Ice Age in England
England's national manager Gareth Southgate has dispensed long-standing regulars such as Harry Maguire and Jack Grealish in his Euro squad. He dropped them regardless of their names and merits.
England's reactions after the clash with the little football fish Iceland from the North Atlantic were inevitably reminiscent of the infamous humiliation against the same opponents in the last 16 of Euro 2016. The national players all walked around the pitch in daze, the few fans who stayed in the stadium until the end booed Gareth Southgate's team - and the merciless tabloids seethed like Icelandic volcanoes. The Sun was the harshest: Referring to the 2-1 defeat to Iceland eight years ago, the newspaper mocked: “Return of the Ice Age”.
England again lost to Iceland on Saturday evening in sobering fashion, this time 0:1 with a goal from Jón Dagur Thorsteinsson in the early stages. Fortunately for the English, however, it was only a test match - although in the notoriously excited motherland of football, every game is treated like a final. And so the Three Lions travel to the European Championships in Germany with mixed feelings.
In their unfocused and timid performance against a spirited Icelandic side, England's thoughts were already on the tournament, with Serbia awaiting them in the opening game next Sunday. The players didn't seem to want to exert themselves too much, neither in the tackles nor when scoring. Captain Harry Kane's best chance slipped through when he hit the ball with his shin after a cross just in front of the goal line. The Telegraph had little sympathy for this, saying that the national team's performance was “ragged” and came “close to the sort of self-sabotage of previous years”.
In his analysis, Southgate tried to calm tempers and protect his players. He said he knew the reasons for the performance and what is needed for the Euro. There was indeed a plausible explanation for the England players' lack of timing and intensity in particular. After an exhausting season, the players first have to get back into rhythm. Furthermore, after the squad nominations for the European Championships had been announced, it was pretty obvious that nobody wanted to get injured. The team is already hampered by enough absentees.
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The competitive nature of the team has taken its toll on the players in recent weeks. Although there is space for 26 players in the squad, Southgate has faced considerable overboarding when selecting the team. The pool of talented players is so large that England could easily field two competitive teams for the European Championship. Even the first 33-man cut for the training camp did not include numerous established national players. This group included the internationally renowned Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Jordan Henderson, Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell, Reece James, Mason Mount and Eric Dier. Their names are so illustrious that almost no pundit would have questioned them if Southgate had called them up.
Before the second and final selection, threemore high-caliber players who were still in the squad for the 2022 World Cup were sorted out : Jack Grealish from Manchester City, Harry Maguire from Manchester United and James Maddison from Tottenham Hotspur. His most difficult decision was probably to leave out the popular Grealish. He preferred Anthony Gordon and Jarrod Bowen to the left-winger, who has lacked form this season.
Southgate consistently used the current level of performance as a selection criterion. This was illustrated by the naming of four players from mid-table Crystal Palace, who form the largest block in the squad, as well as the handling of Maguire. The defensive warhorse has been a regular in the team for years and Southgate has always backed him at critical moments.
But this time the risk seemed too great for him, as Maguire would probably not be ready to play until the round of 16 at the earliest due to a calf injury. He could only take a gamble, the coach explained - and instead expressed his confidence in left-back Luke Shaw, who is expected to return at some point during the group stage. The Sun commented that Southgate could still wear as many cream-colored knitwear on the sidelines to look cuddly. He had been “extremely ruthless” during the European Championship preparations. The players concerned accepted the decision with disappointment but decency. Maguire posted on Instagram that he was “devastated” but would still support the team “as a fan”. In total, England will enter the European Championship with twelve players who have never played in a major tournament before.
Despite the last impression, England is considered one of the favorites for the title. This time, the country does not have to be afraid of its dreaded opponent Iceland. The Icelanders have not qualified for the European Championship.