Fifty eight years of hurt… and that hurt will go on for at least another two years. As it stands, all of the surviving members of England men’s football World Cup winning squad will probably be deceased before another generation even get a chance of winning another international trophy… and put those jokes about the typically underachieving team to bed for a while.
England went into the Euro2024 tournament in Germany (surprisingly) as one of the favourites, but the team struggled to get out of their group, playing the most dreadful football. While most other teams made the effort to entertain the fans, England typically stank the place out. In the second round, they were seconds away from being knocked out by Slovakia, only to be saved by Jude Bellingham’s overhead kick to force extra time, surviving a penalty shoot out against Switzerland in the quarter final, and both a dubious Harry Kane penalty and a last-minute goal by Ollie Watkins defeated the much-fancied Netherlands in the semis. So it wasn’t a surprise when the final came, they were given a football lesson by Spain, who were by far the best team in the tournament.
Last night’s defeat should end Gareth Southgate’s reign as England men’s head coach. But when he goes, who will replace him…indeed, who in their right mind would want to replace him? England are currently struggling to assemble a squad that could reach international tournament finals, as many local players fail to make the grade in both the Premier League and the Championship.
Trying to manage a team which has repeatedly failed since 1966 is a poisoned chalice. The coach is repeatedly trying to manage both high expectations of the team and having to fend off relentless criticism from the likes of the media, former players, pundits and the general public.
As the talent pool declines yet further, many people will often wonder where will the next Foden, Bellingham, Palmer or Mainoo come from? Unless the Football Association, the leagues and clubs try to address the real problems in the English game, the national men’s team will continue to fail at international tournaments.