Hungary became the first team to score four goals in an away match against England after winning 6-3 at Wembley in 1953.
As Gareth Southgate mourns England’s worst home defeat in more than 90 years, he will be forced to face an unwanted rewriting of history textbooks, but also to consider whether his League of Nations experiment has turned the Three Lions back and The World Cup is on the horizon.
Even after the 5-1 defeat by Scotland in 1928, England were not defeated so hard at home, while this was only their second loss at home to Hungary since the famous Magical Magyars’ 6-3 victory at Wembley in 1953. .
This brought an end to the international break, which marked Southgate’s side score only once in four games, and it was Harry Kane’s penalty in the 1-1 draw with Germany, while England went four games without a win for the first time since 2014.
Now the second most successful manager in the history of men’s England – the one who led his team to the semi-finals of the World Cup and penalties from winning the Euro last summer – has only two games in September to regain confidence before his turn to Qatar.
“It’s a painful night,” Southgate said. “We haven’t lost many football matches and when you lose so hard, especially at home, with England, it will be very painful.
“I really know what works for us as a band and what doesn’t work as a band – tonight is a difficult night.
“My predecessors had nights like this, I watched them from the couch as a child and I watched them as a player # and I recognize these difficult times. But you can’t just be ahead when things are going well and don’t stand up when you have difficult experiences. It’s part of football, it’s part of life. “
The nature of this schedule – playing four games in 10 days after a long season – meant that Southgate had to change seriously between games, and he made nine more changes after the goalless draw against Italy.
But the former England defender also wanted to use this period to learn more about the players at his disposal outside the regular starting XI and played with different formations during the four games.
“This is a difficult night for the players,” he added. “I sympathize with them because in the two matches with Hungary I chose teams in particular, in which I tried to balance the team and give opportunities to young players, and I failed to balance properly so that I could perform at the level that is necessary to be able to win these matches.
“The players were fantastic. They were completely committed during this period. It was a really difficult period for them because of the volume of matches they had.
“It is my responsibility. But it was also difficult to bring out the strongest team in every game, so we used it to prepare for Qatar.
“Of course, a night like this is really hard and it’s important to get it off their shoulders, because it’s entirely up to me.”
“We need to look at the big picture”
Boos reverberated around Molineux after the defeat and questions were raised about Southgate’s future, but Captain Harry Kane insisted the manager’s term should be put in perspective.
“This is a really disappointing question that needs to be asked. Let’s not forget where we came from,” Kane told BBC Radio 5 Live. “Garrett was a key part of making this English team one of the most successful teams we have had in the last 50 years.
“I know it’s frustrating for the fans. It was a disappointing camp, with occasional football surprises. We need to look at the big picture.
“This is the first low point I’ve had in five years, a really disappointing night. We expect to win these matches, but this was not our night. We need to stay calm and learn from this.
“We’ve had two fantastic tournaments in a row. It’s not a time to panic. We’re disappointed with the loss, but we need to stay calm and know we have something to work on.”
England scored just one goal in four games, for the first time since a series between October 2006 and March 2007.
Speaking on 5 Live, former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock said England are now running out of time to solve problems before the World Cup.
“What if it’s the same in September and you have two performances in which the team looks lost?” He asked.
“Then you have to change it and you will not give the manager time to apply his style. I haven’t seen anything from England tonight and I haven’t seen any of them in the last four games.
“I’ve always been one where I don’t want a manager to be fired, but I’m not sure he’s the man. There are other candidates who will be more suitable for this and Gareth Southgate will be under pressure tonight.
“This is the best group of players we have had in a long time and we will give up the opportunity to win the World Cup. I think this team can win the World Cup if it is managed in the right way. “
The opposite Southgate number Marco Rossi will have an easier rest after this performance, telling reporters that he is going to watch Red Hot Chilli Peppers on Wednesday, but also offers his support to the England boss.
“After all, they are at the absolute highest level,” he said. “I am convinced that they will bring you a lot of joy at the next World Cup, I’m sure of that.”
And while Southgate spends the summer contemplating how to take his country forward, the 51-year-old remains committed to a process that began when he took on the role of the Three Lions in 2016.
“The next period will be unpleasant and uncomfortable,” he added. “But this is the life of a football manager – you will never be six years old like us and have no difficult nights.”
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