The great thing about tournaments is you can discuss them all night, and on that eminently discussable bombshell, I shall take my leave of you all. Thanks for your emails and attention. Have a good evening – there’s always the Outlaws or old episodes of Taskmaster to watch in the absence of football. Bye.
One last England email afore we go, from David Howell:
“... England’s men have won five quarter-finals at major tournaments. Two of them were at home, and the second of those would have been a defeat in the VAR era (Julio Salinas was onside). Another was a near-capitulation against Cameroon that was salvaged by two penalties. The other two were under Southgate.
You can say that he’s had a massive slice of fortune getting such beatable opponents, but England’s men (as opposed to their women) have literally never won a quarter-final without some kind of fortune on some level. This is their level; maybe his defensive instincts are Southgate betraying that he knows it.
(Still think Austria are honest-to-goodness favourites to make the final though. All that stands in their way are Italy, England, and five teams arguably even worse than Italy and England.)
I was sat in line with that Salinas effort at Wembley and it was indeed blatantly onside, though I’d give a bit more credit to England digging in against Cameroon, and the 4-0 against Ukraine in Rome (not Wembley) three years ago had a decent swagger to it. But you would indeed fancy Austria’s chances against anyone in their half of the draw (and I’ve got a cheeky each-way punt on them too).
OK, we’ll be shutting down the blog soon, and there are no games tonight, so what to do? Peruse our group-phase Euro 2024 power rankings, is the answer, and spend the next few hours arguing about them. Would you have France lower and Romania higher perhaps? Are Scotland the worst of the lot? Digest the lot here:
“Thanks for the link to the clip of the Danes winning Euro 92.” A pleasure, Charles Antaki. “I had completely forgotten that it wasn’t only Jon Jensen who scored; Kim Vilfort got the second in the 2 - 0 over Germany. His name registered only vaguely, so I looked him up on Wikipedia and discovered that he played the tournament under the most unhappy of family circumstances. Credit to him. Of course we forget that that kind of thing might be going on when we rant and rave about a given footballer, so it’s a bit of a sobering thought this might be true of any of them, at any time.”
In England’s summer sport, we have play, in Guyana, and Tim de Lisle describing it.
Whatever else, this tournament has (mostly) showcased the continent’s fan culture at its best – the party vibe, the boisterous bonhomie, the bonds forged between supporters, the booze and, well, the boos. It’s been a tremendous Euros for loud expressions of discontent, the proper football fan’s natural state of mind. England’s fans have of course sounded off loudly, and Belgium’s reacted similarly after their underwhelming draw with Ukraine.
Their full-back Thomas Meunier was quizzed about Belgian fans’ booing after the Ukraine game in today’s presser and said it was “understandable but it was a bit too much for me. We have a game on Monday against France and we can start from scratch with the public”. Big improvements are needed though, but on the plus side France are under pressure too after limping through the group phase in similarly uninspiring fashion.
“Is it the after-effects of Covid that has turned so many people (purportedly England ‘fans’) into mean spirited, bordering on hysterical and irrational online bullies?” wonders Mandy Leeson. “The record is now broken. The criticism of Southgate has to stop. It’s not only ridiculous, it’s damaging and massively unfair as he can’t have a ‘pop’ back. Take a look at yourselves.”
The English culture of vilifying the manager way predates Covid to be fair. What’s interesting now is that the internal culture that Southgate so necessarily changed is now being used against him (“too soft”, “too loyal”, “too woke”) as the old culture strikes back, and indeed cannibalises Southgate himself. Sorting out that midfield and left side would help but old habits die hard.
Jonathan Liew wrote well on this earlier:
Some transfer talk: Wolves have moved closer to confirming a deal for Celta Vigo’s Norwegian striker Jorgen Strand Larsen for €30m. Larsen scored 14 goals for Celta in La Liga last season.
The social documentary photographer Richard Morgan has been in war-ravaged Odesa during Ukraine’s Euro 2024 campaign, and has produced this photo essay charting how the country has followed its team.
