England have failed again in a major tournament after the Three Lions lost 2-1 to Spain in the Euro 2024 Final. England have never in their history won the European Championships and have only won one World Cup back in 1966, yet this country is at the forefront of everyone’s minds when we speak of success in Europe.
This may be because of players like Phil Foden and Harry Kane, who were crowned players of the season in their respective leagues but in truth, massively underperformed in the Euros this summer.
Harry Kane moved to Bayern Munich last season with hopes of winning his first ever trophy and despite scoring 40+ goals the English man walked away with zero silverware in a shock season that saw Bayern Munich not win a single trophy for the first time in 12 years. Albeit, all recognised Kane’s incredible season and didn’t hold him accountable for the failures of Thomas Tuchel’s team. Many sure he would deliver at the Euros but this was far from the truth.
Harry Kane scored three goals at the Euros, two from open play and one a penalty but these are just masks for the disappointing performances he had during the tournament. When England looked to him to lead them as a captain should, he was deep in midfield and mostly averaged his time at wingback instead of in the box.
Likewise, Phil Foden also underperformed this tournament. The youngster was crowned Premier League player of the year and was hailed as world class by many. In fact, pundits such as Rio Ferdinand went as far as to say he should be the pinnacle of the team and that the England squad should be built around him.
Yet once again, we have failed to see the dazzling Foden City enjoyed for England. Despite playing in every single game he had no contribution to any positive moments or goal contributions. Many England fans complained that Foden’s wing play was causing a massive imbalance in the team which we saw the right hand side create all the action for England in terms of goals.
For reference: Cole Palmer scored in the final, Bukayo Saka scored and assisted whilst also being England’s most creative outlet and Jude Bellingham scored in the group stages and in stoppage time with an incredible over head equaliser to keep England in the tournament.
When we speak of England we talk about how many world class players their squad is littered with. How they’re spoilt for choice in terms team selection but the truth is they are constant under performers. It is a miracle that they made the final considering how poor they were in every game leading up to it but this is still a poor excuse for a country with so much talent. Until England are able to cross the finish line, they will be remembered as the most celebrated losers in international football.
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