Are England suffering from withdrawal symptoms? | OneFootball

After a pulsating five-goal thriller at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night, many critics are picking the bones from another England defeat.

The people in the positive camp would be quick to point out that the Three Lions were playing the European and World Champions. Without an early Marc Guehi mistake, gifting Lamine Yamal the first goal after only 2 minutes and a missed Harry Kane Penalty the scoreline could’ve been very different.

Negative critics would use these same errors against Thomas Tuchel’s men. When playing Spain it could be argued that mistakes can be ill afforded. The margins in this game are so tight and if Kane makes it 3-1, the odds would’ve be stacked heavily in England’s favour. 

Other arguments include the fact that England always seem to fall short against the big nations in the world. In their past 15 matches against sides ranked in the FIFA top 10 in the world, England have won just six. 

Spanish Inquisition

Last Saturday was an intense inquiry into the quality of the English team, with many also questioning the players who withdrew from the squad. 

England were still impressive in spells and had Jude Bellingham running the midfield like a finely tuned Rolls-Royce. However, with the likes of Declan Rice, Marcus Rashford, Cole Palmer, Robbie Mainoo and Tino Livramento dropping out of the squad it begs the question would England have got over the line with some of these stars involved?

If injuries are the genuine reason for missing international games, then no one can complain, but the general feeling is that some players simply don’t prioritise playing for their country.

Load management

A phrase in the modern game that seems to be touted around quite frequently at the moment is ‘load management.’

It was used in the media to describe the absence of Cole Palmer and Declan Rice. There’s an argument that this applies to the Arsenal midfielder. He played 69 games for club and country last season and much of that was with a hamstring injury that hampered his performances at the World Cup. He has also played 549 minutes out of the 630 possible for the Gunners this term.

With Palmer, he wasn’t even involved at the World Cup. He struggled with a recurring groin injury during the 2025-26 campaign, but with considerably less minutes for his club, why isn’t he chomping at the bit to prove a point after his World Cup omission?

Lack of passion

Fans and pundits alike have always mentioned that some players just don’t value playing for their country as much as their club. After all, it’s the club that pays their wages and maybe medical teams up and down the country have a bigger influence on whether their prize assets play on the international stage or not. 

There have been various incidences of players not wanting to represent the cross of St. George down the years. One notable case in recent times was Arsenal defender Ben White. 

The FA officially cited ‘personal reasons’ for White leaving the training camp during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Multiple reports actually indicated that White had a fiery disagreement with Assistant Manager Steve Holland in front of the whole squad over team tactics. 

As a result the 28-year old made himself unavailable for selection, before returning under Tuchel in March this year. There seems to be a level arrogance and disrespect in these circumstances. Being selected to play for your country is a reflection of good form and should be considered the highest honour in the sport. This doesn’t seem to be a sentiment shared with various ‘professionals.’

Tough, but no cigar

Although Declan Rice seemed to warrant his absence from the latest squad, a picture emerged the same day he pulled out of international duty at a Mark Noble party, with a cigar in his mouth.

The physical demands on the body are certainly higher than ever, but maybe the 27 year-old was suffering from lager management, rather than load management.

Having listened to England legend Stuart Pearce on a recent episode of the Peter Crouch podcast, it sounds like some things never change. He indicated that players didn’t fancy playing for England all the time during his career.

This prima donna type personality would much rather be on the beach than on the pitch. Maybe this is half the problem for England. For a nation with fans desperately craving success for the first time since 1966, the team could definitely do with more characters like Stuart ‘psycho’ Pearce.