So it turns out Gareth Southgate could make a powerful change. He needs just 94 minutes to do that, seconds before he faces the most brutal accusation of his eight-year tenure. Of all the aspects of this incredible England comeback, few are as striking as Ivan Toney’s recent cameos. With two minutes left in normal time, this endlessly confusing team produced two goals with the Brentford striker driving the attack – the same number they had managed in the previous six hours without him.
Was this a designed miracle, or was it entirely due to extreme good fortune? Was it a day that deserved to be defined by Jude Bellingham’s acrobatic display or the hour and a half of disgusting drinking that preceded it? United by a dazzling ‘Hey Jude’ chant in Gelsenkirchen, England fans wouldn’t have cared much. They were still happy to join the journey, even when it involved such bumpy turns. Sometimes all it takes is a single moment of grace to dispel the most stubborn gloom.
It would be an exaggeration to say that trust was instantly restored in Southgate. While Toney proved to be the force England needed in the gloomiest moments, it is unconvincing that it took the manager almost until the final kick of the 90 minutes to introduce himself. It was as if he felt Toney was too much of a left field option to be considered until humiliation loomed. Somehow, this overdue roll of the dice got its reward and the team’s forgotten man got the clue to transform the game and potentially the course of the entire campaign.
The Toney influence played a role in both England goals, blocking Slovakian defender Norbert Gyomber in the build-up to Bellingham’s memorable bicycle kick, creating space for the No. 10 to score. theatrical coupAnd when his opponents’ challenge finally ran out, he produced an excellent goal pass and headed into the penalty area, encouraging Harry Kane to score the winner.
At the very least, it was a compelling example of how this side can find a way to free themselves from the canvas, even when a fatal autopsy awaits them.
But perhaps take fire at any suggestion of tactical genius. The brutal truth was that, until Toney’s inexplicably late arrival, Southgate’s substitution strategy was so perverse as to amount to a resignation letter. After the first 45 minutes of unremitting bad luck, a half-time reshuffle wasn’t so much needed as it was necessary. The first touchline warm-ups from Toney, Anthony Gordon and Cole Palmer, along with Kane’s anonymity, provided reassurance that England were certainly about to shuffle the squad again.
How easy it was to be deceived. Not to mention pulling a rabbit out of a hat, Southgate decided not to bother with any magic tricks. Despite the overwhelming evidence that England had reverted to the half-hearted, lethargic mode that had defined the entire tournament, he left things as they were, unmindful of the displeasure in the stands at the constant sideways movement. Remarkably, Slovakia manager Francesco Calzona, with the luxury of being on the rise, made three changes of his own before Southgate made one.
Finally, with the fans’ cynicism impossible to ignore, Southgate turned to Palmer for a spark. There were explosions on the right wing, with the Chelsea winger as lively and boisterous as ever, but it wasn’t enough. Ebereçi Eze? He was a revelation when he arrived but he couldn’t crack the code. It fell to Toney, a cautious manager whose professional obituaries have already been written, to provide the missing link. But if you think he’ll be thanking his manager for keeping faith with him, you’d be wrong.
Southgate admitted he was “disgusted” by Toney’s dismissal with just a minute remaining, the disdain on his face conveying all he needed to know. What difference was he supposed to make in a few seconds? What kind of magic trick was he expected to perform when so many in this stadium were already looking for their planes and ferries home? In the end, he answered not because of his manager but almost in spite of him, throwing himself into the challenge with such mad energy that it brought a formidable striking force back to life.
After all, Toney is not the only one who doubts Southgate’s decisions. The days of the true believer’s mantra of “In Gareth We Trust” are long forgotten, replaced by some rather shockingly directionless displays in this tournament so far. Take Bukayo Saka, for example. Just a day ago, he was insisting that he was not England’s solution at left-back. So where did Southgate decide to slot him when Kieran Trippier made way for Cole Palmer? Why, left-back of course.
With a more convincing team, you might interpret this as an encouraging sign that the manager is definitely on his own. But there is a sense that Southgate is almost wilfully defying, ignoring the vocal criticism around him and doubling down on his conservative instincts. This peculiar trait in his nature may soon be exposed in a harsh way. But for now, England’s players can bask in the rare feeling that they can turn the story of a tournament around, even if the man at the top seems determined to change nothing.