Declan Rice had said before this game that it would only take one game to transform Englandtournament and this may now be true… although not because of anything Gareth Southgatethe side actually did. They again didn’t do much. They still find themselves somehow on the more indulgent side of Euro 2024 draw due to results elsewhere. Southgate won’t have to worry about Germany, Spain, Portugal or France making it to the final… if they make it that far.
This is why this race can also be negative. This opportunity potentially brings more pressure, for a team that barely seems to have the will to beat anyone at the moment.
They fought against a challenging opponent and have now qualified Slovenia 0-0. The fact that Group D chaos followed, meaning England could now face the Netherlands in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday, has only made the situation even more pronounced. They appear to be one of the more boring teams in a tournament that has generally been so entertaining, having scored just two goals in three games.
The “performance” didn’t come. The solutions did not come. It still felt like Southgate has a team and squad he doesn’t fully understand.
As for what he can do, well, changing a player in midfield is just one question, not the change he seems so fixated on. Kobbie Mainoo was at least better, giving England the longest period of possession in the team. It simply hasn’t produced much because the offense isn’t properly linked. Many players want to occupy the same space. Harry Kane looks heavier than ever in an England shirt, as if he’s slowing everything down. However, it’s not like much of the rest of the team is racing ahead.
This may point to the only thing the England team can keep telling themselves. They can advance in this tournament, in the same way that Portugal did at Euro 2016. Southgate and his team have based much of their approach on research into that team and France 2018.
This cannot be ruled out. The tournament has a recent history of making criticism of a team look foolish.
At the same time, however, no one will be afraid to play against England. They are the big team on that side of the table, but only by reputation and not by performance.
That was the other side of this game.
Slovenia liked that. They only needed a draw and managed to historically reach the round of 16 for the first time in history, but they were willing to give much more. This can be seen by the way they were going in the 50s-50s. It was as if these were not just important interventions, but moments of national truth. This resulted in Petar Stojanović embarrassing Kieran Trippier, first by going past him in a 50-50 that became 0-100, and then beating him moments later. For a long time there was more life in Slovenia during the break, although that was a result of a team being prepared to wait because they were not under the same pressure.
Zan Karnicnik almost went around that side again. It was remarkable how often problems arose on England’s left, which once again made it all the more surprising that Southgate seemed so fixated on one position. England have more problems than whoever plays in midfield alongside Declan Rice.
It must be recognized that the introduction of Mainoo marked the best period of England’s control, when Slovenia began to really retreat.
Before that, it was irritating how little connection there was among most of the team. Some of this stemmed from the fact that one of the midfielders simply didn’t get the ball, although it would be unfair to blame Conor Gallagher for being placed in a team that didn’t really perform. Kane again looked like he couldn’t move at the same pace we’re used to seeing. When he received a ball in the center of the field, it took him so long to react that he had to adjust his feet awkwardly. Phil Foden, who was England’s most active player, twice tried to throw sharp balls to Kane, which the striker simply couldn’t reach.
It didn’t seem like it was due to the quality of the pass. Foden was so assertive that he couldn’t help but go further, which raised the question of why Southgate doesn’t start him there.
Bellingham had another game in which he was often out of place. Many players were in the same space and only one of them was actually creating.
Mainoo helped ensure that England achieved what appeared to be an adequate period of control. Although this made Slovenia nervous, they fought back with dogged attacks.
England were better in attack, but needed more speed, width and creativity… in other words, well, a lot.
In contrast to the way he took off the entire front line against Denmark, Southgate sought to resolve this issue in instalments. Cole Palmer was first – finally – introduced, to raucous applause. He was at the end of England’s first classy move of the match, with Mainoo and Kane really linking up well. The shot was tame. England needed more momentum.
Anthony Gordon had come on with at least two minutes of normal time remaining, but it wasn’t much time to make an impact. Everything seemed so “right and hopeful”, without England even having a proper shot on target. Typically, a rice explosion was much wider than it looked.
This tournament now comes into perspective.
England will see a more forgiving path to the final, but everyone else will see a great team that can be beaten.
This was because there was no other perspective on actual performance.
Boos could be heard again. The same qualifications will be heard again. Southgate has a lot to think about. Solutions are needed.
England need much more than a match, a change. They need an intervention.