It is impossible to escape from the horrors of war in Ukraine, to find relief in the football, because the war is in the very experience of following the football here: it’s in the walk to the game past anti-tank defences, sandbags, covered monuments, and boarded up churches; it’s in the pre-match motivational messages from frontline fighters to the footballers; it’s in the air-raid warnings of rocket attacks flashing across the TV screen as you watch the game in the pub; it’s in the power-cuts before kick-off. Euro 24 is not a convenient distraction from war in Ukraine, but yet another way to live it.
Just picking through some choice first-round stats that PA Media has just pumped through, it brought us 81 goals (down 13 on Euro 2o2o). Blame that turgid Group C, which contributed only seven of them. Groups A and F delivered the most, with 17 each.
Only six players have scored more than once, with Georgia’s Georges Mikautadze ahead on three goals. Germany’s Jamal Musiala and Niclas Füllkrug, Cody Gakpo of the Netherlands, Slovakia’s Ivan Schranz and Razvan Marin of Romania all have two.
The 11 shots seen in Serbia v England is the lowest in any Euros game ever. And
Phil Foden has completed more passes to Jordan Pickford (three) than to Harry Kane.
With 20 saves in Georgia’s three games, Giorgi Mamardashvili is seven clear of any other goalkeeper at the tournament.
Updated
Football Daily has dropped … and it has (sorry) Georgia on its mind.
Now, some reaction from the eight Euros participants who really do have something to moan about, those that have been turfed out, some more deservedly than others:
And a bit more on that Anthony Gordon bike mishap, from David Hytner in Blankenhain. Very much a banter-injury, this, by the looks.
Updated
Guéhi: we need to stay calm
A fuller report now on the earlier presser with England’s man of the moment (but there’s been so many!), Marc Guéhi, courtesy of PA Media.
Marc Guéhi dismissed talk that England have a “favourable” European Championship draw as Gareth Southgate’s side prepare to kick off the knockout phase against Slovakia … England will take on 45th-ranked Slovakia when they return to Gelsenkirchen this Sunday.
Furthermore, Spain, Germany, Portugal, France and Belgium are in the other half of the draw, adding further expectation to a group who were booed at the end of Tuesday’s 0-0 draw with Slovenia.
“I think everyone has seen in this competition that there is not a favourable side of the draw,” centre-back Guehi said. “Every team, every opponent, is really tough to come up against. I think we need to remain calm.
“We have put pressure on ourselves but we are calm and focused and we need to continue to focus on one thing at a time. I think what builds confidence is togetherness, performances, the fact that we haven’t lost a game yet, which is really important.
“All the other things you can’t really control. I think it’s important we just control what we can control and that’s remaining focused and dealing with whatever obstacles are put in front of us.”
England have won all three of their last-16 matches under Southgate, with their last defeat at this stage of a major tournament coming eight years ago. Everybody had expected Roy Hodgson’s men to beat Iceland at Euro 2016 and the 2-1 loss in Nice went down as one of the most embarrassing defeats in the national team’s history.
There is similar expectation ahead of facing Slovakia in Germany, but little chance of the current England set-up allowing complacency to seep in. “We haven’t done any team analysis on them yet, but we all watch the games and know they are a very good side,” Guehi said.
“Coming out of the group in third, I think. They’ve got some really good players in the team, (Stanislav) Lobotka being one from Napoli. A lot of good players. It will be a another tough match, tough opponent to deal with. But it’s important we just have to be ready for those challenge and match whatever intensity they bring.”
Guehi says the mood inside the camp is far more upbeat and praised under-fire Southgate for the job he has done. “He has been fantastic,” the 23-year-old said. “If you look at his record, it speaks for itself. Everyone is behind the manager, that is for sure. We have got a really close, tight-knit group focused on the next game.
“Everyone is appreciative of him but especially me, giving me my debut for England and showing so much confidence in me. I am really grateful and I am sure the rest of the team is.”
