After 8 years in charge, coach Gareth Southgate has certainly changed the England team a lot. But in the end, they are still waiting patiently for their first major title since the 1966 World Cup championship. There were many times when it seemed like the "Three Lions" were very close to the title but in the end they were very far away.
Southgate clearly has the ability but lacks tactical flexibility in decisive matches. In Berlin, Southgate made the bold and correct decision to replace captain Harry Kane after an ineffective hour of play. But the truth is, the Bayern Munich striker should not have played in the first place.
Kane's performance at EURO 2024 is far below his usual form. This striker ended the 2023-2024 season with a back injury and greatly affected his contribution to the national team. Even the captain of "Three Lions" sometimes brings negativity with his very limited movement.
Clearly, Southgate has been aware of that throughout the tournament but why does he continue to persist with a player who makes his team worse? Perhaps it's reputation or is Southgate afraid of the negative media reaction to getting rid of his captain and then suffering defeat?
In the 2018 World Cup semi-final, Southgate watched helplessly as Luka Modric and Croatia's midfield "suffocated" his students. 3 years later, in the EURO 2020 final, Southgate also reacted slowly when Italy began to dominate before defeating England on penalties.
Warning signs appear again in Germany. England performed poorly in the group stage but did just enough in each match to progress. In the round of 16, they needed Jude Bellingham's goal in the 96th minute to escape defeat against Slovakia.
England also performed poorly in the quarter-finals against Switzerland before winning on penalties. The same thing happened in the semi-final against the Netherlands, but fortunately, Ollie Watkins scored a "golden" goal at the end of the match.
Against Spain in the final, how different might things have been if Southgate had been brave enough to give Watkins and Palmer their chances from the start, instead of building their play around the injured Kane?
Southgate 's eight years and 101 matches as England head coach are remembered as a positive period in the country's football history. However, there is no denying the fact that countries such as Denmark and Greece have won EURO 1992 and 2004 respectively since England's sole success at the 1966 World Cup.
As for countries considered equal to the "Three Lions" such as Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Brazil and Argentina, they have won many titles during England's 58-year "drought".
England has stars capable of ending their thirst for titles, but they lack a coach who is good and courageous enough. Southgate was unable to bring out the full potential of outstanding players like Bellingham and Phil Foden at EURO 2024. That is a cruel reality that the English Football Association (FA) must consider.
While Spain flew back to Madrid with the European Championship trophy, England left empty-handed. Football has not finally returned home...
