When England qualified for the final of Euro 2024, given the way in which they’d play to reach the showpiece, there was enough of a reason for supporters to believe that the Three Lions had their name on the cup.

Gareth Southgate’s side were far from their best throughout the tournament, and yet somehow dragged themselves to Berlin where they’d eventually be undone by a brilliant Spain side.

England did have their moments, but Stan Collymore believes their failure to get over the line in major tournaments is down to a massive inferiority complex that they have.

England’s inferiority complex is continuing to hurt them

“It’s always been the same for England for over 50 years. I think that there is this feeling of inferiority at international level because of our record and because of the hype. “It’s coming home, 60 years of hurt….,” he said to CaughtOffside for his exclusive column.

“People say that English players play well at their clubs because they’ve got foreigners around. That’s rubbish. Phil Foden’s performances and Jude Bellingham’s performances were because of Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham, not because they have foreigners around them. Likewise, Harry Kane.

“I can certainly say, thanks to my own brief foray with England, that you feel that you have to play this mythical thing called international football that is more cerebral, that is more intelligent, so you end up doing things you normally wouldn’t, and that’s where the passing along the back comes from.

“[…] I think we’ve got to have a look at what are the hallmarks of English football. One is tempo, two is intensity, three is aggression, and four is attacking, and I think we actually need to have those as cornerstones.

“A lot of the guys that play for England now, they have seen the Barcelona of 2011 and the Spanish sides of 2008-2012, and gone “we need to keep possession and slow the tempo,” but that’s the antithesis of what the very best of English football is about.

“If you want proof, every time that we went behind in the Euros, we upped the tempo, upped the aggression and got back in the game.”

Although one never had a feeling that England were a team that sometimes played like a ‘frightened rabbit in the headlights,’ there was very much a feeling, particularly against Spain, that the Three Lions were always going for the safety first option.

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That things were a little cagey and no one really wanted to put their head above the parapet and grab the game by the scruff of the neck like the Turkish or Georgian sides were doing in their games, for example.

If England are consistently making it to the business end of tournaments, then the players need to puff out their chests and play brave, front foot, attacking football.

They deserve to be in such esteemed company, so it’s about time that English football and England footballers believed it.

The post Collymore: England have a massive inferiority complex that’s stopping them winning tournaments appeared first on CaughtOffside.

In his exclusive column for CaughtOffside, former Aston Villa attacker Stan Collymore discusses some of football’s biggest talking points, including why England were only a six out of 10 at Euro 2024, why big name players must be subbed if they’re not playing well, and why Lee Carsley will be the new England coach despite Emma Hayes and Sarina Wiegman both deserving to be in the conversation. 

—

I’d give England a six out of 10… players such as Kane and Bellingham can’t be above being subbed

I’d give the overall England performance at Euro 2024 a six out of 10, because we got to a final which only two teams can ever do, but the performances to get there, and the side of the draw that we had… I think a six out of 10 is fair enough.

In terms of Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham’s individual performances, I’m not so worried about Jude because I think that this was his first tournament on the back of the elation of winning La Liga and the Champions League and being the best player for Real Madrid.

I think that he came flying out of the blocks in in the first half of the first game at the Euros, but then the drop off in the second half of the first game was was noticeable. He’s got to manage his minutes, his emotional state and his physical state much better.

Harry had an excuse of already playing year in and year out, whether it be for club or country, in the Premier League, Bundesliga, at World Cups, pre and post-season tournaments, and I think he was genuinely knackered.

We’ve had this sort of problem before of course, going right the way back to Jimmy Greaves. He got injured before the World Cup in 66, Geoff Hurst comes in and scores a hat-trick in the final, and then stays in the side forever. It happened with Gary Lineker too, and Alan Shearer.

We had at least 10 strikers waiting to step into Shearer’s shoes at international level, but no one could get a look in even when he went 12 England games without scoring, which would be unthinkable now for any striker.

From my perspective, I’d like to think that the next coach would look at Harry Kane and say, ‘ok, you’re the number nine, you’ve scored a load of goals over the last decade, but if you’re not doing the business, we’re going to take you off at 60 minutes’ etc.