Guehi has stepped into an experienced backline impressively and has arguably been England’s best player at what is his first major tournament. “It is nice to hear,” he said. “I wouldn’t say I have been the best player. I think there have been quite a few really good performances in my opinion. I am just enjoying the tournament, I’m enjoying being here. Just really grateful.”
“I’d like to add to the criticism of Southgate,” dogpiles Ben N, “and in particular his clothing. He wears the same cream coloured M&S zip polo shirt every match (how many did he pack?). I’d like to see him remove the handbrake on his clothing choices (perhaps a grey zip polo shirt?). Rumour has it he is also wearing two right footed shoes, having only packed one broken left shoe. Failing this, just dust off the waistcoat.”
Let’s look ahead to the knockouts, which start with Switzerland v Italy followed by Germany v Denmark, which will stir memories of the 1992 final:. Here’s some more from Reuters:
Denmark will look to invoke the memory of their famous victory over Germany in the Euro 92 final when they take on the same opponents in the last 16 of this year’s tournament, assistant coach Christian Poulsen said on Thursday.
Denmark have not won at Euro 2024 so far, drawing three games to set up their clash with the hosts who have players like young forward Jamal Musiala in sparkling form.
However, the odds were similarly stacked against Denmark in Gothenburg in 1992 when they shocked then-world champions Germany with a 2-0 win for their first major title and Kasper Hjulmand’s side are eyeing another upset on Saturday.
“It’s a strong team we’re going to face and a little bit like the big country against the little country. But we’re going to go into the battle and, hope we can do the same as we did in 92,” Poulsen told reporters at the team’s base in Freudenstadt.
“I remember 92. I was a child, 12-years-old, but that’s one of the biggest moments in Danish football. And, I think, that was a nice memory. So if we could do that again, that would be amazing,” he added.
Curious old tournament, that one. England were awful, as per in Euros in those days, but I remember a fine semi between the Netherlands and Denmark, and of course that final shock, John Jensen’s finest hour:
More niche-fan comment about England: Irish fan of the English team here (yes, I feel dirty admitting it),” writes Patrick Treacy. “From my perspective outside of the rabid bubble, the extent of the criticism of Gareth Southgate is just baffling. How many Euros have England won exactly? How many World Cups in the last 40 years? How many finals and semi finals? Put that next to the records of France, Germany, Portugal, Spain. England are a very good, but not top tier football team. The improvement that Southgate has overseen versus the achievements of fine managers like Cappello and Eriksson was impossible to imagine when he took over. I honestly can’t believe anyone needs reminding of this – he and his team have proven beyond question that they know what they’re doing. But tournament football is hard, and it’s not always going to go right even for the top tier teams.”
Fair up to a point, even it is hard to overlook just how many things England have got wrong this time. But the idea that this England team is uniquely talented, and more so than the squads of, say, Spain, France and Portugal doesn’t stand up.
As easy as riding a bike …
Anthony Gordon has been left with cuts to his chin and arms after a bike-riding accident on Wednesday – during the England squad’s recovery day – but it has mainly been his pride that was damaged. Gordon’s teammate Marc Guehi told reporters that the mishap had become a little bit of a joke in camp but the Newcastle winger was essentially fine.
“He fell off his bike,” Guehi said. “The boys went out on a bike ride. I actually wasn’t there. I heard about it. I was actually talking to Anthony and I wasn’t really paying attention … turned around and then I saw the massive gash on his chin but he’s OK. He’s good.”
Some domestic transfer news: Chelsea are keen on Nottingham Forest’s Murillo and could lob in Trevoh Chalobah in one of those player-swap deals that are currently all the rage and are absolutely definitely nothing to do with PSR rule-based jiggery pokery.
Enough England introspection: let’s take the mood in Slovakia, who provide Sunday’s opposition. And they’ve reasons to be confident, writes Lukas Vrablic: “If we’re honest, we can say that England are miserable at the moment,” says former international Adam Nemec.
