‘Too many pianists, no one to carry the piano’
Seduced by the attacking exuberance of Jude Bellingham in La Liga, Spaniards had England down as one of the strongest candidates to win the European Championship. On top of the Real Madrid player, who has arrived in Germany looking mentally exhausted, there were other interesting ingredients such as Phil Foden, who shone for Manchester City, Harry Kane, who comes from a Bayern Munich team obliged to win every week, and the emergence of Cole Palmer. As the Spanish phrase goes, Gareth Southgate had plenty of wicker to weave a basket.
But yet again England have proven to be a collection of football stickers, star players, with no footballing empathy among each other. It is jarring to see Trent Alexander-Arnold in the double pivot position in midfield, a vital role for which he does not have the knowhow. And although Bellingham thinks he can do everything well, he is not Toni Kroos. England lack a “quarterback”, a Rodri or Vitinha who can manage and make sense of the resources they have. It’s heartbreaking to see England play with no clear idea, no pattern, no mechanism. The antithesis of Luis de la Fuente’s Spain, they have too many pianists and no one to carry the piano on to the stage. Southgate’s tactical plans have made average players of stars. There’s still no sign of an England team. Fermín de la Calle, El Periódico (Spain)
‘Southgate debate is reminiscent of Brexit’
Gareth Southgate is not England’s problem. England’s problem is false expectations and false analysis. Spoilt by the Premier League, fans and media expect a spectacle from the national team. But foreign coaches are at work in the Premier league. English footballers are introduced to what is modern by them because there is no training philosophy in England like there is in Spain.
England lack important ingredients. The defenders move the ball as slowly as if they were on Dartmoor. Kyle Walker has barely mastered the basics of collective defending. Bukayo Saka’s dribbling is good, but his understanding of the game is not. In midfield England traditionally have no culture of ball circulation. Declan Rice is a great tackler but combinations will never be his forte. Could it be that England emphasise athleticism too much in their youth training? And Jude Bellingham has looked sluggish for some time now. He gets carried away in dribbles and tackles in both penalty areas. A coach should give him a position and protect him from over-exploiting himself. Southgate has to put up with this criticism.
Southgate has built a solid framework – everything was under control against Slovenia. England, hard to beat, have a chance of winning the title. The Southgate debate is reminiscent of Brexit. A country dreams of being the motherland of football. But this mother is as alive as Norman Bates’s. Oliver Fritsch, Die Zeit (Germany)
‘England just haven’t found the right spark’
The glass is definitely half empty for England after the group stage. They won their group and qualified for the knockout stage but their level has never been up to what you would expect from the favourites to win the Euros and from a squad with such a collection of great players. The superstars haven’t clicked yet, never able to transport to the pitch the chemistry they seem to have in training. Gareth Southgate has repeatedly resisted the urge to change, to substitute some of his most tired stars (Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham have been way below their standard) and try something new.
England have the roster to win the tournament, and being on the weaker side of the bracket could help. So far, though, they haven’t been able to find that spark that can unblock all their talent. Maybe it’s time to try a new lineup, to live up to what Southgate said before going to Germany that in a tournament you are as good as the level you’re in that month, not your overall level. England, on paper, are the best team of the Euros but they’ve yet to show it. It’s now, in the last 16 against Slovakia, or maybe never. Davide Chinellato, Gazzetta dello Sport (Italy)
‘Predictable and not harmonious’
What we saw in the first three games, albeit with plenty of time to improve, has been a predictable and not very harmonious team. A team shrunken on the left, one where Marc Guéhi (is it confidence or a lack of status?) and the right-footed Kieran Trippier are far from the capacity of Kyle Walker and John Stones in the buildup, and where Trent Alexander-Arnold is unable to imitate full-time what he achieves in moments for Liverpool in a midfield which has one more player than England’s. England are unable to break lines and then are faced with low blocks that are quite hard to penetrate. The connection with Declan Rice has not been easy to find.
In attack, it seems the only one who always knows what he has to do, because that’s what he always does, is Bukayo Saka, which reduces the English process to the connection between him and Walker. Harry Kane is forced to drop more than a false 9 should and Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham often tread the same ground, as a result of the Real Madrid midfielder’s freedom and taste for treading on the inside left channel. If Alexander-Arnold isn’t an organiser, neither is Conor Gallagher. Southgate has been slow to find the right player there and the correct space for Foden and Bellingham, who can and should be compatible. Luís Mateus, A Bola (Portugal)
‘Caution has prevailed for too long’
England play in the image of their coach. Gareth Southgate is a well-educated man, a true gentleman. Praise for that – there are sometimes too few in football. What I wonder is whether he can inspire his players, encourage them to give the very best of themselves. The fact that caution has prevailed for as long as Southgate has been national coach is also reflected in the overall poor results of the England team. How grey top players such as Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Declan Rice and Harry Kane look as they move across the field here in Germany. It cannot be because all four happen to be out of shape at the same time, can it? Ludo Vandewalle, Het Nieuwsblad (Belgium)
