Euro Cortado #7: Drear old England
England implode, Serbia look like strangers, and wonderful Williams gets Spain believing
We have reached the midpoint in the UEFA Euro 2024 group stage, and thus the middle of matchday two, which has already seen four times as many draws as matchday one.
Is that down to teams being a little more cautious or to teams cancelling out the tactics and dangermen that sprung a surprise in the opening days? On Thursday, it seemed to be neither, instead, teams who were expected to use attack as the best form of defence (with the players to do it) had a complete off day.
Find out how they messed up, and how one of the favourites marched on, in today’s Euro Cortado.
England elects to stay conservative
“Gareth Southgate would drive a Ferrari at 15mph… Gareth Southgate wears a helmet on his Peloton…”
New levels of Southgate-hating were on display yesterday as even the more balanced, supportive sections and persons in the English media seemed to be losing their rag with the manager who had overseen a 1-1 draw with Denmark, after Harry Kane’s opener was cancelled out by Morten Hjulmand’s 30-yard equaliser.
That’s right, it was Denmark, the team England needed a rebound from a late penalty to beat in the Euros semi-finals not three years ago. Given the reaction, anyone would think England had played San Marino.
Forever stuck between a rock and a hard place, he has picked more attacking players and tried at least something new with Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield, but his apparent refusal to play Cole Palmer, Adam Wharton or Kobbie Mainoo to name but three certainly does not help his cause, neither did his post-match comments saying a major factor was not having a replacement for Kalvin Phillips!
Southgate also gave a resounding “no” when asked if he instructed his players to sit back after taking the lead. Heat maps and data prove this to be the case yesterday, although anyone with eyes could have told you themselves. England sat back, invited pressure, struggled under said pressure and looked lethargic.
Harry Kane looked unfit, Phil Foden frustrated again and Jude Bellingham invisible. The players of the season in Germany, England and Spain, all looking like they did not belong in an England shirt. If these players are the Ballon d’Or contenders the hype machine would have you believe, then they need to control games and stamp their authority no matter the “system”, because that is what the greats of the game do. Imagine Zinedine Zidane, wearer of the number five at Real Madrid which Bellingham now owns, being a passenger in a major tournament match because France weren’t playing the "system” he was used to!
With England all but qualified for the Round of 16 (yes, it is easy to forget) Southgate can afford to be bold with team selection for Slovenia. Whoever is selected can become the darling of the nation just be attempting to score a second goal.
Can’t believe I got through all that without mentioning my prediction for this game! Damn!
Nico inflicts Spain on Italians
Spain winning 1-0 in a major tournament is nothing new, but the manner of their victory over Italy continues to impress.
Can you have a 1-0 thrashing, especially when the game is ultimately decided by a Riccardo Calafiori own goal? Last night’s match in Gelsenkirchen did a lot to suggest you can.
I have already waxed lyrical about the new Spanish style which ripped Croatia apart at the weekend, with Pedri and Álvaro Morata meriting praise for their performances through the middle, and Lamine Yamal breaking records on the right wing. Yesterday though, it was the man on the left wing who impressed, Nico Williams.
A veteran compared to Yamal, the 21-year-old terrorised the Italian defence time and time again, while his teammates did not show the same clinical edge that disposed of the Croatians. That Italian defence, particularly the central two of Calafiori and Alessandro Bastoni, could be the heirs to Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, but the own goal from a Williams cross provided the perfect metaphor to prove not only that they are not there yet, but that the night belonged to the Athletic Club man.
Spain are safely through with a game to spare, while Italy vs Croatia on Monday is shaping up to be the highlight of matchday three.
Serbia not quitting just yet
News broke yesterday morning that Serbia were threatening to walk out of Euro 2024 over anti-Serbian chanting in the Albania vs Croatia match on Wednesday.
But judging by their performance for much of the match against Slovenia, the players were doing a fine job of quitting the competition themselves.
If England were struggling to find their rhythm, then Serbia had forgotten their instruments. Despite so much attacking threat, they put in the most disjointed performance going forward of the whole tournament, until their Group C rivals met later in the day. With the ball, Serbia looked like 11 men who had never met with 11 different ideas of how to put the ball in the back of the net.
Much has been made of their defence being their weakest link (the attack was meant to be the good bit!) and that was exposed in the second half as Žan Karničnik arrived at the back post to put Slovenia ahead. Piksi’s men rescued a point with the last touch of the game through a Luka Jović header, but if they are to beat Denmark, they will need at least a modicum of cohesion.
Slovenia, denied a first Euros win at the death, will likely qualify with a draw against England, and right now who would bet against them?
Anthony Tomas is a football writer and commentator, who writes for Flashscore and World Soccer Magazine.