England should be learning from … Oxford United, reckons Yellows’ fan Andrew:
Des Buckingham’s Oxford were facing similar problems to England at the start of the year in a similar 4231 system - plenty of the ball but not doing much with it, sluggish build up, lots of talent but no way of making them click. They switched to a 4141 for the run which ultimately ended in promotion, putting two attacking midfielders (one a winger) into central midfield with 2 proper wingers either side and a deep playmaker behind. They went from a 5-0 drubbing at Bolton in March (4231) on a run which ended with a win over the same opponents at Wembley, including a run of 4-0, 4-0, 5-0 wins.
The change of system allowed two attack-minded midfield to press higher and influence the game in more dangerous positions, which could suit Foden and Bellingham. Two touchline-hugging wide men stretched the play and allowed for space to open up inside. Full backs got forward to provide overlaps remained compact out of possession with wingers dropping back to form a 451 behind the ball but ready ready for a quick transition.
All of which seems to fit these England players perfectly.
I saw Stan Collymore advocating a 4-1-4-1 the other day too, and it seemed to make a certain amount of sense. Bellingham as the sole creative central midfield figure is burdening and stressing him, and everyone else, out. Someone else should be in there too.
And Oxford were the best, most progressive side I saw in League One last season. So, letter of the week there Andrew.
Thanks Dominic. Afternoon everyone. And more of your tactics musings are already pouring in, but away from that another nugget transfer news – and an eye-catching one. The Women’s Championship club London City Lionesses have signed the Sweden international Kosovare Asllani. Now owned by the Lyon owner Michelle Kang, the London club are thinking big and have also announced a switch of home base to Bromley.
That’s my stint done. Tom Davies is here to guide you through the rest of this Euros-less afternoon.
Oh no, someone has asked Guehi about France, Germany, Spain et al being on the other side of the draw.
“It’s important we control what we can control,” is the straight-bat riposte from Guehi. He can’t exactly say he’s buzzing with England’s draw, can he?
You can actually watch Guehi live here if you so wish.
Join us live from Blankenhain with Marc Guéhi as we look forward to Sunday’s #EURO2024 last 16 tie against Slovakia! 🚨 https://t.co/qaJPiwScqI
— England (@England) June 27, 2024
Marc Guehi is speaking right now – he’s been talking about his performances in England’s defence and the general displays so far.
“If we’re going to go far in this tournament, your defence has to be strong. It’s a collective effort. The intensity has gone up, we put pressure on ourselves to maintain high standards and that has to keep going throughout the tournament.
“We rely on each other and support one another, that’s the most important thing.”
Listen to Guardian Euro 2024 daily podcast
Today’s Euro 2024 Football Weekly Daily has landed, with Max Rushden joined by Barry Glendenning, Lars Sivertsen and Jonathan Fadugba to round up the end of the group stages.
⚽ In the latest Football Weekly: @maxrushden is joined by @bglendenning, @larssivertsen and @JFfutbol as Georgia make history by reaching the knockout stages of #Euro2024.
— Guardian sport (@guardian_sport) June 27, 2024
Plus, a look ahead to the last 16.
🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts. https://t.co/3TopWGP0Ng pic.twitter.com/Yb1cB9JYxF
Updated
A couple of bits from elsewhere in the world of football today:
Until then, shall we engage in a bit more England tactics/lineup chat? Yeah, why not.
Shaun Tooze has been in touch on email:
Hi Dominic. I know this is only joining the list of ‘experts who know better’ but the more I think about it, a formation of 3-4-1-2 would suit me.
Stones - Guehi - Walker, with whoever is most comfortable being on the left of that, then (from left to right) Bowen/Foden - Rice - Mainoo/Wharton/Gallagher - Alexander-Arnold ... Bellingham/Palmer (I’m leaning towards Palmer) in the 10, with Kane and Watkins/AN Other up top.
I think that would give us solidity when attacked and options going forward with the ball, and also wouldn’t have people tripping over each other like we’ve seen so far, especially in the middle and front-centre. Trippier, Saka and Bellingham have offered very little so I’d seriously consider other options now.
Dunno ... just thinking out loud … what do you think ?
