SO much for unbridled pre-Euros optimism then. The warm-up games before a major tournament tend to count for little once the real action begins, but even so, the sight of a near full-strength England side labouring to a 1-0 defeat to Iceland at Wembley just nine days before they play their opening group game in Germany was a thoroughly depressing send off.

The lack of intensity within England’s play was perhaps excusable given the understandable desire to avoid injury so close to the start of the tournament, but it was the return of two age-old failings that set the alarm bells ringing.

Faced with a massed Icelandic defence, England’s players lacked the invention and incision required to force a breakthrough. All three of their Group C opponents – Serbia, Denmark and Slovenia – will have been watching on and taking notes. Sit deep, stay well-organised and let England have as much possession as they want. They’ll keep on passing, but that doesn’t mean they’ll score.

Then, at the other end, England’s vulnerability to sides breaking on them, an Achilles heel at a succession of recent tournaments, was once again apparent. Iceland’s first-half opener came via a break down their left, with Kyle Walker and John Stones both found wanting, and on two second-half occasions, the visitors, ranked 72nd in the world, passed up opportunities when at least one of their players was breaking clear of the England defence. One shudders to think what will happen if Gareth Southgate’s side defend as poorly against a France, Germany or Spain.

After all, last night’s squad was only lacking Jude Bellingham, who will join up this weekend after his Champions League final exploits. Assuming, as looks likely, Luke Shaw is unable to participate in England’s opening group game against Serbia, seven of last night’s starting side can also expect to be lining up in Gelsenkirchen next Sunday.

Last night’s back four will be the combination that starts the tournament in Shaw’s absence, with Marc Guehi having been elevated to the preferred XI in place of the injured Harry Maguire. Guehi’s partnership with Stones, which is pretty much untested at international level, could be key to England’s chances in Germany.

Declan Rice, Phil Foden and Harry Kane are also certain starters, with Jordan Pickford guaranteed to step in for Aaron Ramsdale, who got a much-needed run-out last night after spending most of last season on Arsenal’s bench.

That leaves three spots up for grabs. Kobbie Mainoo started alongside Declan Rice at the heart of midfield yesterday, with the 19-year-old a live contender to fill the same role when the real action begins next weekend. The teenager enjoyed an excellent second half to the season, but is battling with Conor Gallagher, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Adam Wharton. Assuming Southgate sticks with 4-2-3-1 next Sunday, rather than a version of a 4-3-3, it is hard to know who will partner Rice.

Will Cole Palmer or Anthony Gordon be starting in eight days’ time? One of them will have to make way for Bellingham, and there is a good chance the other will find themselves having to stand aside for Bukayo Saka, who was a second-half substitute yesterday. There are doubts over Saka’s fitness after he limped through the final few weeks of the season with Arsenal, so perhaps last night was something of an audition to see who might get the nod if Saka misses out. In that case, neither really grasped the nettle. Palmer made a couple of dangerous bursts into the box, only to fail to get a proper shot away, while Gordon made a couple of decent breaks down the left, but didn’t look fully fit after his injury lay-off.

The outcome of last night’s game was always going to be somewhat inconsequential, but even so, Southgate will hardly have been impressed with the sight of his side falling behind inside the opening quarter-of-an-hour.

The manner in which the goal was conceded will have been especially worrying for the England boss, with Walker nowhere to be seen as Iceland broke down their left flank. Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson picked up the ball 25 yards out, and with a drop of the shoulder, the striker was able to dart inside a worryingly lethargic Stones. With time to pick his spot, he drilled a clinical low finish past Ramsdale.

England’s efforts to restore parity lacked the intensity that might have been apparent had the game been a competitive one, but chances still arrived before the break. Gordon wasted a decent opening, blazing over after stepping inside from the left, while Palmer also failed to find the target after he was presented with the ball inside the area by a poor clearance from goalkeeper Hakon Rafn Valdimarsson.

Even the normally ultra-reliable Kane was proving wasteful, volleying over from the edge of the six-yard box midway through the first half after Palmer floated over a cross from the right.

England would have been further behind at the break had Guehi not made an excellent block from a shot from Arnor Ingvi Traustason, and the replacement of Stones with Ezri Konsa at half-time meant the Crystal Palace centre-half had to get used to yet another defensive partner.

The second half began with Foden dragging a shot wide after a slick one-two with Gordon, and continued with Palmer flashing a shot into the side-netting after breaking into the box. Moments later, Palmer should have done much better when he broke into the box onto a pass from Rice, only to fail to get a shot away as he tried to round the goalkeeper.

If anything, though, it was Iceland who continued to create the better chances, spurning a two-on-one break when England’s defence was embarrassingly ragged and creating a great chance from a corner, only for Sverrir Ingason to head straight at Ramsdale.