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It was the same old story. An England manager unable to change a game when it went against his team; a terrible use of substitutes; and, of course, beaten by penalties. Yet England could not

have started better. Not just an early goal, but one of the best goals of the tournament by one of England’s outstanding players this summer. For the next half hour England controlled the

game, Italy looked like rabbits in the headlights, so many of the England team rose to the occasion and, perhaps best of all, the quality of passing was superb. And then, slowly but surely,

the Italians started to pass better and move into England’s half. By half-time Italy had 65 per cent of possession. Something needed to be done, but whatever Southgate said at half-time was

ineffectual. Then Italy equalised. You could see it coming. By the 70th minute they had 71 per cent of possession. Trippier, one of England’s best players, and certainly one of England’s few

good set-piece players, was replaced by Saka, who had seemed a breath of fresh air in his first game but was out of touch, unable to tackle or make crucial passes. None of the later

substitutions changed the game. Southgate didn’t have a strategy. There was that familiar sight of an England manager unable to turn a game around against a better team. The penalties were

the final straw. Not because England lost – again. Pickford did superbly, saving two. Kane and Maguire scored and Rashford hit the post. England then missed three. But that doesn’t tell the

story. Southgate had given three of the first five penalties to young players, none of them over 23. Saka was just 19, Jadon Sancho 21. Saka had had a terrible game, his confidence must have

been low. Rashford and Sancho, inexplicably, hardly played in the whole tournament and were then brought on as substitutes in the 29th minute of extra time. Southgate had chosen them to

take penalties but he gave them no opportunity at all to get the feel of the game, to get used to the pressure and to the feel of the ball. They will be haunted by this memory for years to

come, just as Southgate has been by his miss against Germany in 1996. He said they had done well in training. How does that prepare a teenager for taking a penalty in the Final of one of the

biggest sporting occasions of their life? It was one of the worst decisions by any England manager. Despite the hype England had not had a good tournament. Unlike previous England teams

they had a lucky draw and, except for one game in Rome, they played at home throughout the tournament. Every time England has played a tournament at home they have done well: winning the

1966 World Cup, semi-finalists in 1996 and finalists this year. None of the sweltering heat of Leon in Mexico, Manaus in Brazil or Shizuoka in Japan against the Brazil of Rivaldo and

Ronaldinho. The cool weather was perfect for England’s fast game; in the final the rain poured down. Conditions could not have been better. The draw was crucial. Like so many England teams

they played Germany in the knock-out rounds, but this wasn’t the Germany of 1970, 1996 or 2010 — no Gerd Müller, no Beckenbauer, no Klinsmann or Klose. England beat Denmark with a messy own

goal and what all the TV pundits agreed was a “soft penalty”. Would this England team have beaten France, Belgium or Spain? It doesn’t matter. As our TV pundits and reporters said, you can

only beat the teams they put in front of you. They turned this into a triumphal procession. Southgate, they said, could do nothing wrong, this England team was the real thing, unlike their

much-mocked predecessors. And yet, up against class opposition like Italy, unbeaten in 33 previous games, it soon looked the same old story. And then, this morning, the BBC’s sports editor

was talking about our excellent prospects for next year’s World Cup in the boiling heat of Qatar. When will England play again in the cool, rainy tournament at home? Not in my lifetime.

Nineteen police injured, almost 50 arrests, fans invading Wembley, drunken yobs wrecking Trafalgar Square, England fans booing the national anthems of other teams. As a result, England is 

unlikely to host a major football tournament for many years to come. This was England’s chance — and the fans, drunk and disorderly, blew it. Then there was the racist abuse towards the

three young black players who missed their penalties. And the familiar figures of domestic abuse during any football tournament. Bad if England win. Much worse if England lose. Young drunken

men encouraged to behave badly by the relentless hype from TV commercials, presenters and pundits. Alan Shearer, Rio Ferdinand, Ian Wright barely mentioned the luck of the draw, the crucial

significance of home advantage, the importance of the weather. They hyped Southgate and his team beyond all reason. Now, once England have lost, they will turn their attention to Qatar. In

the meantime, our pundits and the Football Association need to address the dreadful statistics for domestic abuse. They have started well in tackling racism in football. But domestic abuse

among football fans needs to be next. The appalling behaviour in London yesterday should not be swept under the carpet. Not just because it will cost England any hopes of hosting another

major tournament, but because it is unacceptable anyway. It doesn’t really matter if pundits get football matches wrong. But there are parts of England’s football culture that are in a

terrible state and need to be addressed. A MESSAGE FROM THEARTICLE _We are the only publication that’s committed to covering every angle. We have an important contribution to make, one

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