June 25th 2024.
In England's recent match against Slovenia, star player Harry Kane only managed to get one shot on target. Despite finishing at the top of their group, the team's performance was once again lackluster and unimpressive. Under the leadership of Gareth Southgate, the Three Lions have been met with widespread criticism throughout the Euro 2024 tournament.
Their latest match in Cologne ended in a scoreless draw, bringing their total points in Group C to five after a 1-0 win against Serbia and a 1-1 tie with Denmark. This means that England will now face one of the best third-placed teams in the next round, which could potentially be any of Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine, Belgium, Georgia, Turkey, or Czech Republic. The team's first knockout game will take place in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday afternoon.
If England manages to win their last-16 match, they will then move on to face the winners of Switzerland and Italy in the quarter-finals on July 6th in Dusseldorf. This also means that they will avoid facing powerhouse teams such as Germany, France, Portugal, and Spain until the semi-finals.
Despite a goal being disallowed for offside in the first half by Bukayo Saka, England's midfield still struggled to find balance and cohesion against Slovenia. Conor Gallagher, who replaced Trent Alexander-Arnold in the starting lineup, had a poor performance and was substituted at halftime for Manchester United's Kobbie Mainoo. Mainoo showed much more composure and skill on the ball and is currently Southgate's best option to start alongside Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham in the team's midfield for their upcoming match on Sunday.
However, both Rice and Bellingham also failed to impress in their respective roles against Slovenia. This has led to former England player Gary Lineker's claim that Alexander-Arnold was "hung out to dry" by his more experienced midfield teammates. Additionally, Phil Foden has struggled to adapt to his unfamiliar position on the left flank, which has hindered his ability to showcase his world-class abilities that were so evident at Manchester City last season.
Looking ahead to the last-16, England could potentially face a tough opponent, such as Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine, Belgium, Georgia, Turkey, or Czech Republic. The upside for Southgate is that players like Mainoo, Cole Palmer, and Anthony Gordon all made a positive impact when substituted into the match against Slovenia. This will undoubtedly create a selection dilemma for the England manager, who may face pressure to drop Foden and Saka from the starting lineup.
After the match, England captain Harry Kane commented on the team's performance, saying, "Tonight was a tough game. We played better than in our previous two matches, but we couldn't find that final pass. Slovenia defended well and made it difficult for us." He also praised the efforts of the substitutes, stating that "everyone needs to chip in when their time comes." Kane also acknowledged the challenges of the knockout stage and expressed hope that the team can step up their game as they have done in previous tournaments.
In Group C, Denmark finished as runners-up, while Slovenia secured their spot in the next round as one of the best third-placed teams. Overall, England's performance in the group stage has been underwhelming, and they will need to improve significantly if they hope to make a deep run in the tournament.
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