Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger once said something clever. When the Premier League started importing quality players from abroad sometime in the 90s, the English players who were not good enough were quickly pushed out. Then Wenger, who incidentally took over the Arsenal job from England’s Bruce Rioch, asked a rhetorical question: “Does England want the best league or the best national team?” Today, many would say that the Premier League is the world’s best league. But the English national team still haven’t won an international championship since the famous World Cup gold in 1966. Now they are three games away from doing so, but nothing in the opening games suggests that the team is good enough to win a European Championship gold . GET CRITICISM: Harry Kane and the England stars are set to impress in this championship. Photo: AFP It is quite fascinating to see the huge expectations placed on this English team time after time. But the reason why it is so, I think, is complex. And I don’t think expectations match reality. The Premier League is highly valued by many Norwegians, and just like in England, there are probably very few who follow closely what is going on in other countries. At least that’s my theory. You shouldn’t cut everyone across the board, but how many English people, or Norwegians, for that matter, pay close attention to La Liga, the Bundesliga or Serie A? I have to say it bluntly: England are overrated – and especially by “their own”. And that is because the British press and pundits largely live in the English Premier League bubble. But just because they’re overrated doesn’t mean they’re bad. Yes, it sounds harsh. But if you take the 11 who play for England, there is no reason to believe that this team will be among the favorites to win the EC. Yes, England have some individual players who are, to put it bluntly, bloody good. They have Phil Foden, the player of the year in the Premier League, Harry Kane, one of the world’s best finishers, but there is not much else. Jude Bellingham is praised, and has undoubtedly been absolutely huge for Real Madrid for large parts of the season. But the truth is that he has been bad in the EC. He has had occasional moments, but the EC performances are on par with what he delivered for Real Madrid in the weeks and months leading up to the EC. Then he was heavy, sluggish and poor – something he has also been in large parts of the matches in Germany. I have followed these players closely over time, and especially now in the research I have done ahead of the EC. Among those I have had an extra eye on is Conor Gallagher, who has often captained Chelsea and is continuously linked to other top clubs in the Premier League. But what I have seen of him has only reinforced my impression that he is an overrated footballer with zero finesse and smarts. He had not been given a place in the third team for Spain, but has been allowed to start for England in the EC. SKEPTICAL: Conor Gallagher has not impressed news’s football expert. Photo: AP In addition, England have given some playing time to Kobbie Mainoo. He is good, but young and unfinished. Germany has a player in the same position, Robert Andrich, who hardly many people in England or Norway have heard much about before the EC. How does he stack up against Gallagher and Mainoo? Andrich just won the Bundesliga and played in the Europa League final. Kieran Tripper’s name has previously been brought up when talking about the world’s best defender. Forget it. How many English players had been given a place in Spain? Phil Foden would probably have done it, and Harry Kane, since these teams lack a class striker. Jude Bellingham in normal form, in the form he was in for a long time for Real Madrid last season, had also done it. But it stops there. IN BØLGEDAL: It has been a long time since Jude Bellingham delivered at his best level. Photo: Reuters The expectations for England are characterized by Anglophilia, and in my mind it is a cruel curse for England that the expectations are not in line with reality. Because it is much more difficult to perform when you have everything to lose. Expectations for England are 10 out of 10 on the expectation scale. In the EC, they have performed 5 out of 10. Then the disaster headlines come straight away and the criticism rains down. But let’s say that the expectations had been more sober and placed at 7 out of 10, then 5 out of 10 would not have led to as much noise and criticism as it has now, England is through to the quarter-finals, but there has been almost no positive words about them in British papers, so far as I have seen. It was actually quite revealing to hear what Jude Bellingham said at the press conference after the victory in the round of 16. He believed that people had said a lot of “rubbish” about England and that the criticism against them had been far too harsh. In reality, then, he agrees with me that the expectations have been too high, and that the level England has shown in the EC is closer to the reality of how good the team actually is. Now Switzerland awaits in the quarter-finals. There is no reason to believe that this English team will suddenly deliver something completely different and play like fireworks. It’s going to be an even match. They have a good chance of going through, but I will be very surprised if England win comfortably. The British expect victory and will probably label it a scandal if they fail. But even they have probably realized the limitations of this team. That is the positive in all the misery. England actually have a chance to win the European Championship this year. All teams left in the EC can win. We saw that when Greece won the whole championship, anything can happen. But they had made it easier for themselves by jacking down the expectations a couple of notches. Published 06.07.2024, at 14.08
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I don’t think Norwegians know the truth about England – Football European Championship 2024
