England have been relegated from Nations League Group A3 and Germany cannot reach the finals, but there will be far more than professional pride on the line when the sides meet at Wembley on Monday, writes Sky Sports News‘ senior reporter Rob Dorsett.
England suffered a 1-0 defeat to Italy on Friday which saw Gareth Southgate’s side extend their winless run to five matches, with just the fixture against Germany still to play before the World Cup begins in November.
The loss in Milan means England are enduring their worst run in eight years and another reverse would threaten to undo much of the hard work Southgate has done just as he and his side prepare to head to Qatar…
‘Cracks beginning to show amid slump in form’
When he took over as England manager in 2016, Gareth Southgate said one of his key aims was to make the country fall in love with its football team again.
Decades of underachievement from the men’s team in major tournaments, together with an unhealthy dislike on both sides between the players and the national media, had created a pretty toxic atmosphere around the whole England set up.