European Football Championships on channels 14.6.–14.7. Go to the competition website from this link.
England went – once again – to the prestigious football tournament as the big favourites.
And it is still according to the well-known data service Opta, which after the group stage your list England’s biggest champion candidate.
According to Opta, the probability of the English championship is up to 20 percent.
Of course, England progressed from the initial group to the next games clearly on the easier side of the chart.
That was the good news.
The group victory also came by luck, as Denmark was unable to beat Serbia.
England offered one disappointment after another in the opening group. Playing on the ball was unattainable, cautious, out of sync and sluggish. The press game didn’t work at all.
Expert after expert has bored England’s timidity.
According to the statistical service, the closest comparison of England’s ball-free playing was Huuhkajat. It does not flatter the England group.
There is a “slight” difference in England’s and Huuhkajie’s player materials. England has the world’s best midfield and attacking dynamos who are used to playing in dominant teams.
In an England shirt, they just can’t dominate together.
Stupid numbers
England won their easy group by beating Serbia very narrowly and drawing with Denmark and Slovenia. Goal difference 2–1.
Statistics reflecting England’s laziness are scattered here and there.
England kept the ball in the first block 60% and passed to themselves 90%, but it didn’t lead to anything.
England scored a total of 2.2 goals in their group games. Only the jumbos of their groups, Serbia, and abysmal Scotland were left behind.
Of course, England gave the opponent the expected total of only 1.1 goals, which was the best quote of all the teams. It also tells everything the head coach Gareth Southgate approach to the tournament.
But in the end, can it be enough for anything when the problems are so large? And the first block didn’t even test England’s defense.
Striker legend, current TV pundit Alan Shearer wrotethat there is only one way for England in the tournament – you can’t play worse.
Shearer waited in vain for England to show some reaction, display desire and pep, after two lackluster games against Slovenia.
– Let’s be honest. Although we’ve only conceded one goal and won our group, the way we’ve done it has been completely uninspiring.
Against Slovenia, England had 72% of the ball in the first 25 minutes and passed 178 times. The end result was one touch of the ball in the opponent’s penalty area and zero shots.
England shot for the first time in the 30th minute. The last time it took the first shot at the European Championships was as long in 2000.
Perhaps the most drastic example was Opta’s statistics: Phil Fodenthe best player in the Premier League, who should be the soul of England’s attack, has passed the ball more often than the goalkeeper For Jordan Pickford than Harry Kane.
Southgate’s speeches were astonishing
Head coach Southgate has confused the party even more with his statements. As usual, he has defended his players to the last and has not wavered in the purgatory of the British media.
Now Southgate has claimed, among other things, that the press game doesn’t work because the players are not in good enough shape. He has admitted that even in the tournament he has experimented to see who would be suitable By Declan Rice next to
It’s no wonder that the head coach’s comments have been met with laughter and other rude reactions, considering the quality and breadth of England’s material and who Southgate could even afford to leave at home.
One cause of concern has been specifically the center of the midfield. At first, Southgate tried to force his way past Rice Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is a winger in Liverpool. In the match against Slovenia, it was tried first Conor Gallagher and then Kobbie Advertise.
One of the world’s best soccer players could play there, Jude Bellinghambut Southgate has stubbornly put him in the 10 area, which has also brought a problem with Phil Foden’s playing position.
– England has Cole Palmer, Bukayo SakaJude Bellingham, Kobbie Mainoo, Phil Foden – massive, massive talent – and we can’t afford to mislead them, defensive legend Gary Neville annoying.
– We are the only country in the world that constantly asks: “Where do these players fit?”.
However, the fact that the players look mostly lost on the field is on the head coach’s shoulders. Bellingham has been a shadow of what was seen in La Liga and he has not hidden his frustrated body language.
Alan Shearer found it most unfortunate that England have no repetition in their attack.
– I can only see us struggling to find one.
Cups upside down
The contract of Southgate, who has been in charge of England since autumn 2016, expires at the end of the year.
At the moment, no one believes Southgate will continue – or that he would even want to continue. Such a beginning of the end could be felt after the Slovenia match.
After England’s final group game ended 0-0 against Slovenia, Southgate went to the end of the stadium in Cologne to thank the supporters. He was whipped with pints.
This incident became a new headline in the British media.
Southgate told the press that he understands the discontent and the “narrative” about himself.
– But this creates an unusual environment to operate. I haven’t seen any other team make the playoffs and get the same treatment.
BBC’s chief football writer Phil McNulty your line already, that those flying pints meant the beginning of the end. Not that Southgate is upset about them, but they do speak to a wider frustration.
In the Nations League 2022, England suffered a 0–4 loss to Hungary. The fans chanted to the head coach: “You don’t know what you’re doing.” That’s when Southgate publicly wondered if the best solution for the team would be for him to leave.
When Southgate was asked about the reaction of the fans now in Cologne, he struggled to answer and his voice broke, McNulty writes.
Of course, Southgate later emphasized that he can handle criticism.
– I can handle it, but I need them to support the players.
– We have made playing in the England national team fun again in the last three or four years. It has been a pleasure for the players and we have to be very careful that it stays that way.
Another descriptive example also captivated the British media. The country’s most famous “pundit”, an attacking legend Gary Lineker gave his verdict on the Denmark match with four letters: shit.
That’s when Harry Kane and the media started talking. Kane stated that the England shirt carries so much weight because the former players – now TV pundits – did not succeed.
– It is especially difficult for young players to ignore comments.
Naturally, that sparked another backlash. Lineker pointed out that any other description of England’s playing would be lying to the people.
Wonderful statements, wonderful actions on the field. The writing of the media and the England shirt weigh. The ever so calm Southgate, immune to external noise, is shaken, and the advertised fun far away.
Usually, the head of the English has failed only in the tough races. Did it fail already in the first block?
It’s impossible to understand the Opta forecast mentioned at the beginning of the story, but they have their supercomputer.