Football hooliganism made an ugly return to the Euros just hours before England‘s opening Group C match against Serbia. There were violent clashes in the west German city of Gelsenkirchen between rival fans in shameful scenes. Riot police moved in quickly to restore order: a number of arrests were made and investigations are ongoing.
The violence made for a tense atmosphere ahead of the game. On the pitch, England made a bright and confident start, moving the ball quickly and dominating possession. The breakthrough came in the 13th minute: a wonderful Bellingham header from a Saka cross. It was a false dawn and things went downhill pretty quickly after the half-hour mark. England took their foot off the gas and allowed Serbia back into the match.
This is Southgate’s fourth and possibly final international tournament for England
They say football is a game of two halves – that was certainly true here. England were pretty uninspiring for much of the second half, giving the ball away too easily, sitting back, and there was little in the way of leadership on the pitch. Kane struck the crossbar in the second half but a second goal would have flattered England.
What do we know after this match that we didn’t know before? Not a lot. A win in the first game in tournament football is vital, and England managed just that. Victory will silence the doubters, for the moment at least. Gareth Southgate, the England manager, still hasn’t won a major tournament but that hasn’t stopped the team from being installed as one of the favourites to win the Euros.
Yet, after the opening match it is hard to say how good England really are and whether they can go all the way. The team is blessed with a highly gifted cohort of players, but can Southgate get the best out of them? Not on the admittedly limited evidence of this opening game, which saw England hanging on for dear life rather than going for an emphatic victory. Southgate is routinely accused by his critics of being passive and slow to spot changes to the ebb and flow of a match (in evidence again when Serbia took control and Southgate appeared short on answers). The way the match drifted away from England will have done little to quash these nagging questions and doubts about tactics and approach.
The questions about the England defence – the weakest area of the team – won’t go away either. Is the John Stones-Marc Guehi partnership really of the level required to go deep into the competition let alone win? Guehi played well enough, especially in the first half, but it is hard to avoid the conclusion that teams better than Serbia might test this defensive collaboration to destruction.
The England midfield is another problem area. Trent Alexander-Arnold, who plays right-back for Liverpool, was chosen to partner Declan Rice. Southgate said before the match that Trent gives the team a different dimension. Maybe, maybe not. Trent was taken off in the second half when England were struggling. His defensive weaknesses will be a focal point for cannier and more skilful opponents than Serbia. The England squad is also much less experienced overall than in previous tournaments: quite a few players, including Kobbie Mainoo, Cole Palmer, and Eberechi Eze, are at their first international tournament. Will that rawness count against the side in the end?
This is Southgate’s fourth and possibly final international tournament for England: he has hinted as much, saying that it is a case of win or bust. Few fans will want him to stay on if England don’t win the competition. He was appointed as the England manager in 2016 – eight long years ago, a period that has seen plenty of hope and optimism followed by agonising disappointment. At the 2018 World Cup England lost against Croatia in the semi-finals; at Euro 2020 they lost on penalties in the final against Italy at Wembley; and at the World Cup in Qatar two years ago they were beaten at the quarter-final stage by France.
All three matches were there for the taking but England and their manager fell short when the stakes were highest. In theory, England have every chance of winning this tournament in Germany. Nothing about the opening game changes that. They are also a team that can have the occasional stinker, liable to be found wanting when the stakes are highest in the later stages of big tournaments. One game in, no one is really any the wiser about how far they will go in Germany.
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