England left the Frankfurt Arena with a 1-1 draw against Denmark in their second of three Group C clashes at Euro 2024, but even that scoreline looked flattering at times.
Harry Kane opened the scoring for England inside 15 minutes, but played a role in undoing his own good work later in the first half when his wayward clearance led to Denmark midfielder Morten Hjulmand’s long-range equaliser.
The Three Lions entered the tournament as one of the favourites to lift the trophy on account of their wealth of attacking talent, but their first two outings have left many fans scratching their heads. FourFourTwo take a look at a few key areas Gareth Southgate will need to address ahead of his side’s final group game against Slovenia on Tuesday.
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1. England need to get Harry Kane involved more far at Euro 2024
We momentarily saw Kane at his best in the otherwise drab Denmark clash on Thursday evening, instinctively poaching a goal in and around the six-yard box after being denied by the fingertips of Serbia’s Predrag Rajkovic in the previous game.
Despite that, it still feels like Southgate is yet to find a way to get his captain on the ball or consistently supply him with chances. In both games, the talisman has barely topped 20 touches, only two of which were inside the opposition box across the 180 minutes of football.
There is no debate on how deadly Kane is inside the penalty area. England need to find a way to get him there more often.
2. Reacting to taking a lead
Player for player, there is little question that England have one of the best squads in the competition.
If you were really searching for a weakness, the defensive unit would likely be your first port of call, with Marc Guehi relatively inexperienced at the international level and right-back Kieran Trippier filling in on the opposite flank.
Despite that, in both of England’s opening games, they have taken the lead early on and immediately retreated to their own half for the remainder, resting heavily on the weakest area of the pitch.
Game management is key to tournament football, but the Three Lions need to stop taking their foot off the gas after a single goal. There is bags of attacking potential in this attacking unit; Southgate needs to find a way to use it.
3. How to use Phil Foden
Two games have passed, both with Phil Foden primarily out on the left-wing, and we’re still yet to see the best of the Premier League’s Player of the Season.
The 24-year-old showed exactly what he can do more centrally just shy of the hour mark, receiving the ball from Bukayo Saka and rapidly finding a shooting angle from outside the box, denied only by the post.
He has been shifted out wide to accommodate Jude Bellingham but the Real Madrid man is more than capable of playing deeper, as shown regularly for his former side Borussia Dortmund.
Utilising that side of Bellingham’s game would free up the no.10 role for Foden, leaving Southgate free to choose from the likes of Anthony Gordon and Eberechi Eze to pick up the slack on the left side.
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