Gareth Southgate’s new England look worryingly free of

England’s 1-0 defeat by Iceland in their final warm-up match before Euro 2024 left manager Gareth Southgate with more questions than answers

By the time the PA announcer had announced a “lap of appreciation”, with what seemed at the time to be viciously mocking levels of excitement, England’s players found themselves applauding a vast expanse of empty red plastic seats. One of the big fears with tournament football, among the better teams, is peaking too early. On that front, at least, England seem safe.

Instead they took the nuclear option, the ultimate dial-back, booed off by schoolchildren having lost 1-0 to an Iceland team that is now ranked 72nd in the world. And not just lost, but lost badly, like a team playing through a notably gruelling migraine.