Five talking points from England's Nations League defeat

PLAYING OUT FROM THE BACK

No one is saying England’s defenders should return to the bad old days of aimlessly lumping the ball into the opposition’s half.

But John Stones and Harry Maguire appear to have gone to the opposite extreme, whereby they feel the need to pass in tight situations no matter how many opposition players are around them.

Stones in particular committed a series of errors on Thursday night, and having dropped out of Pep Guardiola’s first-choice defensive line-up at Manchester City, the centre-half is at risk of suffering a similar fate with England. The fear is that he is nowhere near as good a player as he appears to think he is.

DITCHING THREE CENTRE-HALVES

When England reached the World Cup semi-finals last summer, they did so with a defensive formation that featured three centre-halves and wing-backs.

Gareth Southgate switched tactics last autumn, reverting to a flat back four in an attempt to enhance his side’s attacking threat.

The move has had some positive effects in the attacking third – think of England’s thrilling Nations League win in Spain – but there are times when a back five might remain preferable, and Gareth Southgate should not be afraid to mix and match. One of England’s biggest strengths is their wing-back options, particularly on the right-hand side.

FABIAN DELPH IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH AT INTERNATIONAL LEVEL

In fairness to Fabian Delph, most players in the world would struggle to match the standards currently being set by Frenkie de Jong, such is the form of the Ajax man.

Even so, Delph looked like a fish out of water for much of Thursday’s game, and it is time for Southgate to seek alternatives to the 29-year-old.

Harry Winks played in the Champions League final last weekend, making his absence from the current England squad impossible to fathom. He should be starting the autumn, with Phil Foden, James Maddison and Newcastle’s Sean Longstaff also candidates for inclusion in the side.

ENGLAND’S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINALISTS SHOULD HAVE PLAYED

Whereas Virgil van Dijk and Georginio Wijnaldum started for Holland on Thursday despite having played in the Champions League final five days earlier, Southgate opted to keep Harry Kane, Jordan Henderson and Trent Alexander-Arnold on the bench.

It was a mistake. If anything, it was rustiness rather than over-exertion that was the key issue on Thursday, and by ignoring the three players that had been in competitive action since the end of the domestic season, Southgate put England on the back foot.

Henderson’s belated introduction from the bench increased the drive and energy in the England midfield, but came at a stage when the Dutch had already gained the upper hand. That Alexander-Arnold did not appear at all was especially hard to fathom.

HOLLAND’S SPELL IN THE WILDERNESS IS WELL AND TRULY OVER

It has been a difficult decade for the Dutch national team, with the failure to qualify for the 2016 European Championships and 2018 World Cup sparking a prolonged bout of seal searching.

Already, though, the double failure looks like nothing more than a blip. Ronald Koeman finds himself presiding over one of the most exciting squads in international football, with the emergence of the likes of Matthijs de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong and Donny van de Beek having generated some justified excitement.

Holland could do with a proven centre-forward to remove the need to play Memphis Depay through the middle, but the next few years could herald the start of another golden generation in the Dutch game.