Well, it is definitely coming home. The UEFA European Football Championship (Euros) trophy has to come to England, "the home of football", this time. Not because the team is playing well enough to win it, but because the final and, therefore, the presentation ceremony will take place at the Wembley Stadium, London.
As for England's chances of actually winning it, the 0-0 draw against Scotland does not inspire much confidence. But, with this group of players, you never know. As always with England, there is grit. There are also plenty of leaders around, from (the underperforming) captain Harry Kane, vice captain Jordan Henderson and centre-back Harry Maguire (both injured), to younger players like Declan Rice, Jack Grealish and Marcus Rashford. And there is an abundance of talent. The problem seems to be the head coach Gareth Southgate.
The same Southgate who, in 2018, guided England to its first World Cup semifinal in 28 years. An England fan will probably be the first to tell you that despite the run to the last four, the team did not look too convincing. But, it was acceptable to an extent then because the team did not have the same depth it has now. This squad oozes class.
The only position where there has not been significant improvement in squad depth is goalkeeper. But, this is only because of injuries to Nick Pope and Dean Henderson. If not, first-choice keeper Jordan Pickford could have been replaced with either of his deputies without much of a drop in quality. In defence, the likes of Danny Rose, Gary Cahill, Phil Jones, Fabian Delph and Ashley Young from 2018 have been replaced with Luke Shaw, Tyrone Mings, Conor Coady, Ben Chilwell and Reece James. These are significant upgrades; the only exception would be prime Cahill. But, he is now 35.
In midfield, it is similar; Eric Dier, Jesse Lingard, Dele Alli and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have made way for Rice, Kalvin Phillips, Mason Mount and Jude Bellingham. Alli and Loftus-Cheek are gifted and Lingard had managed to get himself back in form before the Euros. But Mount, Bellingham and Phillips were the right choices, keeping in mind the balance of the team. Mount and Phillips have already proven this at the Euros. Bellingham has proven when played that he is more than capable of performing at this level.
But, it is in attack that England's real strength lies, on paper. With Kane, Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden, Grealish, Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Bukayo Saka, England has the most depth in attack of any team in the Euros. France is the only team which comes close in terms of the number of quality out-and-out attackers.
Despite all this, England has struggled to assert itself at the Euros. The reason is that Southgate is a conservative, defensive coach in charge of a team with too much attacking talent. It is logical to be cautious towards the end of a game, if you are ahead. But, to not play a free-flowing game at the start of matches is inexcusable, especially with so much talent. Southgate attacked in the first match against Croatia, for 20 minutes. England started brilliantly and stunned haters into silence. But, as Croatian midfield maestro Luka Modric started seeing more of the ball, Southgate switched to a contain-first approach and got a scrappy 1-0 win.
Against Scotland, it was dismal from start to finish, despite good calls in team selection (both the lacklustre full-backs from the Croatia match, Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier, were replaced with James and Shaw, respectively). It would be simplistic to argue that England were unable to beat their traditional rivals because of the fierce resistance of the fired-up Scots. In truth, England sealed its own fate before the match began, by not starting Grealish.
Grealish, as fans of the Premier League will know, was the most fouled player in England's top flight last season, despite only playing 26 of the 38 games because of an injury. If that seems like an odd thing to highlight, it is not. The 5'10", powerfully built, 25-year-old is not easy to bully off the ball. His mesmerising skill and touch often draws desperate tackles from defenders, leading to the aforementioned fouls. And his vision and through balls are delightful. He was what the game against Scotland needed.
But, Southgate was not brave enough to start him. And by the time he was brought on in the 63rd minute, the game had reached a point from which there was no coming back. It was reminiscent of stereotypical Indian parents who are hesitant to let their wards explore life and options, until it is too late. After the match, he even said: "I think I know exactly where this team is... it is a very young team and some of them would not have experienced a night with that intensity and pressure. They will have learned from that."
The youngest English players are Bellingham (17), Saka (19) and Sancho, Foden and James (21). That does sound young. So, perhaps there is nothing wrong in Southgate's mentality of wanting to protect his wards from the 'perils of the world'. But, these are all players who are proven at the highest levels of the professional game. Foden and James are coming off the back of a season in which they were key members of the teams that won the English and European titles, respectively. And to quote exasperated English fans on online platforms: "Why is Sancho [already considered one of the world's best wingers] not playing?"
Southgate, a former defensive stalwart for England, clearly is at a loss as to how to get the best out of his flair players. Grealish is not the answer to all the problems. Regardless, there will be pressure from English fans to start him in the next game. Southgate is likely to resist it and stick to his conservative approach. And it is likely to work for him because his gifted wards also have the character to grind out results and deliver for him.
If the England team manages to go far, or even win the Euros, it will not be because of Southgate, but in spite of him. If England finishes first in its group, it could face France or Portugal in round of 16, as things stand. If they get past this potential challenge, there is a chance of reaching the final. However, despite the possibility of tough opposition, if the team does not reach at least the quarterfinals, it surely has to be #Southgateout.