Gareth Southgate, to his credit, has smashed the glass ceiling now, and although subbing Kane or leaving him out entirely could have been done sooner, the precedent has been set.

In future, no matter the name, if you’re playing poorly, the national team coach has to have the bravery to make those big calls for the good of everyone, including themselves.

England have a massive inferiority complex

English football has a massive inferiority complex.

It’s always been the same for England for over 50 years. I think that there is this feeling of inferiority at international level because of our record and because of the hype. “It’s coming home, 60 years of hurt….”

People say that English players play well at their clubs because they’ve got foreigners around. That’s boll**ks. Phil Foden’s performances and Jude Bellingham’s performances were because of Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham, not because they have foreigners around them. Likewise, Harry Kane.

I can certainly say, thanks to my own brief foray with England, that you feel that you have to play this mythical thing called international football that is more cerebral, that is more intelligent, so you end up doing things you normally wouldn’t, and that’s where the passing along the back comes from.

It’s like you watch the Spanish, you watch the Italians, you watch the great Germans and they all pass it along the back, but English football doesn’t realise that there’s method to the madness. Spain will pop it very quickly into midfield and then their players, already waiting on the half-turn, are off on the run.

The general feeling amongst the English is that international football is some higher form of the game, and it’s not. Georgia proved that. Turkey proved that. You can go out and play in a way that is on the fruitful and exciting side, utilising your assets and getting results beyond your your ranking.

So from that perspective, I think we’ve got to have a look at what are the hallmarks of English football. One is tempo, two is intensity, three is aggression, and four is attacking, and I think we actually need to have those as cornerstones.

A lot of the guys that play for England now, they have seen the Barcelona of 2011 and the Spanish sides of 2008-2012, and gone “we need to keep possession and slow the tempo,” but that’s the antithesis of what the very best of English football is about.

If you want proof, every time that we went behind in the Euros, we upped the tempo, upped the aggression and got back in the game.

There’s a lot of talk about winning tournaments with 60-70% possession, but you can win a tournament with 40% possession. You can win a tournament with equal possession.

Ideally, if you’re Pep Guardiola, you win a tournament with 70-80% possession, and with exciting attacking play, but don’t forget that when Pep gets to sign the players that he wants, they are specific players to do specific jobs in specific areas of the pitch. The England national team is a markedly different proposition.

England should consider a woman to replace Southgate but Carsley will be the FA’s man

Emma Hayes and Sarina Wiegman should definitely be in the conversation to be the new England men’s first-team manager because they’re successful football managers in their own right, they know the FA system and the inner workings of it.

The reasons that they won’t be are because I think there will be a feeling inside the Football Association that ‘we’ve got the best group of players ever, and we don’t need experiments.’

How will a group of men react to a woman manager? Would they subconsciously think ‘no she can’t do the job, she’s only managed Chelsea Women’ for example, and that’s the reality.

Only one step above that would be Lee Carsley and I’ve got a sneaky feeling it’s going to be him. Why?

The FA’s St George’s Park system was designed to produce players and coaches for the elite level, and with Lee Carsley, they’ve done that from scratch. They’ve invested a lot of money in him to get to this point, and his England U21 team is, pound for pound, the best England team that I’ve ever seen.

They’re solid at the back, they pop it around everywhere, and play front foot, attacking, inventive and creative football. So, the FA system is shown to be working.

As importantly, it’s the antithesis of spending £17m on somebody (Pep Guardiola?) to come in at the last minute, grab a group of players and try and get them over the line at a major tournament.

The reality for England fans is that they don’t care that St George’s Park creates players and managers but they should, because all of the other European nations had managers that came through their respective systems. It should matter if we want to be a self sustaining football association.

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Lee Carsley is a very good coach but the level of risk is that he’s never managed anybody significant and isn’t the big name – Steven Gerrard/Frank Lampard/Pep Guardiola – that people want to see. ’Lee who?’ some might say, as well as reminding everyone that he played for Ireland. Not very God save the King is it.

So, if the FA are going to appoint Lee Carsley, the England PR machine needs to get him out there. They need to put out an urgent, positively worded, press release, and get him on as many TV and radio shows, and in as many newspaper columns as possible in order to give him a fully rounded personality who England fans can get behind.