I’d take issue with Phil Foden being stuck at left wing-back (Saka would be better there). And not sure two up top is the way forward either.
Marc Guehi – who for me has, comfortably, been England’s best player at this tournament so far – is due speak to the media at 1.30pm BST. We’ll bring you some of his comments later.
Thoughts on this? Three Germans, one Slovenian, a Georgia goalkeeper … und keine Engländer.
🇪🇺 #EURO2024 Team of the Group Stage pic.twitter.com/Iy5kydhyUf
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) June 27, 2024
It’s been great to see Willy Sagnol front and centre at these Euros. As a player for France in the 2000s, he often played second fiddle to the likes of Liliam Thuram and Bixente Lizarazu. He did once start a 2006 World Cup win over Portugal – the same opponent his Georgia side stunned last night to secure a last 16 berth.
Sagnol could hardly believe what his team has achieved.
“It’s still a bit difficult to realise what we have done,” he told Reuters. “When we go back to our homes and holidays, I think we are going to realise at this time exactly what we have done. Today I don’t have a lot of words ... I am so proud of the players. What an image of Georgia they have shown.”
Slovakia are confident they can get a result against England in the last 16. Hey, why wouldn’t they be?
Slovakian sports journalist Lukas Vrablik has been on BBC Radio 5 Live today talking about the Three Lions.
“I’m quite disappointed by England’s performances, especially when you look at their individual quality have at their disposal,” he said. “I thought that England would be more convincing in those games, and Slovenia managed to neutralise the danger so it gives me big hope for Slovakia. I think this England team doesn’t look that strong as it did before the tournament.”
Thanks. Good to be here!
On John Brewin’s piece that Will mentioned earlier, I particularly enjoyed this paragraph about Gary Lineker’s side-project footy podcast:
The use of “shit” by Lineker in summarising England’s Denmark performance was hardly the Sex Pistols meet Bill Grundy but the BBC’s leading men staging their own, vin-rouge-fuelled production threatens to become one of those issues on which Amol Rajan reports for the BBC about the BBC on the BBC, quoting senior BBC sources.
Thank you very much for joining me this morning. Dominic Booth will run you through the lunchtime fun. Enjoy the rest of your football-free day, people.
Keir Starmer has told England fans there is “too much criticism” of Gareth Southgate’s team after their group stage performances in Euro 2024 – and urged supporters to “get behind them”.
Speaking on the campaign trail in Staffordshire, he added: “Get them over the line because this is a really important competition.
“England always do a bit of this at the beginning of competitions ... but it’s a brilliant squad of players, all had great seasons for their respective clubs. Just get behind the team. I want less of the criticism, more of the support.”
Spain defender Nacho became the latest big name in European soccer to move to the Saudi Pro League, joining newly-promoted Al-Qadsiah after a 23-year stay at Real Madrid.
Khobar-based Al-Qadsiah, who won the Saudi First Division League in 2023-24 to move up to the top flight, announced Nacho’s signing on Thursday.
The 34-year-old joined Real in 2001 as a youth player and debuted for their first team in 2011. He won six Champions League titles at the Santiago Bernabeu as well as four LaLiga crowns and two Copa del Reys. Nacho will join his new club after Spain’s Euro 2024 campaign.
It is reported that Anthony Gordon fell off a bike at the training camp yesterday, resulting in a grazed chin. Get some stabilisers, lad.
Gareth Vaughan emails: “A lot of people (including me) have said a lot of less than flattering things about Gareth Southgate during this tournament (and long before it frankly). There is a growing noise from some sources that this is somehow vastly unfair and unjust given his previous tournament success. Well the fact is that this is both manifestly true and untrue st the same time.
“Clearly Southgate has brought us a period of consistent general success (without actually winning a trophy) during his tenure. And those who would say anyone could with the players he had, ignore the fact that there have been very talented England squads before this one who also failed to win anything and were far less successful.
