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The main disappointment of the group stage of the European Championship was the England team, which initially looked like perhaps the main favorite tournament. And although the team continues to fight for the trophy, at home it received a barrage of criticism for its weak play. Will the “three lions” play in the playoffs or continue to lull them to sleep with their football?
Half a billion squad plays worse than all the favorites
Southgate's squad is the envy of any manager. The choice of players is so large that the specialist could afford to leave stars such as Jack Grealish, Marcus Rashford or James Maddison at home. As a result, the “three lions” have the most expensive clip at the current European Championship – the total cost is estimated by the Transfermarkt portal at one and a half billion euros! And in the top ten players by price tag, half represent Southgate’s team, including Jude Bellingham, who shared the first place with Killian Mbappe (180 million euros).
It would seem that with such a selection of players you can build any kind of game. There are veterans like Harry Kane and John Stones, accomplished masters in their prime like Bellingham and Saka, and rising stars like Kobby Maine and Adam Wharton. Southgate could try a variety of formations – with one or two strikers, with a focus on playing from the flanks or combination football through the middle, with short or medium passes. Give this squad to the hypothetical Jurgen Klopp – he will turn it into a piece of candy that will dominate the world stage for many years. But the current coach of the English has created such a gray team that even its own fans are spitting. br>
When the English defeated the Serbs with a minimal score in the opening round, the wave of criticism had not yet risen to its full height. Some explained the team’s modest performance by the coaching staff’s desire to save energy, while others even praised them for their reliable defense. After the draw with Denmark, the roar of indignation became louder – the Scandinavians could well have left the “three lions” without points. Whereas the match against Slovenia in the final round was completely impossible to watch without falling asleep in front of the screen.
The British eventually entered the playoffs from first place, but in terms of the quality of their play they were not at all like the favorites. For example, in terms of shots taken (9.7), the Three Lions completed the top five worst teams in the group stage. And in three matches the team created a total of 3.4 xG chances, which was the most modest result at the tournament. And this with Kane and Bellingham in the lineup!
In addition, Southgate tops the ranking of the highest paid coaches at Euro 2024. According to media reports, the specialist receives about five million pounds a year, which only increases criticism against him. The public has the right to expect more varied and vibrant play from a coach who spends so much money.
England legends call the team's performance crap
Perhaps the most vivid assessment of the England team's performance was given by Gary Lineker, who at the 1986 World Cup single-handedly scored three times more goals than the entire team during the group stage of Euro 2024. The legendary striker after the match with Denmark said what most fans were thinking, calling the football played by the “three lions” crap.
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“You can use all sorts of words and curse words if you want, but it was crap. We've seen it in other tournaments. If anyone says England aren't trying or aren't giving 100%, that's bullshit. But you know what they need? They need to know exactly what they have to do. I guarantee you, the players say: “We need to be told how to play.” sides of his team,” Lineker said.
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“It's very hard not to hear what they're saying now, especially for some players who aren't used to it. So I always feel like former players and pundits have a responsibility too. We haven't won anything as a nation for a very long time. And, you know, many of these former players were also part of this. They know it is difficult,” the Bayern forward admitted.
Lineker was far from the only veteran to criticize the national team. Gary Neville called the team's football primitive and said that it does not have any pretense schemes. Roy Keane criticized Southgate's starting XI and questioned why Chelsea's top scorer Cole Palmer was sitting on the bench. Jamie Carragher believes the national team has reached a dead end and needs to rethink and restructure the game. And according to Alan Shearer, there can be no excuses for such a weak performance of the team, since its capabilities are much higher.
Almost the only one Paul Scholes, who stood up for the England team, said that the game with Slovenia “inspired” him. True, he began his comment with the words “maybe this will surprise someone,” realizing how his assessment sounds against the general background.
Southgate will stand its ground
The dull football played by the finalists of the last Euro also outraged ordinary fans, who regularly booed the team throughout the match with Slovenia. And when, after the end of the meeting, Southgate approached the stands to thank him for his support, empty beer glasses were thrown at him. Now UEFA will most likely punish the English federation. Although, as a result of the incident, a large fine is the least of which worries the England team.
At the press conference, Southgate was asked what he thought about this reaction from the fans, and he did not hide his disappointment. Although he noted that he was not going to change himself under public pressure.
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“I would prefer that the fans direct all this at me, and not at the players. I understand everything, but I’m not going to deviate from my principles. I understand what people say about me, but the fans need to stay with the team,” said the English coach.
Here and the footballers have nowhere to go – they have to defend themselves from criticism, but it turns out so-so. In particular, after the match with Slovenia, fans trolled Kane, who claimed that the team had improved compared to the two previous meetings. “Who are you trying to fool”, “the captain is stoned”, “watch the game again and feel what we went through” – such sentiments reigned in the comments.
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One can only imagine what is going on in the souls of the players when they see all this criticism addressed to them. However, they try to demonstrate that they are not particularly concerned about such reactions. Here's how, in particular, Declan Rice spoke about it.
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“It doesn't upset me because I've been playing football for quite a long time and I know how it works. So criticism doesn't bother me at all. They have the right to their opinion, they're on TV, they say whatever they want. Some of them I know them personally, they are great guys, many have been in our shoes. Perhaps they should not forget that their performances at major tournaments were not the best,” said the midfielder.
Will there be a transformation like Russia had at the 2018 World Cup?
It's hard not to draw a parallel between the England team now and the Russian team at the home World Cup six years ago. Then Cherchesov’s team looked terrible in friendly matches on the eve of the tournament and faced severe criticism from fans and experts. As the 2018 World Cup quarterfinalists later admitted, this attitude only spurred them on. The team wanted to prove that everyone was wrong about it, and in a short time it went a long way from hatred to popular love.
Something similar is happening with the England team, but during the tournament. If before the start of the Euro the “three lions” were considered favorites at home, now almost no one believes in their victory. Many pundits expect the team to be knocked out by the first opponent with more exciting attacking players than their group rivals.
Of course, if England win the European Championship, no one will remember exactly how they achieved it. But in the event of a fiasco, criticism following the results of the group stage will be only a prelude. The media will compete in caustic headlines, fans will practice insults on social networks, and experts will not limit themselves to the harmless word “shit.” It is one thing to concede, demonstrating a brilliant game, and another to be relegated, making everyone suffer from their football.
We should not forget that the fate of Southgate himself, whose contract expires in December, is also being decided. But what’s more important is not even the coach’s employment, but his psychological state. Everyone knows how hard it was for him to miss the penalty shootout in the Euro 1996 semi-final with Germany. That failure caused the specialist an injury that has not healed to this day. Failure of the national team at the current tournament will have, perhaps, even more serious consequences.
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