England 1 Spain 2 – Another Oh So Near

In my previous blog or therapy session as I like to call these posts I wrote about questions being answered with one question still to go.  Was this Manager brave enough to go an win a game when it really mattered, reality is he was found wanting again.

I’ve given myself 48 hours to write this and within that period he has now resigned from his position as England manager, my intention here is to still write as planned post game with the general feel and analysis I had based on the tournament and the game itself.

England on Sunday were once again a team who were a complete reflection of their manager.  Boring, methodical and scared to take the opportunity that had been put in front of them for a 2^nd time.  They say learn from your mistakes, truth is we were more scared 2^nd time around than the game against Italy 3 years ago.  Too many of our key players let the game pass them by, waiting for something to happen as opposed to making something happen.

I’m not sure what was said in the dressing room at half time but we came out for the 2^nd half like rabbits caught in headlights.  Spain could have scored 3 goals before we’d even touched the ball or laid a finger on them.  Our 1^st shot on target in the game was the goal we scored, 70 mins + on the clock and that was the 1^st shot on target by England in a final.  It simply wasn’t good enough, this squad was playing with the shackles off for a manager who didn’t know what to do with them.

Harry Kane scored 30+ goals last season, Foden was named player of the year with 20+ goals, Bellingham player of the year in Spain and top scorer for Real Madrid.  All 3 looked lost in the majority of games this tournament. They had a manager who didn’t know how to get the best out of them but was also too scared to drop them or make changes as he knew they were his only chance of success.

A squad was chosen for this tournament that looked exciting and fresh. Henderson, Rashford, Grealish and Sterling were all left at home. All mainstays in squads under Southgate and not only that in Sterling and Rashford his highest scoring players other than Kane since he took over.  Those 4 players were his trusted options off the bench or in the 11 from the start, key elements to his measured success.  Let’s not forget from his initial squad of 30 Harry Maguire with 7 was our 2^nd top goal scorer for England, we lacked goals or experience of international goals massively.

The truth is, he didn’t trust the players he’d chosen in the way he trusts the players he left at home.  Is Declan Rice playing every single minute of the tournament if Jordan Henderson is on the bench as an option after 65 mins?  Are Foden and Bellingham playing the minutes they have if Grealish, Rashford and Sterling are in the squad?  The reality is those 4 players individually would have played more minutes than the combined minutes of the players chosen ahead of them.  Adam Wharton didn’t kick a ball, Gordon was on for 4 minutes, Bowen played 35 minutes, Eze and Palmer had longer stints but nothing like Grealish, Rashford and Sterling would have got.

Even Harry Kane would have been rested more if Rashford was chosen, but instead he was unfit and flogged to death because he didn’t trust Toney or Watkins.  Let’s not forget, Toney came on with 2 mins to go in the round of 16, Watkins 1^st action was v Holland in game 6!

This was a manager and squad that was waiting on individuals to make moments happen as opposed to a team believing they could actually win it.  Our opponents in the final were the opposite, 1 superstar in Rodri with an abundance of fearless emerging talents that are now household names. They scored goals and created chances in every single game, even in the final when conceding they were the 1s on the front foot and making positive changes.  When England drew level I looked at the subs warming up and it was all defensive players, 30 seconds before they scored their 2^nd we were readying 2 substitutions. The players ready to come on were Connor Gallagher and Kieran Trippier, if that doesn’t sum us this manager than nothing will.  2 players who he wanted to sure up the game as opposed to players who could be match winners.

For 8 years he has been England Manager, he has done some great things in terms of reuniting the fans with the team.  He created his own expectation by the progress made in tournament football which people will say is fantastic when you look at the headlines of 2 x final, 1 x semi final and 1 x quarter final. The reality is this:

He is the only England Manager to lose 3 games at the World Cup.

We scored 2 goals only in the group stages of both 2020/21 and 2024.

Relegated from the Nations League suffering our heaviest home defeat since 1982.

2 wins from 7 games in 90 mins in Euro 2024.

2018 he had us all hooked, Southgate was the one but I’m not sure he ever was.  We have been so far off it in international football, our record between 1984 and 2016 (my lifetime) is appalling so for that I do give him a lot of credit but now is the right time for everyone to move on.  For me, the next manager coming in already has the poison challenge as the manager departing has ruined the best chance we had over the last 3 tournaments of bringing football home.

Germany itself wasn’t an enjoyable tournament and despite getting to the final is not one I will remember fondly.  Yes it had moments with Jude’s overhead kick, penalty shoot out win and the semi final winner but for 95% of most games the whole England end stood there bored and frustrated.

11 flights, 17 long distance car journeys, 9 train journeys, 1 coach journey and 4 taxi rides over a 4 week / 7 game period has got the better of me.  I am mentally and physically drained and don’t want to even think about football until that 1^st game of the season v Reading.

Football didn’t come home but it never does, now it’s all about Chris Davies Promotion disco bus!  100 points, 100 goals and winning the Leyland Daf for a 3^rd time.

Up The England, Forward Birmingham.

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