“But the fact also remains that watching this England is a form of torture and Southgate has that haunted look on his face so reminiscent of every England manager who has spent too much time staring into the dark abyss. And recently, his decision to make certain players unstoppable no matter how poor their performances and instead select a fantasy football first 11 rather than the best team, suggests he’s cosplaying at England manager, rather than actually BEING the manager.
“I’d have more respect for him if he decided to ignore all the external white noise and pick the team he deep down thinks is the best for a tournament- which is probably a 3-5-1-1 formation similar to his 2018 World Cup team. A starting 11 of Pickford - Guehi, Stones, Walker - Shaw, Bellingham, Mainoo, Rice, Saka - Bellingham/ Foden- Kane will probably enrage most fans initially but would crucially allow us to control midfield and give the team a structure that has been lacking for the past 8 games.
”But it ain’t gonna happen…”
It might …
A few shots from England training.
“Loving today’s blog,” says Simon Klee, “and thinking about the England and Wales situation. Southgate likely to go after this tournament; Wales looking for a new head coach and are prepared to accept a non-Welshmen. Perfect for Gareth to walk from one job to the next.”
I do think Southgate might be more suited to international management that club.
We have the great John Brewin on the battle between ITV and BBC for our hearts and minds.
France’s defenders are readying themselves to face Romelu Lukaku. France meet Belgium in Düsseldorf on Monday in a game between “neighbours who want to beat each other”, as Dayot Upamecano described it moments ago. It is a tricky tie for France, who missed out on top spot in Group D to Austria.
France have conceded a single goal – a Robert Lewandowski penalty in their last match – but William Saliba knows he and Upamecano will have to be on their toes to stifle Lukaku, even if he is still searching for his first goal of the tournament.
“I don’t think there are many players that like playing opposite against Lukaku,” said the Arsenal defender. “When you play against the best forwards we are happy because they bring us up to the level. We have to be really focused when we play players like that. He’s a very good player but I hope he won’t be any good against us. I haven’t played against Lukaku before but he is one of the best attackers in the world. But it is not just him, there are other players we have to defend well against.”
Speaking of goalscorers, William Saliba is confident France’s forward line will find their feet in the knockout stages. They face Belgium in the last 16 after failing to score from open play in their past four matches.
Their two goals in the tournament so far have been an own goal and a Kylian Mbappe penalty, which is underwhelming to say the least.
“It’s true we didn’t score many goals in the group stage. When you don’t score a lot, you have to be focused,” Saliba told a press conference. “But that’s how it can be when you are playing at the highest level. But I have no doubt that the attackers will be there in the round of 16 and deliver. It’s clear that we have to be more dangerous with our set pieces, especially me. I think I haven’t even touched one, so we can do better.”
And do remember to keep on top of the Golden Boot table.
For more opinions on how England could change, we have Karen Carney’s column from before the Slovenia match.
Trippier and Rice train away from main group
A little bit of surprise at England’s Blankenhain training base this morning with Kieran Trippier and Declan Rice not among the main training group. Instead, they followed individual programmes. Load management is key to Gareth Southgate’s thinking over what he hopes will be a prolonged stay in Germany and Trippier is known to have carried a minor calf problem. It did not stop him from starting against Slovenia on Tuesday, although he was substituted in the 84th minute. Rice has not missed a minute of action here so far; his appearance against Slovenia was his 123th for club and country over the past two seasons. Phil Foden remains in England where he has returned to be with his partner for the birth of their third child.
Wai Ming Loh emails: “I’m a Scotland supporter, just for context ... I sent this message to two friends this morning and feel it relates nicely to your morning feed, with regards to this article
“I find this really interesting. It’s not something exclusive to England of course (talk of Clarke getting the boot despite taking Scotland to successive tournaments with a bunch of ok players and a few very good ones, and can only imagine it’s even worse in eg Brazil) but I find it amusing and tiresome in equal measure how many people “know” what needs to be done, despite having zero experience or qualifications as coaches, or former players who have either never been a manager/coach (eg Ferdinand) or are particularly noted for their abject performance when they were (eg Shearer, Neville).
