The Three Lions are rightly being billed as favourites to lift the trophy in Germany this summer, and there will be no hiding place if they fall short
England have come a long way since their humiliating last-16 defeat to Iceland at the 2016 European Championship, which turned out to be Roy Hodgson’s last game in charge. Via Sam Allardyce’s ill-fated one-game tenure, Gareth Southgate inherited a divided squad completely zapped of confidence, and many felt he had an impossible job on his hands.
But Southgate has since made a whole nation believe again. He’s brought a unity to the England dressing room that had been lacking for decades, and turned them into a formidable major tournament team.
A thrilling run to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals was followed up by a runners-up finish at the Euros three years later, with Italy only edging out England at Wembley after a penalty shootout. Southgate’s men went on to suffer a quarter-final defeat against France at the Qatar World Cup, after dominating for large periods, with a fateful Harry Kane penalty miss proving to be the decisive moment of the game.
England are now being billed as favourites for the Euro 2024 in Germany, which is a reflection of how far they have come. But for all the good work he’s done over the past eight years, Southgate will be remembered as nothing more than a nearly man if the Three Lions fail to bring home the trophy, and rightly so; it would represent a colossal waste of the most talented group of players the country has ever seen.
Kane’s trophy hunger
Kane will be more motivated to fire England to glory in Germany than any other member of Southgate’s squad. He’ll want to banish the demons of Qatar first and foremost as captain of his country, but will also be out to silence those who claim he is cursed to finish his career without winning a single major trophy.
Bayern Munich spent €100 million (£85m/$109m) to lure Kane away from Tottenham last summer, which has since proven to be something of a bargain price, with the 30-year-old breaking numerous records on his way to a staggering 44-goal debut season at the Allianz Arena. Kane earned his first-ever European Golden Shoe in the process, finishing well clear of Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Lautaro Martinez.
Unfortunately, his individual brilliance couldn’t prevent Bayern from slipping to their first trophy-less campaign in 12 years. They relinquished their Bundesliga crown to Xabi Alonso’s relentless Bayer Leverkusen side after being knocked out of the DFB-Pokal by third-tier Saarbrucken, and suffered a heart-breaking semi-final defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League, with Thomas Tuchel ultimately paying the price for their failure.
It must have been disappointing for Kane to go home empty-handed after putting in so much effort, just as he did throughout his nine-year spell in the Spurs first team, but he signed a four-year contract at Bayern, who will get their hands on silverware again before long.
The Euros is now the one that matters most for Kane, who has scored 63 goals in 91 appearances at international level to date, including 12 at major tournaments. His presence alone gives England a huge advantage, as Kane only needs a sniff of goal to make a decisive impact, which is why he’s the most deadly striker in the world. The scary thing is he will have an even better supporting cast to provide him with service than he does at Bayern this summer.
Foden battling for the Ballon d’Or
Southgate will be also be able to call upon arguably the four best attackers in the Premier League from last season. Bukayo Saka finished as Arsenal’s top scorer, Cole Palmer registered more goal contributions than any player in the English top-flight in his first year at Chelsea, and Ollie Watkins won the coveted Playmaker of the Season prize after registering 13 assists for Aston Villa.
All three men could have important roles to play for England at the Euros, and each offers something different to the other, which will give Southgate plenty of room for flexibility in tight games. But the man who will strike most fear into opposing teams is Phil Foden, who has taken his game to incredible new heights at Manchester City.
Foden scored 27 goals and laid on another 12 in 53 appearances across all competitions for City in 2023-24, the best numbers of his career so far. Many of those goals fell into the category of world-class, including long-range efforts against Real Madrid, Manchester United and West Ham, while he also took it upon himself to serve as City’s chief orchestrator with his slick, incisive passing and intelligent movement.
If England are to end almost 60 years of his hurt this summer, they will need Foden to keep up his electrifying form. He’s played on both flanks for City this season, but causes the most damage as a No.10, and Southgate is ready to let him express himself freely on the international stage.
“We never pin our players to a touchline, that’s not how we work. There is that freedom. It’s obvious how brilliant Phil has been,” the England boss said in May. “You want him in those central areas. It’s about finding the best way to make that happen.”
No other team at the Euros has a weapon like Foden; his technical ability and footballing IQ are off the charts, and a strong tournament will put him in the conversation to land the 2024 Ballon d’Or. He gives England a vital X-factor, and has already proved himself as a big-game player who thrives under pressure at the Etihad Stadium.
Best midfield in the world
England are also blessed with a midfield that is the envy of the rest of Europe. Declan Rice will be one of the first names on Southgate’s team-sheet after a superb first season at Arsenal, where he has somehow managed to exceed expectations despite arriving from West Ham for a club-record £105m ($134m) fee last summer.
Rice is a superb reader of the game and an expert at breaking up play, which is why he is considered among the best holding midfielders in the business, but he’s also taken huge strides forward at the top end of the pitch since joining the Gunners. The 25-year-old won’t hesitate to burst through the lines if he sees an opportunity, and can be a real threat with his shooting from distance, while he’s also become something of a set-piece specialist under Mikel Arteta.
The Arsenal man claimed several assists from corners and free-kicks last term, and his pinpoint delivery could be crucial to getting the most out of Kane at the Euros. Rice will, however, have to carefully pick his moments to get forward, with Jude Bellingham likely to be given most of the responsibility to build England’s attacks.