If England then spank Finland in their first Nations League game and then beat Greece away, all of a sudden we’re rocking and rolling and you create a personality that can start to walk alongside those aforementioned big names.

The post Collymore’s column: England – six out of 10 at Euro 2024, a massive inferiority complex and why Emma Hayes should be manager appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Manchester City star Phil Foden had a nightmare for England at Euro 2024, playing seven games but without contributing a single goal or assist in the entire tournament.

The 24-year-old is capable of so much more than what we saw from him in Germany this summer, and it’s certainly frustrating to see that Gareth Southgate stuck with him when he clearly had a better option in the form of Chelsea star Cole Palmer, who made a terrific impact when he came on from the bench in the semi-finals and the final.

See below for some stats that show what could’ve been, with Palmer managing a goal and an assist despite not starting a single game for the Three Lions this summer…

Cole Palmer:
5 games
0 starts
1 goal
1 assist
1 pre assist
1 knockout pen scored

Phil Foden:
7 games
7 starts
0 goals
0 assists
0 pre assists
0 knockout pens scored

— ??? (@UtdEIIis) July 14, 2024

England could really have done with Foden being at his best, as we saw from him in the season just gone at Man City, which could explain why Southgate decided to be patient with him and give him the chance to keep on playing.

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In the end, though, it just didn’t look like the right fit for England, and Palmer clearly had more of an impact in the limited time he spent on the pitch, so perhaps Southgate should have been braver and given him more opportunities instead of favouring the big name.

Chelsea fans will be excited by Palmer, however, who continued his superb form that he showed at Stamford Bridge last season, and another campaign like that for the Blues should surely cement his place in the England starting XI for the future.

Palmer is one of many talented young players in this England side, so the future could still be very bright for the national team, even if they now have to deal with the heartache of losing two European Championships finals in a row – the first country in history to do so.

The post Shocking stats show Chelsea star was criminally overlooked by Southgate at Euro 2024 appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Former Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher has hit out at some of the big names in the national team who didn’t turn up at Euro 2024 this summer.

Much of the focus has been on England manager Gareth Southgate after last night’s 2-1 defeat to Spain in the final of the European Championships, but Carragher has defended Southgate by commenting on how it always seems to be the manager’s fault, even though so many big-name players keep failing to perform at their best at major tournaments.

See below for Carragher’s post on X, formerly Twitter, as he took aim at the England stars who weren’t at their best at the Euros…

Sven played 442, Fabio was too strict, Gareth is too defensive!
Funny how it’s always on the manager isn’t it?!!
The fact is our big players didn’t turn up in this tournament. And other tournaments going back years.

— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) July 14, 2024

It’s fair to say that players like Harry Kane and Phil Foden were well below their usual level at Euro 2024, but then fans will perhaps rightly question Southgate for continuing to play them instead of being a bit more brave with his team selection.

Cole Palmer made a great impact off the bench yesterday as he scored the equaliser for England, while Ollie Watkins was also the hero off the bench in the semi-final as he scored that late winner against the Netherlands.

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The truth is that it’s probably a bit of both, with Southgate doing well to instil more belief in this England team than previous generations, with two Euros finals in a row surely not a fluke, even if the manager perhaps also deserves some criticism for failing to get this talented group to perform as well as they do at club level.

Kane and Foden were probably the biggest disappointments, but it’s also easy to imagine that we could see more from the likes of Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka if the general style of play was better and the tactics were a bit more sophisticated.

The post Jamie Carragher slams England stars who “didn’t turn up” at Euro 2024 appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Journalist Fabrizio Romano has looked ahead to today’s Euro 2024 final between England and Spain, predicting a close game that could even go to penalties.

Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his latest Daily Briefing column, Romano made it clear he didn’t feel confident making an outright score prediction, or naming a winner, but he felt this would be a close game that could go all the way to a penalty shoot-out, with wingers like Phil Foden and Lamine Yamal perhaps set to be key.

