England were beaten by Spain in the Euro 2024 final after a late winner from Mikel Oyarzabal.
The Spanish team took the lead through a goal from Nico Williams but super sub Cole Palmer made it 1-1 with a fine finish soon after coming on.
However, Gareth Southgate’s team suffered yet another defeat in a Euro final with Oyarzabal scoring a winner in the 86th minute.
It was another disappointing end to a tournament under Southgate after England reaching the final of Euro 2020 and the semifinal of the 2018 World Cup.
Football pundit Alan Shearer has claimed that Jude Bellingham was not happy with Southgate because of England manager’s tactics in the final.
It was another disappointing performance from Bellingham in the England colours and Shearer feels he was not convinced about playing on the left side.
Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Shearer said:
‘Bellingham wasn’t happy. He was stuck on the left again. You could tell he wasn’t happy at all.
‘He had a disappointed look about him, his arms were up, he was looking towards the bench for guidance. He could see things weren’t going well and he wasn’t happy with the lack of press and everything else.
‘He was showing all of those emotions. I could see it, I was looking at him all the time. He was showing it to the bench.
‘He’s not a left midfielder is he so I sort of understood his emotions. I was really surprised Gareth Southgate went back to four at the back.
‘Our best 45 minutes of football in the whole tournament was when we played three at the back in the first half against the Netherlands.
‘I thought he would go for that system again. It’s clear that [Phil] Foden and Bellingham don’t want to play on the left in that system.’
England failed tactically in the Euro final
The Three Lions were one of the favourites to win the tournament but despite reaching the final and finishing in second place, their performances throughout the tournament were underwhelming.
England had to rely on late goals or individual brilliance to reach the final.
The form of some key players was a major issue this summer including the likes of Harry Kane and Phil Foden.
The Bundesliga player of the season and the Premier League player of the season both struggled to make an impact for England.
On paper, they have arguably the best squad in the world but some of the team selection and their tactics have been heavily criticised by ex-players and fans.