1. To the beat of Dancing in the Dark , one of Bruce Springsteen's greatest hits of all time, the 20,000 British fans present at the Frankfurt Arena sang a chorus of "Phil Foden's on fire" .
The song composed by professional fans sounded full of optimism as the match against Denmark was about to start. But when the match ended, the atmosphere was replaced by disappointment with the 1-1 draw and the poor performance of the "Three Lions" .
Football fans from England did not want to know anything about their players and even less about manager Gareth Southgate. There were even some boos when the players went to the stands to greet the fans.
"We always need the fans. I have to say they were impressive in the stands, and I can absolutely understand their frustration with the way we played," a dejected Southgate said at the end of the match. "It was my fault," he admitted.
England were non-existent. In a state of disorientation, the talents of Foden, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Harry Kane’s goalscoring ability were drowned out by a dull, disjointed game. Each of them tried to create something individually when the team failed.
The lack of tactical ideas has lowered the position of the team considered the number 1 candidate for the EURO 2024 title.
2. With 4 points, England are almost unthreatened in terms of reaching the round of 16 of EURO 2024. At least they will be in the group of 4 third-placed teams with the best results.
However, restlessness had settled in a group that now seemed to have no idea what it was doing.
In the press room in Frankfurt, Southgate reached for a bottle of water while his face showed the anguish of a man who has become a target of criticism.
Southgate sipped his drink as he listened to pointed questions from the British press, some of which went straight to the heart of his tactical approach against Serbia and Denmark.
They asked him about Liverpool right-back Alexander-Arnold playing in central midfield, an invention Southgate used at the EUROs to maintain a failed 4-3-3 formation.
"We know it's just an experiment, we don't have a natural replacement for Kalvin Phillips, but we're trying some others. At the moment, England are not performing as they would like, that's for sure," Southgate admitted.
The reference to Phillips surprised the British press, because Southgate himself removed the player from the list, saying he was not fit enough.
3. In England, the debate over absences has not just focused on Phillips. Southgate 's lack of creativity in the first two games has seen him criticised for leaving out Jack Grealish, Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford.
Southgate has been accused of building his squad based on player names rather than performances. He has just blamed himself.
"The team is not working effectively and that is my responsibility. I am in control and I have to find solutions. The players are giving everything . We are not passing the ball effectively and we concede goals too easily," he explained about the poor performance against Denmark.
"The pressure the team is putting on is not strong enough and that has caused us problems. The team has to find ways to be more flexible," Southgate continued. "These players are not lacking in effort, but we need to find more quality."
Southgate, who has vowed to leave if England fail to win the title, is expected to make changes from the final group game. "We've been disappointed with the level of performance in the last two games, now we have to analyse deeply and address the issues we've had," he said .
The new solution starts with not letting Alexander-Arnold play in midfield anymore. His position will be given to young men Kobbie Mainoo (MU) or Wharton (Crystal Palace).
EURO 2024 is not for invention. At least not for Southgate and England.
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The extremely beautiful Wags stir up the England stadium
Although England was held to a 1-1 draw by Denmark, the WAGs wives and girlfriends did not disappoint when they came to the stadium to cheer on the Three Lions players.
England fans angry because Gareth Southgate forgot one person
English fans expressed their dissatisfaction when coach Southgate benched Cole Palmer, despite England's poor performance in the last two matches at Euro 2024.
Video of Denmark 1-1 England goal - Group C EURO 2024
The Danish team played overwhelmingly but was unlucky and had to accept a 1-1 draw with England in Group C of EURO 2024.
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/euro-2024-southgate-pha-nat-doi-tuyen-anh-2294133.html
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