“Southgate has taken England further than anyone other than in 1966, and actually across his tenure probably even better on average than that, in bigger events with many stronger teams.
“Yes, they’re dull at the moment, but all this gnashing of teeth, etc, just beggars belief. They qualified, will quite feasibly beat the Netherlands [edit now we know Slovakia], and thus find themselves in yet another semi, and possibly a final.
“Obviously, I don’t want that to happen but if it would make these people eat their words, it’d almost (but not quite) be worth it. Of course, that wouldn’t happen - lots of revisionism or forgetting their earlier complaints would see them all right behind Gaz and his Boys, long live the King, etc.”
Wouldn’t life be dull without opinions?
Wales are willing to appoint a non-Welshman as manager for the first time in 25 years. The Football Association of Wales has detailed the criteria required to succeed Rob Page after ending his three-and-a-half-year reign last week and invited “expressions of interest” from potential candidates.
Welsh football’s governing body has confirmed it is looking for an individual with a “proven track record of delivering success at club and/or international level” and plans to cast its net far and wide.
Thierry Henry, Yaya Toure and Patrick Vieira - charismatic playing greats who went through Wales’ admired coaching system - would all be welcomed to express interest by the FAW, although all three are currently in employment.
“The FAW knows how important coach education is to growing the game in Wales and offers a world-renowned service through its coaching courses,” said a FWA statement. “The Uefa Pro-Licence is a pre-requisite for coaches at the top level of the game and this qualification will be required to become Cymru’s next head coach. The Pro-Licence prepares candidates to work as a modern-day manager or head coach at club or international level. It develops their leadership and interpersonal skills to successfully implement their unique management style and philosophy.”
“I liked Kári Tulinius’s coastal metaphor (10.22am),” says Charles Antaki. “To carry on with it, Czech Republic were like a large displeased child trying to headbutt the seaside Punch & Judy show. Happily they shan’t bother us any further. There was, though, another large displeased child on show yesterday, and he will in fact still be with us into the next round.”
The news from inside the England camp is that Declan Rice and Kieran Trippier are training indoors, separately from the group. Phil Foden is also absent as he is attending the birth of his third child. The other 23 players are present and correct.
Where has the sense of fun gone with Gareth Southgate? Asks Jonathan Liew.
Manchester United Women are losing a lot of talent.
Who is the proud owner of these tattoos?
Jude Bellingham has told his England team-mates to forget about any negative supporters as he praised the fans who dragged him over the line against Slovenia despite being “absolutely dead” on his feet.
Despite drawing widespread criticism for their performances at Euro 2024, England topped Group C and avoided what appears to be the much tougher half of the draw for the knockout stages.
“I think you definitely draw on them for energy towards the end of games,” he said. “I felt like in the last game, I was absolutely dead but you hear them singing, hear them chanting and you can play at a level that’s not our best, it’s normal, it can happen. But I think the important thing is, when you’re wearing this badge and you’re representing those fans, is that you don’t give up and I think that they’re a constant reminder of that.
“I think it’s always interesting. I know there’s a lot of negativity outside the stadium and the camp but I always feel that when we get into the stadium, it’s so different. I think it’s important that as teammates and as a team, we remember that the ones in the stadium are the ones that are going to give us the energy so don’t worry about the ones that aren’t there. We’ve obviously got to keep using that energy, using that feeling that we get from them, to be successful in this tournament.”
On yer bike. Switzerland enjoy your downtime between the group and knockout stages.
A bit more on Bronze’s exit from Barcelona and the equally industrious Tom Garry.
Richard Hirst joins the party: “A revolutionary (or maybe a revisionist) suggestion I know, but why don’t we just leave Southgate alone to do his thing? France don’t top their group, Portugal lose to Georgia, Italy need a stoppage time goal - maybe Southgate isn’t doing too badly after all. And he has a good tournament record.
Just saying.”
The performances have been pretty poor, though. He needs to find a massive improvement.
