Gareth Southgate has seen a lot of criticism aimed in his direction recently, but it's not all bad news for the Englishman
Early noughties nostalgia is all the rage right now, so it's fitting that the England men's football team have got into the spirit of the times by serving up a tournament performance reminiscent of Sven Goran Eriksson's failed 'Golden Generation'. All the hallmarks of that hopeful, yet ultimately disappointing era have been on show during their opening two games of Euro 2024.
Players are being deployed out of position, the camp has been affected by some off-field distractions and the manager is facing the harshest media criticism of his time in charge. Some of the squad have even fired back.
After Gary Lineker called the Three Lions' display against Denmark "sh*t", captain Harry Kane issued a lengthy rebuttal. "The bottom line is, we haven't won anything as a nation for a long, long time. And, you know, a lot of these ex-players were part of that as well… they do know that it's tough to play in these major tournaments. It's tough to play for England," he told the press.
This sorry episode gives an indication of how low morale is in the country following that dismal draw with Denmark and unconvincing victory over Serbia. But has the overwhelmingly negative reaction been fair? England are top of their group for starters and, barring a quite remarkable turn of events, will progress to the knockouts. Perhaps it might be okay after all?..
Getty ImagesTeams don't peak in the group stages
For starters, it's worth remembering that teams who do well at tournaments do not tend to peak in the group stages. This isn't just a tired cliche either. Evidence from the most recent international competitions back it up. Take the 2022 World Cup, for example.
Lionel Messi's Argentina would end up triumphing in Qatar, but do you remember how their campaign started? That's right – they were beaten by minnows Saudi Arabia.
Didier Deschamps' France have consistently been slow burners at tournaments, too. During their run to 2018 World Cup glory, there wasn't much to get their fans excited about in the group stages. In their opener, they required a penalty and a late own goal to get past Australia, while they only beat Peru 1-0 before playing out a drab goalless draw against Denmark.
Portugal's Euro 2016 group stage was even less convincing. Three draws meant they ended up finishing third in their group, behind lowly Hungary and Iceland. Fernando Santos' side would, however, still go on to lift the trophy in Paris.
This pattern should give England heart. Southgate's charges may not hit top gear yet, but recent history shows this isn't necessary to reach a final.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesLessons from Euro 2020
The Three Lions have personal experience of this, too. Prior to reaching the Euro 2020 final under Southgate, where they would eventually lose on penalties to Italy, they hardly blew their opposition away in the group stages.
Key men Harry Kane and Kyle Walker underwhelmed in the opener against Croatia, and a 0-0 draw with Scotland in the following game was pretty abysmal all round. In the wake of that, the pundits struck a very similar tone to after the Denmark draw.
"Football ain't coming home with that, not the way they are playing," Graeme Souness said on. "Harry Kane not performing is a major problem. If [he is not scoring] in this competition, you're not going very far."
Gary Neville's analysis was along very similar lines. "Is it too big for them in terms of expectation? A few of those lads, it's probably the biggest game they've played in. That was such a lacklustre display," he said.
After that low point, England bounced back by beating Czech Republic and then Germany in the last 16, with Southgate responding to some of his side's shortcomings by making a few tactical tweaks. His job now is to show his nous again and instigate a turnaround in Germany.
(C)GettyImagesAll one big learning experience
And England's first two games will have provided Southgate plenty to think about when it comes to completing this task. As the old saying goes: you win, or you learn.
The list of things that don't seem to be functioning in this England team is lengthy, but in some ways it's a relief that these issues have been identified in the group stages, as opposed to deep into the knockouts.
The midfield conundrum has attracted most of the headlines and Southgate has added fuel to the fire with his strange comments about Kalvin Phillips. There are also concerns about Kane's physical condition, as well as Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham – who look increasingly unable to function in the same midfield. Even 'Mr. Reliable' Declan Rice has looked some way off his best.
Again, now these kinks have been brutally exposed on the biggest stage, Southgate can focus on finding solutions before they ultimately result in England's downfall.
Getty ImagesxG champions, you'll never sing that!
And despite these problems, there have been one or two reasons for Southgate to be positive in the wake of England's opening two games. Heading into the tournament, the defence was widely identified as the Three Lions' problem area, with long-standing centre-back Harry Maguire ruled out through injury and Luke Shaw also struggling for fitness.
Marc Guehi was anointed Maguire's successor and, one error against Denmark aside, has been his side's standout player at the tournament. England have generally been difficult to break down, too. After two matchdays, no team had allowed fewer expected goals (xG) than them (1.07).
Of course, this must be tempered by the fact that the Three Lions also created the second-least xG in their opening two fixtures, with only Scotland faring worse. Still, it's encouraging that the area of the pitch that was causing most concern a few weeks ago has been holding firm.