England are in the Euro 2024 semis in spite of their manager, captain and best player. Gareth Southgate, Harry Kane and Phil Foden must thank Bukayo Saka.
1) “The biggest takeaway from the whole experience for me was the contrast. I think you look at the run into the final, it felt like the country had united. We had black players in the team, players of all different backgrounds from all different countries. And then as soon as they missed the penalties, they’re not English, they’re just black” – Jude Bellingham, May 2022.
in terms of whether they can kick a ball into a net from 12 yards. And some will dismiss the idea that it warrants a mention as twee or virtue signalling or woke. “But it wouldn’t be right to not pick the players you think are best to take them because of what the possible consequences of them missing would be. I’ve got to pick them on the belief they are going to score. We’ve got 55 years of talking about penalties and everything else. So we’ve now got another layer that’s going to make it extremely difficult for us to win anything.”
These are low bars at elite level but for the first time all summer, England were consistently clearing them and showing signs of work actually having been carried out in training. They had *a plan*.4) Literally and mythologically central to that was Foden, instructed to operate in that more free role those who champion him insist will unlock England, floating behind Kane and allowed to pick his passes instead of holding Trippier’s hand on the left.
Perhaps it damns Southgate more than anyone but England’s tournament has been symbolised by moments of incredible skill breaking out from the foundations of a mundane team and the individual many still believe to be their best player has not been close to providing one of his own. An underperforming attack cannot really take on many more passengers and Foden, as probably the most frustrating of two, needs to be dropped.
It does feel like that reported back injury will be worth at least four paragraphs in a future inside story long read on England’s tournament; it would at least excuse and justify these awful centre-forward performances. When England most needed it, Saka realised the problem with ten minutes of normal time remaining: he was passing to his teammates instead of just being absolutely shudderingly outstanding. Quite how he has managed to co-opt Arjen Robben’s trademark move, only cutting inside and shooting from a deeper and wider position, is a mystery.
England’s four corners were taken by four different players. It does not feel as though there is a particular strategy being carried out, which is plain wasteful. Unless some meticulous plans were scrapped as soon as Harry Maguire was declared unfit, which is almost definitely what has happened.10) While there was no need for changes from either side at half-time, it quickly became apparent that England should alter something.
He has only played 42 minutes since February, and largely on the left of a back three, but the difference he made to England was tangible and he must start the semi-final.14) With the rage at Southgate’s constant insistence on being reactive rather than proactive in major tournament knockout football still simmering, the worst example came when Manuel Akanji barged Kane into the dugout and the England captain’s manager vaguely grabbed his arm and spun him around as he fell to the floor.
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