England vs Scotland has become a footballing anachronism, the last vestige of a once great rivalry

Much of England’s first half play was a distorted lateral stasis. John Stones and Garry Cahill contrived to deliver a masterclass in slow-mo passing, the anti-thesis of modern build-up at club level. England wanted to play out from the back, but they could not. Time and again, Scotland chased, closed down, pressed and dispossessed the English defense.

The English were unimaginative and pedestrian, with the passing of Jordan Henderson and Eric Dier woeful higher up the field. There seemed little methodology to England, bereft of tactical sophistication and technical know-how. The English start was lethargic, but as dismal as the hosts were in their own half, Scotland’s attacking decision-making wasn’t much better.

James Forrest misguided a pointblank header inside the box and Robert Snodgrass refused to play in Leigh Griffits when Scotland broke on the counter. It was fickle reward for the Scottish, who had played valiantly with a Braveheart high-intensity. In the first 20 minutes they energised the game.

Self-inflicting defeats

Scotland yet again demonstrated their refined expertise in self-inflicting defeats – it is in a nutshell the story of Scotland in recent memory. Their penchant for grandiose failure, in spite of deep-rooted commitment, is both spectacular and tragic. Scotland last participated in a major finals at France ’98 when a Tom Boyd own-goal and Morocco thwarted their progress from the group stages.

And so, it came to pass that, in the 23rd minute, Daniel Sturridge’s angled header from a pin-perfect Kyle Walker cross found the Scottish net. England interim coach Gareth Southgate had preferred the Liverpool striker, who has endured a peripheral role at his club, over Harry Kane. The Tottenham striker returned from an ankle ligament injury on the weekend in the North London derby.

The same pattern developed after the break – Scotland had the possession, 66% overall, but fluffed their chances. England didn’t – they were ruthless. Both Adam Lallana and Gary Cahill scored with headers. Southgate, the poppy zealot (he had two poppies pinned on to his blazer), punched the air, with a slight overdose of testosterone. Scotland were deflated.

Southgate’s England

Southgate may well become the next England coach – on a full-time basis. When he first assumed the temporary position, Southgate expected neither to contribute to Darwinist discussions over the nature of captains nor to enter the moral maze of poppy bans and their political ramifications. But the young coach has conducted himself with both a measure and smartness that is so often lacking in the English game.

His succession of the reviled Sam Allardyce, the flag bearer of a gum-chewing army of inflated and mediocre British coaches, has results-wise been positive. But as Lars Lagerback, the architect of England’s downfall at Euro 2016, once pointed out, structural, recurring problems remain: England are overrated, extremely passive, and devoid of both creativity and ideas on the field. That generalist criticism is applicable to Southgate’s England.

In the other dugout, Gordon Strachan drifted into a vast no-man’s-land of pondering and what-if-considerations. The defeat may spark his undoing. His team’s zeal had been admirable, but their defending an exercise in high-land masochism. Back in 1977, Scotland defeated England 1-2 at the same venue. It was a famous Scottish victory, followed by a pitch invasion and a dismantling of the turf. Among the invaders was Strachan, on his second visit to Wembley. He has always been apologetic about that bit of mischief – all the Scotland fans had been on the field after all.

That day, Scotland had Kenny Dalglish in their ranks. Yesterday, the Scottish team had no talisman in their XI. England’s talent drain was tangible as well. Anno 2016 this fixture has become a footballing anachronism, the last vestige of a once profound rivalry, a retrograde expression of a provincial FA Cup match. Scotland were playing a peculiar version of rugby, with sequences of rash tackles and a conspicuous physicality; England gobbled up a dreary procession of disjointed kick and rush. The 90 minutes were an indictment of teams that have endured a prolonged standstill. For England, though, the World Cup is looming large again. Yet, on current form, they do not deserve to participate. Scotland need not worry – they won’t be going to Russia.