Once again Gareth Southgate and his England squad have received scathing complaints from fans and ex-players. This comes after the England team scraped by Serbia in a tight 1-0 win for their first game of the tournament and then drew 1-1 with Denmark in a frustrating game for many England fans. Ex-players such as Gary Lineker were very harsh, naming the performance as 'sh*t' which for many of the current players in the England camp, this was hard to hear.
In fact, England skipper Harry Kane spoke in an interview in which he sought to remind those 'who have worn the shirt' how 'tough' it is, alluding to the pressure one feels as an England player.
England have been declared, along with European giants France, favourites for the tournament and after losing the Euro 2020 final to Italy last time round, many look to England to rectify the issue around their lacking trophy cabinet. In actuality, the country has not won a major trophy since the 1966 World Cup despite having many wonderful, talented generations of footballers.
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice hit out at the many critics who launched their fiery attacks at the England squad. He emphasised that the camp was positive and in good spirits whilst also expressing that many who have criticised them 'have been where I'm sat, where our other players have sat and not done well at tournaments'.
This was a reminder to many to not throw stones in glass houses, as the likes of Gary Lineker, Wayne Rooney and other English pundits failed themselves on the big stages. Also the scathing disapproval is very far fetched considering England sit on top of their group with 4 points and if they win or even draw their final game against Slovenia they will be through to the round of 16.
Despite a few bumps in the road and some uninspiring performances, England are getting the job done. They are picking up points to move into the round of 16, where they will meet much more formidable teams than Serbia, Denmark and Slovenia. This group can be a learning lesson to the players and manager on how to tactically set up against other teams that are loaded with talent. If Southgate is able to finally nail the perfect team and emulate the incredible talents that England are loaded with, this team surely will have a bright future and will walk the road to victory.
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