England’s men’s team are aiming for a first trophy since 1966, and they’ll surely be desperate to avoid penalties again after losing the Euro 2020 final against Italy in a shoot-out after a 1-1 draw at Wembley Stadium.

Spain will probably be the favourites for this game, but England have a good chance as they’ve shown remarkable resilience in this tournament, coming from behind a few times and grinding out results even when they haven’t been at their best.

Fabrizio Romano on England vs Spain

“Euro 2024 final – I’m not good at score predictions so I leave this one, but I’m really looking forward to tonight’s final between Spain and England,” Romano said.

“I’m sure the game is going to be on players like Phil Foden and Lamine Yamal. More than in midfield, quality on the wing is gonna be key to win individual duels and win the game. It’s going to be exciting between two top teams, two closely-matched sides, and I could see it even going to penalties!”

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Spain have been hugely impressive at this summer’s Euros, and will be looking to win a trophy for the first time since Euro 2012, when they capped that period of international dominance, picking up their third international trophy in a row.

Will Spain triumph again or is this England’s time to finally conquer a major tournament? Give us your predictions in the comments!

The post Exclusive: Fabrizio Romano makes Euro 2024 final prediction & highlights key areas for England & Spain appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Phil Foden was inches away from giving England the lead in their Euro 2024 semi final but his curling effort hit the post.

Xavi Simons gave the Dutch a dream start as he fired a brilliant strike into the top corner inside the first ten minutes, but England levelled from the penalty spot through Harry Kane after a controversial decision, which saw the referee sent to the screen.

England have created some good opportunities and Foden saw an effort brilliantly cleared off the line by Denzel Dumfries.

The Manchester City ace is having a brilliant game and again went gone close to giving England the lead as he picked the ball up on he edge of the box from Bukayo Saka before taking a couple of touches and unleashing a brilliant curling effort which struck the post.

The Three Lions have certainly come to life and are causing the Dutch, who remain a threat on the counter attack a number of problems.

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Watch Foden’s superb strike hit the post

Phil Foden is well up for this tonight! ? #Euro2024 | #NEDENG pic.twitter.com/7Db5F8Thp3

— ITV Football (@itvfootball) July 10, 2024

The post (Video) Man City star inches away from giving England lead with superb effort appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Denzel Dumfries has produced an exceptional goal line clearance to deny Phil Foden in order to keep the Netherlands level with England in their Euro 2024 semi-final. 

The Dutch took the lead early in the contest courtesy of a Xavi Simons stunner. England responded well to falling behind and found themselves level after Harry Kane converted a controversial penalty.

The Three Lions pressed to go in front following the Bayern Munich star’s goal and almost did just minutes after when Foden went on a dazzling run.

The Man City star showed his incredible footwork as he went close with an effort but it was blocked off of the line brilliantly by Dumfries.

The Inter defender made up for his penalty error by being in the right spot at the right time.

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Watch: Denzel Dumfries denies Phil Foden with exceptional goal line block

HOW HAS THAT NOT GONE IN?! ?

Foden is denied by Dumfries on the line ?#Euro2024 | #NEDENG pic.twitter.com/rFloT7eZau

— ITV Football (@itvfootball) July 10, 2024

OOOHHHH MY GOODNESS ?

THIS COULDN'T HAVE BEEN CLOSER FOR ENGLAND ? pic.twitter.com/wuZRsQC6rQ

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 10, 2024

The post Video: Phil Foden shows dazzling feet before Netherlands star produces exceptional goal line clearance appeared first on CaughtOffside.

England take on Switzerland in Dusseldorf on Saturday evening for a place in the semi-finals of Euro 2024 and Phil Foden has named a big reason why he believes the Three Lions “will play a lot better”.

Gareth Southgate’s team have been very underwhelming so far in Germany and can count themselves lucky to still be in the tournament following Jude Bellingham’s last-minute equaliser against Slovakia in the Round of 16.

The England boss has been highly criticised by fans over the last two weeks and for their match against Switzerland, the 53-year-old has switched from a 4-2-3-1 formation to match the Swiss’ 3-4-2-1 set-up.

That will allow Foden to move centrally where he has been super for Man City this season.

