Southgate in battle to find best balance

GARETH Southgate says now is a time for strong leadership and intelligent decisions as England’s under-fire manager looks “to find the best way forward” after a concerning start to Euro 2024.

- SAM PEACH

Among the favourites to go all the way in Germany this summer, they have opened the finals with a narrow win and an underwhelming draw, just as they did three years ago.

England went on to reach their first Euros final and suffered a heart-breaking shootout defeat to Italy, but the current feeling around the national team is lower than at the same point in 2021.

Sunday’s performance in the 1-0 win against Serbia raised concerns that were exacerbated against Denmark, with the team struggling across the board and booed by fans following the 1-1 draw in Frankfurt.

“We didn’t press the ball with our intensity and we kept conceding possession too cheaply and when you do those two things it’s hard to have control in the game,” boss Southgate said.

“It led to an anxious performance the longer the game went on and we understand that that’s got to be better if we want to progress to the stages of the tournament that everybody’s expecting and delivering what we need to deliver.”