It was impossible not to feel some sympathy for James Maddison here in Wroclaw. One of the players of the nascent Premier League season was given an inhibiting hybrid role against the rugged, energetic Ukrainians that suited neither him nor England, who were poor and did not deserve more than the draw in this Euro 2024 qualifier.
A player resplendent in a gleaming smoking jacket and creating for Tottenham Hotspur, Maddison must have felt he was wearing a straitjacket here. If you’re going to give Maddison a chance, and this was only his fourth international in four years, then at least allow him to play in his optimum position.
More significantly, it was also impossible not to feel sympathy for Marcus Rashford, a better player than Maddison, who kicked his heels on the bench for 65 minutes when England needed him from kick-off, giving pace and threat down the left. Only when he arrived did England look to have more balance: Rashford left, Bukayo Saka right and Harry Kane through the middle. It’s one area of the team that Gareth Southgate does not need to be tinkering with.
If England are to progress far in Germany, they will rely heavily on Rashford and Saka stretching defences even more obdurate than Ukraine’s. The 4,000 England fans, when eventually all directed to the right entrance, sang about reaching the final of Euro 2024 in Berlin on July 14. But they need real width. They need players used in their best positions.
Maddison shares his frustrations with referee Georgi Kabakov as he is shown a yellow card
EDDIE KEOGH/FA/GETTY IMAGES
In omitting Raheem Sterling from his squad, Southgate pointed to the riches of options out wide, even mentioning Maddison. As Spurs fans will attest, the 26-year-old is far more influential as a No 10, scoring and creating through the middle. Maddison was nominally a No 11 here, going wide when Ukraine had possession, but otherwise drifting inside, leaving the left back Ben Chilwell to play up high.
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England were lop-sided for more than an hour. Maddison and Jude Bellingham were in the same area, tucked in on the left, with Saka slightly isolated on the right. Kane dropped deep at times, the No 9 demonstrating his No 10 qualities and creating England’s 41st-minute equaliser for the outstanding Kyle Walker after Oleksandr Zinchenko had given Ukraine the lead via a devastating and swift counter.
Maddison rarely had space to express himself. Bellingham is such a talent but his role, close to Maddison, also restricted him. Maddison typically worked hard, calling for the ball, waiting for a pass from Jordan Henderson after two minutes that never came. He kept showing, pointing to feet, taking a short pass from Declan Rice, turning and locating Chilwell, then sending a crossfield ball to Saka. In the few moments in the first half that he managed to find room, Maddison did deliver some decent balls, but it was a struggle.
Maddison was not as influential as usual, and was substituted for Foden after 66 minutes
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Maddison tried to find a few free yards behind the Ukraine midfielders, Taras Stepanenko and Viktor Tsyhankov, and their right-sided defenders, Yukhym Konoplya and Illia Zabarnyi. Stepanenko, Ukraine’s captain, was merciless in denying Maddison room. He knocked Maddison over, then caught him with a nasty challenge on the ankle. That brought a booking and also brought Spurs fans out in force on social media posting fears about Maddison’s wellbeing and their desire for Southgate to withdraw their £40 million entertainer and catalyst.
Maddison’s industry and intelligence enabled him to drag Stepanenko away, creating space for Marc Guéhi to run into.
But overall his usual brio and influence were absent. He tried to pick out Saka but underhit the ball and Vitaliy Mykolenko intervened. He seemed distracted and suffered a disappointing end to the half. First he was booked for a dangerous challenge on Zabarnyi. Then a poor first touch wasted an intelligent diagonal run and also Bellingham’s clever pass. At least England were level at the break and Southgate could address the obvious flaws.
Maddison emerged for the second half, and was immediately involved with set pieces, laying off a free kick to Walker then curling over a corner that Georgiy Bushchan eventually punched away. He lost, then regained, a pass from Bellingham. Midway through the second half, Southgate ended the experiment and gave England some balance. Rashford arrived on the left, Phil Foden came on centrally, and Maddison and Bellingham departed.
Maddison looked downhearted as he trudged to the bench and Southgate was quick to reassure him. But this was a draining, frustrating night for Maddison, who was simply not given a chance to show what he can do. But England’s strengths lie with the balance of two proper wide attackers, Rashford and Saka — players of pace who carry a goal threat.