The 24-year-old feels this switch will result in England playing better on Saturday, with the midfielder also stating that he prefers the role he starts in against Switzerland.

“For me, it will be more central and staying more inside, which is what I prefer. I think it’ll suit me a little bit better today,” Foden told the BBC.

“Hopefully, it depends on the team in general. If the team plays well, I think the attacking forwards will as well. If we get the formation and press right, it will give us a lot of confidence and we will play a lot better I feel.”

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Watch: Man City’s Phil Foden comments on England’s formation switch

?? "I think it'll suit me a little bit better today."

Phil Foden discusses the formation change for today's game.#BBCEuros #Euro2024 #ENGSUI pic.twitter.com/w71IT7dJea

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 6, 2024

The post Video: Phil Foden unveils big reason why England “will play a lot better” vs Switzerland appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Gary Neville has left two big names out as he named the England team he feels should start against Switzerland on Saturday.

England scraped past Slovakia in the last sixteen, but will need to up their levels against the Swiss, who have put in a series of impressive performances.

Southgate is reportedly going to make a number of changes to the team and system due to the suspension of Marc Guehi.

Neville names his England side to play Switzerland

The Three Lions are reportedly going to switch to a back three for the quarter final clash with Ezri Konsa coming in alongside John Stones and Kyle Walker.

There’s the possibility of Bukayo Saka and Trent Alexander-Arnold being deployed as wing backs with Kobbie Mainoo likely to keep his place along side Declan Rice.

However, according to The Daily Mail former England international Neville would prefer England to stick with their 4-2-3-1 formation with Konsa playing alongside Stones, whilst Walker would switch to left back with Alexander-Arnold coming in at right back, with Mainoo keeping his place alongside Rice.

Neville has been bold and feels Phil Foden and Saka should be dropped with Cole Palmer and Anthony Gordon replacing the pair in the wide areas, whilst Jude Bellingham continues in the number ten role.

England certainly need to change something as their performances in Germany have been hugely underwhelming, but so far Southgate has been reluctant to make any major changes to his side.

Guehi’s suspension could force his hand, and it will be interesting to see what system and personnel he chooses for what is a huge game.

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It’s unlikely Southgate will be quite as bold as Neville would like him to be, and given the likes of Palmer and Gordon haven’t featured a great deal to suddenly see the pair in the team for a quarter final would be a surprise.

England aren’t adverse to playing in a back three and have done it in previous tournaments before, and a change of system could finally see them reach the level they are capable of.

The post Gary Neville leaves two big names out as he names his England side to face Switzerland appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Gareth Southgate faces a selection dilemma ahead of England’s Euro 2024 quarter-final with Switzerland on Saturday.

After heading to Germany facing doubts over his ability to cut it in a major international tournament, Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi has arguably been the Three Lions’ most consistent player so far.

The 23-year-old is ranked first among England players at the tournament for aerial duels won (9) and possessions won in the middle third (12), while he’s second for passes completed (312), showing excellent ability and composure with and without the ball.

However, Guehi picked up his second yellow card of Euro 2024 in England’s 2-1 win over Slovakia in the previous round, meaning he’ll miss their clash with the Swiss in Dusseldorf.

• BBC pundit pinpoints moment that could “spark” England’s Euro 2024 hopes
• Five England players including Jude Bellingham risk semis suspension if team advances

What’s more, Newcastle defender Kieran Trippier is a fitness doubt after filling in at left-back throughout the tournament despite struggling with a calf problem.

The latest reports (via talkSPORT) suggest Southgate could make a switch to a back three against Switzerland. It’s a system that has served the England manager well in previous tournaments and could provide extra defensive cover with the Three Lions missing key personnel.

But how could England line up if they make this tactical switch?

England predicted XI vs Switzerland

Goalkeeper: Jordan Pickford

No shocks here. Pickford is behind only France’s Mike Maignan (3) for clean sheets with two, while he’s made 10 saves and pulled England out of numerous holes with his agility and alertness. The Everton stopper’s ability on the ball is a huge bonus.

Right centre-back: Kyle Walker

Nominally a right-back, Walker has filled the RCB role for England in the past, most successfully during the run to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals. His ability on the ball and recovery speed make him a huge asset while, at 34 years old, he carries a wealth of experience at club and international level.

