After the first two EC matches, where there has been a victory against Serbia (1-0) and a draw against Denmark (1-1), criticism is pouring in on the English national team manager. Despite the fact that England already has a leg and a half in the final round. “England tops the group, but it was a struggle to watch,” wrote the Daily Star on its front page on Friday. “England, it’s hard to watch,” writes the Daily Mirror. The criticism is primarily based on two things: England play boring and unrhythmic football – and Gareth Southgate is struggling to get the biggest stars to work. GET A VIEW: The English newspapers naturally devote a lot of column space to the EC these days. Photo: Facsimile Daily Star and Daily Mirror 21/06/2024 Being ridiculed Now the pressure on him is increasing, to say the least. On social media, it seems to be a sport to make as much fun of the English national team manager as possible. The four images you can see in the image swipe below have at the time of writing over 9 million views on X and almost 200,000 likes since they were posted on Thursday evening. – I think he lives very well with that. It is written in the job description when you take over the job as manager of the English national team, that here you just have to steel yourself for everything that is front page and laughable. That’s probably the least of his worries. His biggest concern is how he will get the English team to float a bit again, says news expert Kristoffer Løkberg. And add: – Right now they are light years away from becoming European champions. Harsh criticism Because even the expert corps in England are far from impressed by what Gareth Southgate and his team are performing so far in the EC. Former super striker Alan Shearer is merciless in his judgment of what England showed against Denmark, writes the BBC: – This was very bad, and not good enough. I don’t want to say that there is a lack of effort or that they don’t try, but these players have so much more to offer. Gareth is not getting the best out of the best players right now, says Shearer. UNDER PRESSURE: Gareth Southgate is starting to get hot around the ear. Photo: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP One thing is that the individual players and the big stars have struggled to make a real mark on England, many also think that the team plays boring football under Southgate. Jonathan Liew in The Guardian said it well after the match against Denmark: “This was a vision that was actually too bad to be boring”. WORD PLAY: English newspapers have always been fond of playing with words. But this front page must be said to be much more positive than previous The Sun front pages have been during championships where England have not quite lived up to expectations. Photo: Facsimile The Sun Barney Ronay in the same newspaper believes the most obvious problem England have had is a complete lack of midfield. In the EC, Southgate has experimented with putting right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold in a midfield role – without much success so far. Pronunciation goes viral That’s why many frowned when the England manager did his TV interview after the Denmark match and was asked about the midfield situation. – It is an experiment. We know we don’t have a natural replacement for Kalvin Phillips, but we are trying different things, said Southgate. The post has long since gone viral. – It seems that Southgate has been hoping for the longest time that Phillips’ transfer to West Ham would solve everything. That it would suddenly ensure that he flourished again and found himself back, and that he and Declan Rice could play together in the EC. But that has not happened. Then you stand a bit with your beard in the mailbox, says Løkberg. Southgate admits that he has tried to find a solution in midfield “for the last seven or eight years”, as he puts it. – If we hadn’t had Declan Rice, I don’t know where we would have been. Unfortunately, it was not possible to have Kalvin (Phillips) in this tournament and the same with Hendo (Jordan Henderson). We try something else, and some of it has worked, and some of it hasn’t worked so well, he says. Southgate: – My responsibility Southgate is aware that the level must rise if the EC is not to be a setback for the team that was a losing finalist in the last European Championship. – We know that the level must be higher, We know that the level can be higher. Right now I’m tripping. Ultimately, it is my responsibility. To achieve extraordinary things, you have to go through some difficult times. Today was undoubtedly a difficult blink of an eye, Southgate said according to The Times. Kristoffer Løkberg has himself been to Germany and seen England up close from the stands. The news expert and elite series player has not allowed himself to be impressed so far. – To me, it seems that Southgate is trying to use the eleven best players, but that is not what constitutes the potentially best eleven. There is not a team that has taken to the field in the first two games, and that has looked like a team with complementary skills. Right now there are a bunch of very good footballers out there, but who are not particularly good together, Løkberg believes. NOT IMPRESSED: news expert Kristoffer Løkberg. Photo: NTB “Go big or go home” He believes the England manager is forced to take drastic measures if the EC is to develop in the right direction and become a success for the nation that has not won a major trophy since the WC in 1966. – Now is it time for Southgate to “go big or go home”. He just has to take the chance now, either on Adam Wharton or Kobbie Mainoo. One of the two alongside Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham gets a slightly freer role. And then it can be hard or hard, is Løkberg’s advice. Many also criticize Gareth Southgate for the withdrawals he has made, both in the two matches, where, for example, the great in-form player Cole Palmer has not been allowed to, but also in the withdrawal of the EC squad itself. Big names such as Jack Grealish and Marcus Rashford were not found good enough to be included. Rashford’s brother with a stab After the 1-1 match against Denmark, Rashford’s brother and agent Dwaine Maynard could not help himself. “It’s hard to sit and watch this when you quite honestly think that your husband could make a difference,” he wrote on X – with open criticism of the wrecking of his brother. POST THIS: Rashford’s brother and agent Dwaine Maynard probably knew what he was doing when he published this picture. Photo: Screenshot Instagram / 21.06.2024 Kristoffer Løkberg is aware that there is a lot that needs to be corrected for the three lions. But the news expert highlights at least one big bright spot for England so far. – It must be Marc Guéhi, who has made a very good figure at centre-back, how many have asked the question of how it should be composed. He has come out of it very well, but I think he would also like a left-footed full-back by his side. It creates trouble, too, playing with Kieran Trippier there. The only thing he can do is take the ball inside and they don’t get the natural rhythm of the game from there, he believes. Football expert Kasper Wikestad urges the English to have ice in their stomachs. – They have by no means impressed so far, but they have four points despite everything. It takes a lot for them to pull out. We have also previously seen a lot of teams that impressed early on and went out early. And then I’ve seen teams that were bad at the start, but won. Portugal 2016 won their first match in the semi-finals, Wikestad points out. England’s next match will be played on Tuesday 25 June against Slovenia. Responds to mask suggestions: – No, no, no! 00:46 Is this one of the EC’s ugliest tackles? 00:19 Ruined Scottish party with dream goal 02:43 The German machine rolls on 03:40 Show more Published 21.06.2024, at 13.53
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Statements cause a stir – now Gareth Southgate is being ridiculed – Football European Championship 2024
