'Baffling and concerning' - what is wrong with England?

Gareth Southgate’s England person been present earlier - for nan 3rd successive awesome tourney they person drawn their 2nd group game.

Just for illustration nan performances successful nan goalless draws pinch Scotland astatine Euro 2020 and nan USA astatine nan 2022 World Cup, this 1-1 stalemate pinch Denmark has near Southgate pinch arsenic galore questions arsenic answers contempt being unbeaten and connected nan brink of reaching nan adjacent round.

Theories abound arsenic to what nan England leader tin do to amended his squad arsenic Euro 2024 progresses. While reaching nan knockout stages is wrong rubbing distance, optimism is evaporating.

“I don't cognize if they are being told to play for illustration this,” erstwhile England defender Micah Richards said connected BBC One. “They are lethargic - they request much power and request to beryllium much aggressive.

“We are perpetually inviting pressure. We person a group of players who tin support nan ball.”

Many pundits and fans person questioned why an England broadside truthful packed pinch talent, who play for clubs specified arsenic Manchester City and Liverpool that property pinch style and abandon, were sitting successful a debased block.

Having, arsenic they did against Serbia, started pinch intent and scored a deserved opener, England notably withdrew from nan midfield conflict and ceded impetus to their opponents.

It was that deficiency of pressing which gave Morten Hjulmand nan abstraction and clip to prime his spot and arrow a magnificent equaliser past Jordan Pickford and successful disconnected nan post.

“England person to person much strength successful nan property - they are excessively passive astatine nan moment,” said erstwhile England defender Rio Ferdinand.

“They person sewage successful immoderate bully positions precocious up nan transportation but person lacked that intensity, and erstwhile you are passive you are played through.

"The existent equilibrium of nan squad is not allowing nan players to scope nan levels that they person done for clubs. Phil Foden is retired of position and not playing his best, possibly Jude Bellingham would beryllium amended playing astatine number eight. It is simply a large concern.

"At nan infinitesimal England do not cognize erstwhile to compression nan pitch, who is going when, nan distances betwixt each other. Once you person questions tactically nan image tin alteration successful a divided 2nd successful beforehand of you and you are lost.

“It is baffling and concerning."

It seems to beryllium baffling Southgate, who said aft nan crippled that this was not portion of nan plan.

"No,” he said, erstwhile asked whether he tells nan squad to driblet heavy aft scoring.

“I deliberation we've played teams that are rather fluid successful backmost threes and it's not easy to get unit connected them, but we've sewage to do that amended than we person successful these past 2 matches. Not keeping nan shot has been different problem."

When it comes to England keeping nan ball, Southgate’s action will beryllium questioned.

Trent Alexander-Arnold struggled to effect play against Serbia, and was utterly swamped here.

Absent were nan backmost passes Southgate would person hoped for - alternatively he was overwhelmed and yet withdrawn aft 54 minutes for Conor Gallagher.

If nan Trent task has failed, Southgate must measure options – Gallagher to commencement against Slovenia? Bellingham to driblet deep? Time to spot Kobbie Mainoo aliases Adam Wharton?

Southgate faces having to research successful a unrecorded tourney - a roar aliases bust scenario.

“Alexander-Arnold has travel into nan midfield to adhd a imaginative element. I deliberation Southgate expected to beryllium much ascendant successful possession wherever Trent would beryllium recovered successful much violative situations wherever he could utilise his correct foot,” erstwhile England defender Izzy Christiansen told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“What I would opportunity arsenic a information is playing personification other alongside Declan Rice specified arsenic Mainoo, aliases dropping Bellingham deeper.

“Could you put Trent astatine left-back because Kieran Trippier hasn't been outstanding?”

On nan equilibrium of England's midfield, Ferdinand added: "I would put Declan Rice successful nan six, Jude Bellingham successful nan 8 moving from heavy and Phil Foden successful nan free domiciled arsenic nan 10. I deliberation that is really you will get nan champion of these players."

But possibly nan biggest elephant successful nan room was Harry Kane. England’s talisman for truthful long, it cannot beryllium avoided that they looked sharper erstwhile Watkins replaced nan skipper pinch 20 minutes to play.

Kane's scoring grounds for England is unmatched, his extremity against Denmark a typically opportunistic decorativeness which collapsed yet different record, making him nan first man to people astatine 4 different awesome tournaments for nan Three Lions.

But arsenic he did against Serbia, against whom he had conscionable 2 touches of nan shot successful nan first half, he trim a peripheral fig for agelong spells connected Thursday.

It drew comparisons pinch different world talisman, and not successful a affirmative way.

"Harry Kane is ever location and nan shot ever falls to him successful nan box, it is for illustration a magnet,” said Ferdinand.

“That is nan problem for Gareth Southgate. Portugal astir apt person it pinch Cristiano Ronaldo arsenic good - you can't person it each from a striker, he won't connection that aggravated press.”

Ex-England striker Gary Lineker said Kane "needs his head to travel and inquire a small much of him" aft his showing against Denmark - and that he himself "would person expected that if I'd put successful that benignant of performance".

"As a striker you person 2 jobs: people goals, which Harry Kane has been bully astatine each his career, and make space," said Lineker.

"Against a backmost 3 he has to agelong nan play, tally 1 measurement and past travel short truthful you don't person to travel excessively acold to person it.

"He needs to make much abstraction for nan midfield players down him to create chances."

Fellow erstwhile Three Lions guardant Shearer agreed nan cardinal was getting players from midfield to tally beyond nan striker.

“As I sewage older I needed gait successful and astir me. I could still people goals, caput nan ball, get into positions successful nan box, but 1 point I could not do is tally successful behind. Harry Kane is nan aforesaid now,” Shearer said.

“He needs players that person nan legs to tally beyond and make nan space. That's why I would person [Anthony] Gordon successful nan team. Foden is occupying nan aforesaid spaces arsenic Kane astatine nan infinitesimal and it's not working.”

There was immoderate astonishment from nan England campy astatine nan disapproval pursuing nan Serbia game. There was overmuch much acceptance this time, moreover if it is not a game-over scenario.

The past clip England drew their 2nd group crippled astatine nan Euros, they went connected to scope nan final. But to guarantee a repeat, Southgate has galore questions to answer.