The 20-year-old also had to cope with the weight of a €103m (£88m/$110m) price tag after swapping Borussia Dortmund for Real Madrid, but just like Rice he’s grown into an even better all-round player in a more challenging environment. Bellingham is an accomplished ball-winner who sets the tone with his urgency on and off the ball, and has an incredibly mature head on his shoulders for someone so young.
He’s even managed to justify comparisons with Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane, but Bellingham is more than just a creator now. He scored more goals than any Blancos player in 2023-24, including Vinicius Jr, and he will be re-joining the England squad as a La Liga and Champions League winner – and that kind of top level experience could prove invaluable in Germany.
Pairing Rice and Bellingham together is a no-brainer; the real dilemma for Southgate is who completes his three-man midfield. He looks likely to opt for Trent Alexander-Arnold after seeing him shine further up the pitch for Liverpool, while Manchester United’s supremely-gifted teenager Kobbie Mainoo or Chelsea’s Mr. Reliable Conor Gallagher can also offer unique qualities to the Three Lions.
It’s a welcome selection headache for Southgate, and England should be able to control games in the middle of the park if he strikes the right balance.
Underrated No.1
Every top team needs a great goalkeeper, and England certainly have one in the form of Jordan Pickford. He heads into the European Championship on the back of arguably his best season yet at Everton, who comfortably avoided relegation despite being hit with a six-point deduction for breaching profit and sustainability rules.
The 30-year-old boasted the second-best save percentage in the Premier League as he kept out 121 shots, and was the main reason Everton finished the season with the fourth-best defensive record behind only Arsenal, Man City and Liverpool. Pickford has also cut out the errors that made him a target for critics in the earlier stages of his career, combining brilliant reflexes with outstanding distribution.
He’s agile, quick off his line and confident when claiming crosses, too, which is why he still enjoys the full trust of Southgate. Circumstances elsewhere have played into Pickford’s hands ahead of the Euros, with Nick Pope having missed the majority of Newcastle’s season through injury and Aaron Ramsdale losing his place at Arsenal, but the Everton shot-stopper is fully deserving of that No.1 jersey.
It has been suggested that Pickford could accept a big-money move away from Everton in the summer amid reported interest from Chelsea, and his stock will skyrocket again if he can provide the base for England’s success. Pickford hasn’t always been given the credit he deserves, but his importance to the Three Lions cannot be overstated, and Southgate probably wouldn’t trade him for any other ‘keeper in world football.
Defensive crisis overblown
When Southgate initially named his 33-man provisional squad for the Euros, he included a grand total of 11 defenders, which raised a few eyebrows as potentially game-changing attackers such as Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling and Jadon Sancho were overlooked. But his hand was forced due to an unprecedented injury crisis.
Harry Maguire, John Stones and Luke Shaw have all been staples at the back for Southgate at major tournaments, but all of them missed the final weeks of the club season. In fact, Shaw hasn’t played a competitive game for Manchester United since February, and the England boss initially admitted he was a “long shot” to be fully fit in time for the flight to Germany before eventually naming him in his final squad.
Stones, meanwhile, only made 12 starts for City in the Premier League as he battled with a number of niggling issues, and may have a real battle on his hands to get back into Pep Guardiola’s line up next term. That said, he arrives at the tournament as the most senior centre-back in the squad by some distance after Maguire failed to shake off his own calf problem.
Stones and certainly Shaw will need time to build up their rhythm again, but it’s not all doom and gloom. City right-back Kyle Walker is heading into the tournament after another outstanding individual year, as is Newcastle’s versatile assist king Kieran Trippier, who could fill in for Shaw on the opposite flank, while Alexander-Arnold will also be on hand to drop back if needed. At centre-back, Crystal Palace ace Marc Guehi, who is being touted for a huge summer transfer to Manchester United, is set to step in to Maguire’s shoes.
Southgate has taken steps, then, to ensure that England won’t be caught short-handed in defence. The situation is not ideal, but Pickford won’t ever be left exposed, because there are so many different combinations Southgate can go with to again give the Three Lions the rock solid foundation that has underpinned their impressive recent record at major tournaments.
No excuses
Southgate’s future has been the subject of much debate in recent months, but he is refusing to clarify whether or not he will call time on his England tenure after the European Championship. “I’m 53 now and am totally relaxed about it, because life will go on whatever happens. I also don’t think it would be right to make a decision before a tournament,” he said in a recent interview with GQ. “I remember Fabio [Capello] signing a new contract before [World Cup 2010] and everybody said, ‘What the bloody hell are they doing? He should be proving himself in the tournament’. If I was two years into the job, then perhaps I would feel differently. But we’re eight years in, and for me, all of my focus is on one thing: how do I get this team to win?”
Southgate has since confirmed that he would likely step away if England don’t triumph this summer, but if that comes to pass, the FA should not hesitate to take the decision out of his hands. It’s now or never for Southgate.
In Russia six years ago, it’s fair to say that England were still a work in progress, and at the last Euros, a lack of experience cost Southgate’s side in the final. But excuses were in much shorter supply after the last-eight exit in Qatar, because England had the tools to beat France and go on to lift the trophy.
They’re in even better shape now, and history will judge Southgate harshly if he can’t get them over the line. England have the best squad in Europe and it’s time to deliver.
Goal.com