“Turkey have played like a man trying to cross a spit of land that will be submerged once the tide rolls in,” says Kári Tulinius. “Austria have played like the tide. It could be fabulous to watch.”
“My random unscientific theory is all England managers post Sir Bobby (not including Venables and Big Sam (forgot about him) as they didn’t stay long enough) go slightly mad and try to be too clever in their selections,” suggests Will Cook (Chef to his friends). “Southgate’s started by playing 3 right backs and not taking a fit left back, not even peak Pep Champions league semifinal breakdowns would play with 3 right backs. Anyway, that’s my random thought, I should get back to work now.”
Luke Shaw will be available on Sunday …
“Hello from a baking hot summers day in Dubai, Will,” emails Brett Turner. “Since you asked here’s the team I’d put out -
Pickford
Trent Stones Guehi Walker
Bellingham Rice
Bowen Palmer Gordon
Kane
We need pace, aggression and flair to break down another stubborn team parking the bus. I’d rather have Trent in the team than Trippier when we need to create and Walker / Gordon gives us frightening pace down the left for Trent to hit with his quarterback passes. Foden can come on for Palmer and hook Kane for Watkins if he’s still not aggressive enough.
|This management lark is easy! Where’s my five million quid??
“Love your work.”
I have not seen much clamour for Bowen but the campaign starts here, it would seen. Dropping Saka and Foden is the bold.
Some Euros adjacent news from Matt Hughes.
Georgia’s celebrations in video form for those that like car horns.
Which last-16 tie clash are you most looking forward to? Despite neither team looking at their best, I think France v Belgium could be decent. There is plenty of quality in the two squad and maybe they will finally show it when it truly matters.
There were some fantastic scenes in Romania after they top their group to make it to the last 16.
How green is the Euros? Philippe Auclair takes a look.
Elsewhere it has been confirmed that England full-back Lucy Broze will leave Barcelona this summer after the conclusion of her contract.
𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐲 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐳𝐞 𝐧𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐚̀ 𝐚𝐥 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐜̧𝐚.
— FC Barcelona Femení (@FCBfemeni) June 27, 2024
Moltes gràcies i molta sort 💙❤️
Every man and his dog will be offering up their opinions on what England should do on Sunday against Slovakia. One such person is former striker Jermain Defoe who fancies seeing a bit more Ollie Watkins in this tournament.
“When Ollie Watkins came on (against Denmark), he looked really sharp,” Defoe told the PA news agency. “He is someone who can get us up the pitch because he is so dynamic. He runs in behind, the ball doesn’t only come to his feet. I would love to see see him involved a little bit more because Harry Kane can drop into that 10 position, to roam and do his stuff. Harry is such a world-class finisher and it is almost like he can play in two positions, having almost mastered the number nine position as a focal point and can then also play in at number 10 because his passing rate is one of the best.”
How do we solve a problem like England? Jacob Steinberg has a big and bold suggestion: drop Jude Bellingham.
The team has looked incredible unbalanced in the three group games. If Southgate wants Rice and Mainoo to sit, maybe it is best for everyone is Bellingham sits it out on Sunday. What do you think?
What a night it was for Georgia. In their first European Championships and they have made the last 16.
Preamble
How will we all cope with a day without European Championship football? We can all see our families for a few precious and enjoy a full 24 hours of complaining how Gareth Southgate is essentially wrong about everything.
We will keep you up to date with everything that happens on what should be a lovely Thursday of fun and frolics. In the meantime, here is the full list of the last-16 ties:
Saturday 29 June
Switzerland vs Italy (Berlin, 5pm, all times BST)
Germany vs Denmark (Dortmund, 8pm)
Sunday 30 June
England vs Slovakia (Gelsenkirchen, 5pm)
Spain vs Georgia (Cologne, 8pm)
Monday 1 July
France vs Belgium (Düsseldorf, 5pm)
Portugal vs Slovenia (Frankfurt, 8pm)
Tuesday 2 July
Romania vs Netherlands (Munich, 5pm)
Austria vs Turkey (Leipzig, 8pm)
Updated