Centre-back: John Stones

Stones has been spotted training in a knee brace this week, but is expected to be fit to face Switzerland. The Man City star has been the cause of real frustration at these Euros with his play on the ball often painfully slow and ponderous. However, there’s no doubting his quality on peak form, while he’s become a stalwart for England under Southgate. A back three would give Stones more licence to step into midfield and help the Three Lions build attacks, which is where he’s at his best.

Left centre-back: Ezri Konsa

With Guehi suspended, there’s a real opportunity for someone to make their mark at this tournament. Southgate has Joe Gomez, Lewis Dunk and Ezri Konsa to choose from but the latter feels most likely.

Konsa only has five senior England caps to his name, but they’ve all come this year, playing 295 minutes across their final four pre-tournament friendlies and coming off the bench for the second half of extra-time against Slovakia. Konsa is a great utility man, able to play right across the back line, which could be the defining factor behind his selection in this system.

Right wing-back: Trent Alexander-Arnold

Pretty much everybody is in agreement that the midfield experiment didn’t work with Alexander-Arnold. However, nobody can question his incredible ability on the ball. Right wing-back is arguably the best way to utilise the Liverpool man at international level, leaving him to focus on delivering dangerous crosses and defence-splitting passes, with Walker’s speed behind him to cover defensively.

Alexander-Arnold’s last outing on the right flank for England was a 25-minute cameo in their 1-0 loss to Iceland, where he created three chances, attempted 10 crosses and played five passes into the final third.

Central midfield: Kobbie Mainoo

Things still haven’t been perfect — far from it, in fact — but Mainoo has definitely improved England across the last game-and-a-half. The Manchester United youngster has shown great composure on the ball and looks a far more progressive passer than Conor Gallagher, whose best use is as a pressing option from the bench.

Mainoo completed 65 of his 68 attempted passes against Slovakia, including seven into the final third, while he created one chance and fired a volley just over the crossbar.

Central midfield: Declan Rice

Rice is another who has not really hit his best form at Euro 2024 so far, although he did play a key role on both sides of the ball across 120 minutes against Slovakia, with 100% success on dribbling and long passes, as well as four tackles, 10 recoveries and two interceptions.

But the Arsenal man remains an unquestioned starter and key man for Southgate. And who knows; with three centre-backs behind him and the composed Mainoo next to him, maybe this is the system that could allow him to make those driving forward runs we’ve enjoyed so much during his time with the Gunners so far?

Rice’s effort that rattled the post against Slovakia was a snapshot of what he can offer going forward.

Left wing-back: Bukayo Saka

Left-back has been the problem position for England at Euro 2024, with their only natural left-footed option, Luke Shaw, still not fit. A switch to a back three would undoubtedly provide Southgate with a solution — admittedly, an unconventional one — in the form of Bukayo Saka.

The Arsenal man dropped in at left-back during the Slovakia game for a short period while, according to Transfermakt, he’s played that position 22 times during his club career to date, so he’s not a complete rookie.

There’s no doubt Saka would provide the width England have so greatly craved at this tournament and with the defensively solid Konsa behind him, this might just work.

Attacking midfield: Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden | Striker: Harry Kane

Seeing Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane all trying to occupy the same space has left England fans tearing their hair out during the course of this tournament. Especially when it’s come at the cost of width on the left or a focal point up front.

Is 3-4-2-1 the system that can truly mould the three of them into the attacking force of Euro 2024?

With so much solidity behind them, there would be no need for Bellingham or Foden to worry too much about tracking back, while having them both in close proximity to Kane would allow forward runs when the Bayern Munich striker drops into space to connect the play.

We all want to see Bellingham unleashed into the Zidane-esque free role, Foden allowed to express himself as he does for Man City and Kane to, well, do Kane things. Score lots of goals and pick out ridiculous passes from deep.

With an incredible opportunity to make another final opening up before England, it’s time for Gareth Southgate to do something bold.

The post England predicted XI vs Switzerland: Unleashing Bellingham & Arsenal man’s new role appeared first on CaughtOffside.