Despite first place in their group, England did not reassure Tuesday evening during their match against Slovenia (0-0). Gareth Southgate, the coach of the Three Lions, is under fire more than ever.
“Southgate wants England to be loved, but how can anyone love the performance against Slovenia?” In one sentence, the very serious English daily The Telegraph summed up the feeling of all Three Lions fans after the poor performance of Gareth Southgate’s men on Tuesday evening.
Against Slovenia, Jude Bellingham’s teammates performed poorly and had to settle for a draw (0-0). With this result, the reigning European vice-champions secure first place in group C. But the level of play displayed by the English selection is worrying.
“Rarely has first place given rise to such a feeling of flattening. A feeling of emptiness,” laments The Telegraph.
Tuesday evening, when greeting the English supporters present in the stands of Cologne, Gareth Southgate was even the victim of empty cups being thrown by his own fans.
Southgate ‘happy with what the players did’ against Slovenia
Laughed at by England after the draw against Denmark and his lunar explanations, Southgate, in place since 2016, fails to silence his detractors. “A few years ago, I would have read and listened to all that and it would have taken energy from me. Now, I cut myself off from all that, so as not to lose sight of what is important,” swept the main interested party at a press conference after the draw against Slovenia.
Speaking to the media, Southgate said he was very satisfied with his team’s performance. “We were very strong in the second half, we completely controlled it. I am very happy with what the players did,” he assured. An outing deemed completely off the mark by many observers.
Whatever happens, England will quickly have to move forward. In the round of 16, the Three Lions could also come across a big loss, since they have two chances out of three of facing the Netherlands, third in Group D (behind Austria and France).
