Tournament favorites England continue to disappoint in their second group game. Despite having potential, Gareth Southgate's team has not (yet) really got going.
20.06.2024, 20:53
20.06.2024, 21:12
SDA
The equalizer against Denmark in the rematch of the 2021 semi-final was emblematic of the Three Lions' current form. After a throw-in of his own, Harry Kane made a hair-raising misplaced pass as he tried to kick-start the game from his own half. The Danes said thank you, accepted the gift and equalized with a spectacular long-range shot from Morten Hjulmand, which would also be the final score.
Only 34 minutes were left on the match clock at this point. There would have been enough time for England to respond. But it was the Danes who did more for the game after that. The potential of the 2021 European Championship finalists only flickered occasionally. Phil Foden usually had his feet in the game. But even he was unable to score the winner despite several good opportunities.
Critical media
Gareth Southgate showed his displeasure at what had been shown with a triple substitution 20 minutes before the end, when he took his entire attack off the pitch with Kane, Foden and Bukayo Saka. But the English side were still unable to score.
The wind is likely to blow even harder against Southgate in the traditionally critical tabloid media on the island than it already did after the unglamorous opening victory over Serbia.
The 53-year-old will certainly be criticized for not including players such as Jack Grealish, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho in the squad due to their poor attacking performance. The fact that he left Cole Palmer, the most successful Englishman of the past Premier League season with 22 goals, on the bench for 90 minutes for the second time despite a less than thrilling game is likely to increase the criticism.
On target in terms of points
The good news for all those with England: Everything is actually going according to plan. With four points from two games, their ticket to the round of 16 should be booked. Accordingly, Kyle Walker shot down a reporter's critical questions after the game: "We know we can do better. But we're top of our group, we didn't lose against a strong Denmark, we got a point."
And it's also true that the European Championship is not decided in the preliminary round.
