England's predicament: More mewling cats than bellowing lions, alas!
Is it disheartening or petrifying? The English football squad is experiencing a division in spirits, not just during this EURO tournament, but also from their previous appearance. The "Three Lions" have sustained their first significant wounds at this EURO.
So far, this EURO has been quite the festive affair. The Scots help an elderly lady in the rain, celebrating Germany's beer reserves running dry in Dortmund, as the first pubs blare alarms. In the same city, the Turks and Georgians charm the continent with an exchange, which is hard to surpass. Germany is growing into a title contender, with their trainer icon Ewald Lienen aiming to turn them into an unstoppable force. Austria is clinging to the French, eventually giving way to the French team's colossal talent. The Spaniards are enthralling, while the Albanians are capturing our hearts. Everything appears to be going swimmingly.
However, that's not the case with the English. In Gelsenkirchen, they were forced to endure their distasteful opener and failed to escape. One of them didn't even manage to do so. The others arrived with a significant delay and in poor spirits. Their last preparation before the EURO against Iceland turned into a "horror show" at Wembley. Can it truly be that this team is the top definite contender to win the title? With a performance that can be aptly described as "rotten," the "Three Lions" salvaged a ragged 1:1 draw against Denmark in Frankfurt. Kyle Walker, Manchester City's most decorated expert, found no issues with the events at Eintracht's grand stadium: Defending their group lead - a deserved point gained.
This favorable opinion was shared exclusively by the swift outside defender. Shortly after the final whistle, the first deafening headline punch landed at his head from back home: "What a dreadful performance", the "Daily Mirror" criticized. The game provided no arguments suggesting that the long-awaited title on July 14th would be achieved. Not even their own goal, scored by Harry Kane after 18 minutes. On the left defensive side, the Dane Victor Kristiansen dozed off for a fatal second, Walker sneaked in between, his deflected cross found Kane, and he finished it off from close range - 1:0. The game had just become slightly more interesting.
However, the English were quickly put back into a slumber and struggled to regain consciousness. Bukayo Saka headed the ball towards the outside net a few minutes after halftime, and Phil Foden struck the ball later against the post after a brilliant, quick move. But otherwise? Football that wasn't really there. A no-show, verging on arrogance. As if the opponent, defeated in the last EURO semifinal after a controversial goal from Kane in the 104th minute, was not taken seriously.
In the 66th minute, the most unsettling scene for all "Three Lions" supporters occurred. At their own penalty area, Declan Rice was played a through ball by Kieran Trippier, and the Danes swiftly counter-attacked. The £120 million pound six of the Lions casually played the ball into his own net. Rice and his teammates were left bewildered. What was happening? Intimidated like a kitten stepped on, the Gareth Southgate-led team struggled to regain its composure.
Southgate rarely allows his team to venture off the leash. The big offensive stars, Kane, Foden, and Saka, seldom receive a chance to shine. They have the ability to make football look so manically fast and effortlessly simple, even when compared to some other European top leagues. And even Jude Bellingham, the star of the match in Gelsenkirchen, barely managed to make an impact on this Thursday evening. The Real Madrid world star was frantically signaling to the referee for him to blow the whistle, and when his teammates once again failed to come up with a promising move to advance the game.
Kristiansen's Sleeping Cap
During an attack, Kane lost the ball with a disastrous pass in the center. The Danes countered immediately. Kristiansen played a simple pass to Morten Hjulmand, who launched the ball relentlessly into the corner (34.). Jordan Pickford was helpless. The English team was perplexed until the break. They didn't win a single tackle and were arguing amongst themselves. Only football they didn't exhibit. From the wings, where they typically receive the most support, there were loud boos. The team was growing anxious, like before a concert.
Southgate bore it stoically. He allowed things to run their course, even though they weren't heading in a good direction for the English team. He made no corrections at the break. After about ten minutes, Conor Callagher, a man destined for the central midfield, came on. A controller, not one for the wild rally. He didn't last long. With the stubbornness of the German Chancellor, Southgate endured all debates about changing the starting lineup and employing a less defensive strategy for this offensive juggernaut. Why Cole Palmer, the Chelsea Shooting Star, didn't get a chance remains a mystery. The English team no longer pursued a victory. Instead, the Danes applied pressure, and Höjbjerg's shot brought them luck (85%).
In a turn of events contrasting the popular sentiment, Walker, undisturbed by the performance, challenged the notion on German television that Southgate was holding back his players during the interview. Instead, Southgate aims for advancement, not stagnation. Regrettably, the dialogue on German TV was abruptly halted, leaving the details of their offensive strategy undefined. Most likely, their approach would be methodical, sans the wild factor. Southgate, with the traumatic English penalty shoot-out fiasco versus Germany in Euro 1996 semifinals forever etched in his memory, strongly advocates for the defensive approach of a 'zero'. Under Southgate's leadership in 21 tournament games, England remained scoreless. This, he believes, is the fundamental key to winning the title.
Captain Kane reassured, "there might be some uproar and a hint of frustration at home, but we dealt with similar situations during the last Euros when we drew against Scotland." He comfortingly added, "we'll pull through. We currently top the table, and there's still room for improvement." Improvement is crucial to avoid a potential Round of 16 clash with the ever-formidable Germans, or else it could get troublesome.
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Despite the division within the squad, England's captain, Harry Kane, remains optimistic. Kane believes they can improve and avoid a challenging Round of 16 match against Germany, currently ranked as title contenders. Kane's reassuring words follow a disappointing performance against Denmark, where Jude Bellingham, the standout player in their previous match, struggled to make an impact. England's top strikers, including Kane, Foden, and Saka, have been underutilized, and Bellingham's frustration at the referee's refusal to blow the whistle when his team lacked promising moves is a testament to their collective struggles. England will need to improve their game to challenge the top teams in the European Football Championship 2024.
