Euro 2024: Present imperfect, future tense for England

For those who came in late, here’s what happened: last Thursday’s 1-1 result got Lineker in his podcast with Alan Shearer – between the two there are 78 England goals in 143 matches – to say England were s**t. Kane responded saying it has been a while since the men’s team won anything but beyond that subtle dig, he urged former stars to get behind the team as a lot of players look up to them. It was a masterclass in de-escalation. Problem is: Kane’s time in Euro 2024 has had little else to gloat about.

He had seven touches in Cologne. It would have been eight but in an attempt to stay on-side, Kane was a step slower to Phil Foden’s pass in the 27th minute. There was a 30th minute shot that didn’t trouble Jan Oblak in Slovenia’s goal much and a late involvement with Kobbie Mainoo to find Cole Palmer, who fired straight to the goalkeeper.

To say that you would expect more from a generational talent who scored 44 goals in 45 games for Bayern Munich last term would be understating the obvious. In over 250 minutes of Group C football, Kane, who also has a passing range of a No.10, has one goal and little else. He touched the ball once in the penalty area against Denmark and had two touches in the first half against Serbia. And it was from Kane’s mispass that Denmark started the move that fetched the equaliser.

Maybe listlessness is contagious and starts from the skipper. Jude Bellingham came to Germany after a dream first season with Real Madrid but it seems like yesterday for this Beatles fan. In the 65th minute, Bellingham let his frustration show with a push. It would have been preposterous to think of substituting Bellingham on form before Euro 2024 began. It wouldn’t have on Tuesday.

That would also have meant Phil Foden operating through the middle, a position he made his own at Manchester City, especially when Kevin de Bruyne was injured. Foden did drift in oftener than in the opening game and England did channel 42% of all attacks down the left, neither of which they had done much of in Germany so far, but they needed more to break down a team well drilled in 4-4-2 and with a number of players in Europe’s top five.

England’s slickest move came in the 20th minute when Declan Rice and Foden found Bukayo Saka, who put the ball in the net but Foden was off-side. It summed up the night.

Between them, Foden, Saka, Bellingham and Kane have scored 114 club goals in 2023-24 but none has looked nearly as good. You could say that for most barring Marc Guehi, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Jordan Pickford and Mainoo. Mainoo was on because only seven of Connor Gallagher’s 20 passes were forward. In a match where England had 74% possession, the midfield needed a player who could calm things, control play. Not one for whom, as the Germans say, the ball was not a friend. Gallagher had zero dribbles, zero chances created and zero shots.

Playing Gallagher also meant the Trent Alexander-Arnold experiment in midfield was put on hold. Replacing him with Mainoo showed England have a Plan C but equally a team far from settled. England had become fun over the past six-seven years, Gareth Southgate said after the match. It was the coach’s way of acknowledging another sub-par performance that sparked boos from England fans.

But even after a performance this shackled and ponderous – they had four shots on target, half of what France managed against Poland – England have topped the group from where Denmark and Slovenia have also qualified. Two clean sheets in three games took Pickford’s tally to 11 in majors, the most by an England keeper.

“That was the aim before the start of the tournament. Come top of the group and control our destiny,” Kane told ITV. “You can’t go into every game with such pressure and score four goals. Football doesn’t work like that,” said Southgate.

France, Spain, Portugal and Germany are in the other half of the draw meaning England could yet have a smooth run in this campaign. Portugal in 2016 Euros, Italy in the 1982 World Cup, Argentina in the 2022 World Cup are but some examples of teams winning tournaments with worse starts. Question is: will the dour give way to delight in the knockout rounds?