England have reached the knockout stages of Euro 2024 and it is probably best to stop there.
England never quite lived up to their pre-tournament reputation as favourites, struggling as group winners after drawing 0-0 with Slovenia in the final match.
They can’t continue like this in the knockout stages, so here are five things England need to fix.
Gareth Southgate has deployed some of his biggest names in attack but there are questions about how they will work together.
Captain Harry Kane has become the new scapegoat for England’s struggles, and while his problems are at the heart of England’s problems, the Bayern Munich striker is not solely to blame: those around him – Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham – have not found a way to coexist.
Kane is dropping deep to create space for runners behind him, but no one is making the necessary moves and instead they find themselves stuck in a jam in the midfield. Something needs to change when the competition heats up.
Tough team decisions
Tactical tweaks could get the job done, but Southgate may need to make some bold changes to his line-up.
Perhaps Foden is not the right player to start on the left, with Anthony Gordon ready to provide his natural wide role. Ebele Eze is also a candidate, as is West Ham United’s Jarrod Bowen on the right. These are not the same superstar names, but they may be best suited to the current England squad.
The risks for Southgate are clearly big – leaving out Foden, Bellingham and Saka for the Euros knockout matches would be virtually career-doom if it backfires – but if it works it could signal that Southgate’s links with the Manchester United manager may not be as far-fetched as it seems.
Finding balance in the midfield
This one is perhaps the most obvious. With Jordan Henderson and the seemingly irreplaceable Kalvin Phillips both left at home, England are heading into the Euros looking to man the midfield arbitration role. Declan Rice is one of the first choices on the teamsheet, but who will start alongside him?
Trent Alexander-Arnold didn’t work – whether that was the fault of the Liverpool players or Southgate’s tactics is a debate for another day – while Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher did little to improve things against Slovenia.
Kobe Mainu has likely done enough off the bench to earn a starting role in the next round, while Adam Wharton continues to wait for his chance to shine.
Learn how to push
There aren’t many tactical errors in tournament football, so Kane’s admission after the draw with Denmark that England don’t actually know how to apply proper pressure on opposition teams was of real concern.
Simply put, it’s unacceptable. England have been playing this system for a while but their lack of knowledge of how to pressure defenders speaks volumes about how little they’ve prepared for the tournament.
A little carelessness can be forgiven when playing against the likes of Serbia, Denmark or Slovenia, but England cannot afford to be naive when facing the likes of France, Italy, Spain or Germany.
England invited pressure after taking a lead in the group stage and were at times their own worst enemy.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag publicly questioned Southgate and England’s determination to defend a 1-0 lead, which is a fair criticism of the England team given that they are not particularly good at doing so in the first place.
Of course, there are times when you don’t need to send everyone up front all the time, but it’s a matter of reading the game: if England are ahead when they score, the best defensive shape might actually be to go for another point.
