such tournaments is spared the sort of eye-aching dross that has characterised our style of play for what seems like 10 years (other estimates are available),” writes Ian Copestake. “Sure, lose in the quarters, but play football that means we pass to each other more often than not.” That’s the spirit! Up and at ’em! In fairness, though, that would be just lovely.
Playing Germany so close to Remembrance Sunday was always a risk, but the national anthems appear to have been respected, servicemen from both countries have laid wreaths, both teams will wear a poppy on their armbands and the TV microphones picked up not a whisper during the minute’s silence and the playing of the Last Post. So the risk seems to have paid off.
The players have left the tunnel! Some anthems and some remembrance-related business stand between us and actual sport.
Updated
The players are in the tunnel!
“I’m more interested in this game than if most of the other players were playing,” writes Benjamin Park. “Like to see how the young ones fare. I know this isn’t ‘the’ Germany squad. But some solid performances might show potential for future games/tournaments.” I think the potential has been proved by various youth teams over the last few months. We can be excited about that whatever the results today and over the next eight months. I’d love to have an exciting and youthful senior international team to be thrilled by, though. One day …
Updated
Gareth Southgate talks! First, about all the withdrawals from his squad:
It has been challenging, but we’ve known what we’ve got to work with since Tuesday but now I’m excited to see the younger players in particular go and show what they can do. I think having qualified we’ve got to experiment a bit. We’re building towards next summer, and this is a great test for everybody against a top, top team.
And then, about playing three at the back and John Stones’ role in that:
We know that he can control possession from the back and we need players that are comfortable on the ball throughout the team. For me that’s the way forward. He’s as good as anybody at doing that and I think the options it gives us going forward gives us a better structure than we have with a 4-2-3-1.
And finally, about Ruben Loftus-Cheek and young players and stuff:
He’s particularly good at driving at the opposition when he’s behind their midfield. Very powerful but with good technical ability. I think this will give him a lot of confidence. We’re building a way of playing. This is a really good test and we’ll learn more from this than playing lesser opposition as we have in the qualifying games.
Confused about the whole VAR thing? Here are some answers to some key questions:
It’s true, this is worth noting.
Worth noting Germany have more players under the age of 23 in their team than England. Including the best young player in the Premier League
— Barney Ronay (@barneyronay) November 10, 2017
@Simon_Burnton Have a great MBM Simon, but I'm giving this one a pass for the first time in years. With half the likely WC starters for England out with Well-Timed Muscle Twang, will this match prove anything?
— Hubert O'Hearn (@BTBReviews) November 10, 2017
Well, if England win there will be any number of conclusions to be drawn. If they lose it can be written off as an injury-affected encounter with a too-good team.
And the referee team, who could (or might not) come under much focus tonight, what with the whole VAR thing. They are all from Poland:
Referee: Pawel Raczkowski
Assistant referees: Michal Obukowicz, Radoslaw Siejka
Fourth official: Daniel Stefanski
Video assistant referee: Pawel Gil
Assistant video assistant referee: Marcin Barkowski
Updated
The teams
England: Pickford; Trippier, Jones, Stones, Maguire, Rose; Livermore, Loftus-Cheek, Dier; Vardy, Abraham.
Germany: Ter Stegen; Ginter, Hummels, Rüdiger; Kimmich, Gündogan, Özil, Halstenberg; Draxler, Werner, Sané.
And the Press Association’s reaction to them:
England handed debuts to Jordan Pickford, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tammy Abraham as manager Gareth Southgate named an experimental XI for the Wembley friendly against Germany. Pickford benefited from Jack Butland’s broken finger to take his place in goal, Loftus-Cheek lined up in midfield and Abraham partnered Jamie Vardy up front. That takes the number of debutants under Southgate to 11 in 13 games, with Eric Dier his sixth different captain.
Here's how the #ThreeLions will line up against Germany 🦁 pic.twitter.com/dvT0Fr9BlX
— England (@England) November 10, 2017
Unsere Startelf: ter Stegen - Ginter, Hummels (C), Rüdiger - Kimmich, Gündogan, Özil, Halstenberg - Draxler, Werner, Sané. #ENGGER 🦁🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/CYTOmUQf2J
— Die Mannschaft (@DFB_Team) November 10, 2017
Hello world!
So here we are again. A brave new dawn. One of these days, one of England’s new dawns will actually be followed by some kind of day, involving the basking in a certain amount of sunshine, rather than a near-immediate return to some kind of repeating nightmare. Could this be the dawn that leads to an actual day? Probably not. But maybe!
England will be captained today by a 23-year-old and will hand a debut to Ruben Loftus-Cheek, just 21 years of age, and quite possibly more – Jordan Pickford and Tammy Abraham are rumoured to be starting, with several other youthful faces around. And Ashley Young. “I don’t think we should rule anything out with young players,” Gareth Southgate beamed. “The rate at which they can improve is huge. As with all the young ones it’s a case of assessing when is the right time to blood them and bring them in.” And it seems that that time is RIGHT NOW.
Happily, the FA have given Southgate the perfect opportunity to take a few risks and conduct a few experiments, by – in their infinite wisdom – arranging back-to-back friendlies against really good teams who will probably win and thus make the crowd really angry and give our youngsters a permanent and debilitating fear of international football. I know that big-name friendlies mean big-number attendances and thus big-number bank balances, but if you employ a manager who believes in youth and experimentation, it might be worth scaling back the focus on enormous ego-friendlies just a little. Such a tactic might give him a few somewhat low-risk opportunities to experiment with youth before he and his team arrive, scarred and wobbly, at the kind of major tournaments the FA would like them to occasionally win.
Anyway, enough daydreaming. Hello! Welcome! Let’s watch some football together, shall we?
Simon will be here shortly. Meanwhile, read Danny Taylor on Gareth Southgate, a man to make big decisions.
In a moment of reflection this week, Gareth Southgate took it on himself to ask a member of staff at the Football Association to contact Manchester United and explain that the England manager did not intend to come across in such a bruising manner when he left Chris Smalling out of the last squad because, as he put it at the time, he needed players at the back who were better on the ball.
Southgate did not think he had been misquoted but his verdict on Smalling’s ability was always going to generate headlines and, a week on, it was clear he wished it had turned out differently. Smalling, he said, was entitled to be “upset and disappointed” by the publicity it created. “If I had been Chris, I would have gone: ‘That’s a bit unfair.’”
