All is not so rosy on the English front
There is a ‘tension’ in the England squad as relatives of players are unhappy with ‘commitments’ made to certain England players according to the chief football writer of the independent.
This follows England’s disappointing 1-1 draw against Denmark in the second round of group games at Euro 2024.
The game in Frankfurt saw Harry Kane give England the lead in the 18th minute, but failed to push on from there, being pegged back only 15 minutes later by a fantastic Morten Hjulmand long-range strike.
Now Miguel Delaney, chief football writer at the Independent, has said that after England players met with their families after the game there was a “tension” among the players which was not directly related to the result.
Delaney said: “Some relatives of squad members feel that Gareth Southgate has made ‘commitments’ to certain players, but is not picking those who deserve it or are in form.”
He added: “A concern is growing that Southgate is too wedded to certain senior players. There have been acerbic comments about not wanting to ‘upset’ them.”
Delaney highlighted the natural effect that poor performances are a having on the harmony of the squad, added to by letting families, who will understandably be backing their own players, in after games.
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Full-time yesterday was met by a chorus of boos from the England fans who feel they are owed more from such a star-studded team of footballers.
Gareth Southgate described the performance as “anxious” although took the blame for himself.
He said: “We are falling a bit short and ultimately that is my responsibility. I am the manager. To achieve extraordinary things you have to go through some difficult moments.”
Lots of criticism has landed on the England manager and his players with former Three Lions striker Gary Lineker saying that Harry Kane “needs to do better.”
Lineker criticised the Bayern Munich attacker’s movement and runs in behind, describing Kane as moving “very lethargically”.
Southgate addressed Harry Kane’s fitness after the game.
The England manager said: “Harry has only had one 90 minutes in the last five or six weeks and it took a lot out of him. We felt that to get speed in that front line and energy to press was important.”
Elsewhere on a night of discontent, the matter of Marcus Rashford not being selected for the squad made the headlines as his brother posted a cryptic message to his Instagram story.
He wrote: “It’s hard to sit and watch when you honestly believe your man can make a difference.”
Meanwhile fans are calling for Southgate to “free Cole Palmer” as the Chelsea star man, who has contributed the most goals from midfield in Europe’s top five leagues this season, is yet to play a single minute at Euro 2024.
England fans will be keen to know if Southgate will make any changes ahead of England’s final group game against Slovenia on Tuesday at 8pm in Cologne.
