With the way some of England’s squad are training, it doesn’t feel like the team are facing their most pressurised tournament since Euro 2016. Declan Rice says the team’s match-winners “look frightening, they look on it”.
The midfielder insists the camp is like “a bunch of kids at nursery”, such is the sense of “fun”. “We’re all playing different games – Uno, basketball, padel. We are having a lot of fun off the pitch.”
That might just be Rice and his strikingly persistent enthusiasm, of course. He can never be accused of not putting on a brave face or failing to front up. Rice also completely dismissed the idea that the squad are too fatigued to press in the way required, referring to criticism as “ridiculous” and adding: “Let them keep questioning it.”
This is despite the fact the main person who questioned it was his own manager. Gareth Southgate actually again raised the fitness issue on the eve of this final group game against Slovenia, although he did state on Monday that “they are making progress”. He even added that the build-up to this match in Cologne was a chance to “press the reset button”.
The difference in assessment again might just be Rice and his own animated personality, as the midfielder said he wants “to play as many games as possible” and “if we’re not fit enough to compete for 90 minutes, we shouldn’t be footballers”. Others in the PFA or FIFPro don’t actually feel the same.
The difference of opinion is one of those things that can be recast as just another tension that afflicted the camp depending on how this tournament goes. While Rice may well be right that everything feels “free” on the inside, that isn’t the case on the outside. There have been echoes of many more problematic past tournaments, from the questions about big players being favoured in 2006 to the concerns over fitness in 2010. That’s before you get to this new row over criticism from pundits and former internationals.
It feels like a lot of tension has been building and that something big could be coming. The same old faultlines can be seen spreading. That is why England badly need a release, more than just a result. They need a show, to set a new course.
If England win, they confirm first place, and ensure a last-16 match against a third-placed side and a run where they wouldn’t even face a group winner until the semi-final. If they finish second, which could well happen with a draw, it’s Germany in Dortmund on Saturday. And, if they manage to get through that, it’s potentially Spain and then Portugal. This is not the side of the draw to be on. Defeat, and third place, could leave them open to anything.
While the squad and Southgate have been keen to point out how they have four points and all is going as expected in terms of results, it says much about England’s campaign that this match against Slovenia looks very different to how it did a few weeks ago.
It is fraught with risk. While Slovenia were not dismissed beforehand, they look much better than had been expected. They finished their own 1-1 draw with Denmark as the better side, in quite a contrast to England’s display. Southgate has meanwhile specifically worked on how to shackle Arsenal target Benjamin Sesko. The forward hasn’t scored yet, so is raring to go. The word from the Slovenian camp is that they fancy their chances more than ever, due to England’s difficulties. With just two points, Slovenia also need a result themselves to go through. This is going to be a test.
“They don’t concede many goals,” Southgate said. “They’re a very organised team and fairly direct. Their forwards are obviously a handful, Sesko in particular, he’s much coveted. We’re going to have to defend extremely well, which we have done to this point.”
Southgate did at least touch on something, even if he wouldn’t outright say it himself. If England play to anything like their own ability, they would take Slovenia out of the equation. His team should be good enough to go and win this game regardless of what the opposition do.
The issue with this whole campaign so far, however, has been how England have been much less than the sum of their parts. A defining question is how many parts Southgate will change.
Luke Shaw is back in training but isn’t yet ready to start, although he has a chance of making the later knockouts. The Trent Alexander-Arnold experiment is almost certain to be abandoned, at least for this match, with Conor Gallagher coming in. That may give England the energy they have lacked so far, which is the main reason for the switch. It won’t bring any extra control or penetration, though.
Despite switching the entire front line with 20 minutes remaining of the Denmark match, Southgate looks set to leave it unchanged for this match.
He feels there are sufficient reasons to stick with Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden – out on the left. For one, Southgate is conscious of the need to stay calm despite all the noise around him, and not to be swayed into “knee-jerk” reactions. That is primarily because he feels the main reason for unconvincing performances so far is fatigue.
The England staff believe the team are improving in that regard. Fitness regimes have been specifically tailored to the players, and they are in better condition than they were three days ago. Those same three days have meanwhile allowed extra time to work on connections and the system, which means team integration should be deepened. Jude Bellingham and Foden will have more understanding of where the other moves. England have also been working on a new pressing approach, with input from the players.
This is partly why Rice says they feel more “free”, and one good performance is all that is needed to redirect a campaign.
“There’s a massive difference between getting a whole year to work on something and only getting a certain number of days,” Rice said. “It’s about getting the team together when we’re here and buying into how Gareth wants us to press and how he wants us to play.”
The midfielder even promised a “front-foot” display that would fit with that sense of freedom.
“Tomorrow is a chance, because we are pretty much qualified, to go out there and just express yourself and have that performance where you can make an impact and get us through top of the group,” he added. “You’ll see an England team that will have a different pressing style that we’ve been working on. I think you’ll see a team that wants to be on the front foot and wants to press Slovenia high up the pitch.”
Rice certainly knows what to say in such situations, but talk and action have so far been pretty separate when it comes to England at Euro 2024. They need to press that button, as Southgate said. It could well be the difference between an explosion or the same old implosion.
England have had so many tensions building up. They need to go out and just knock them all down. This game may not decide qualification, but it could decide an entire tournament.
