Sport
5 things Gareth Southgate got wrong in the Euro 2020 final
Gareth Southgate had a good tournament and deserves to lead England into next year’s World Cup but he has faced a lot of criticism for the decisions he made during the Euro 2020 final. England scored early and were on top throughout the first half but allowed Italy to gradually gain control of the game, with the Azzurri going on to win on penalties at Wembley on Sunday night.
Southgate’s side took a vital leap forward after reaching the semi-finals of the Nations League and the World Cup in recent years, yet ending 55 years of hurt was a step too far for England. Here are five of the things Southgate got wrong – did he cost England the chance to claim glory?
5 things England got wrong in the Euro 20202 final
Tactics too passive
England set up relatively defensively throughout the tournament, with the double-pivot of Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips used to solid effect. And given they got to the final, it clearly worked.
Southgate switched to the back three he used in the Germany game in the final and it paid off immediately against Italy, with Kieran Trippier crossing for his fellow wing-back Luke Shaw to volley home. But England lost their way after that incredible start. The control they had through Euro 2020 slipped out of their grasp despite Rice’s energetic attempts to get the Three Lions up the pitch.
England were guilty of sitting back on their lead rather than trying to extend it, potentially being able to wrap up victory. When they had only conceded once at the finals – Mikkel Damsgaard’s fine free-kick in the semi-final – perhaps it could be argued that plan made some sense.
Yet Italy looked vulnerable in the first 45 minutes and England could have made them pay had their tactics been a little more progressive and proactive rather than defensive and reactive.
Use of Jack Grealish
Southgate withdrew Grealish in extra time against Denmark, substituting the substitute. At that moment it was clear Grealish simply does not have the trust of his international manager. Grealish had a solid tournament despite a lack of minutes but he made little impact on the final.
He was brought on far too late to get a feel of the game and could not get England up the pitch. Grealish is a player who needs to feel the love and he does not seem to get that from Southgate.
It is fair to say Grealish could work a little harder when his team are out of possession, yet a creative, inventive talent as exciting as the Aston Villa captain deserved to be given more faith – and more time. Grealish also insisted he was happy to take a penalty but he was snubbed.
Ignoring Jude Bellingham
Southgate opting to bring on Jordan Henderson for a fading Rice towards the end of the final appeared logical given the Liverpool captain has plenty of big-game experience from Champions League finals.
But Henderson, still working his way back to full fitness after missing the end of the domestic season due to injury, struggled to adapt to the pace of the game. Henderson was evidently never going to take a penalty – he missed from 12 yards in a warm-up game against Romania, as well as at Russia 2018 against Colombia – so Southgate should have looked elsewhere.
The boundless energy of Bellingham, a fearless teenager who has dominated Champions League knock-out ties, could have given England an extra gear in the closing stages.
Subs made too late
It became clear in the early minutes of extra time that England were clinging on for penalties. Southgate made little attempt to win the game with forwards Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho brought on in the last couple of minutes, so that they would be on the pitch for penalties. Rashford is carrying an injury that needs surgery so it was no surprise to see him play a limited role at the Euros, but Sancho’s pace would have been a dangerous weapon in extra time.
Both of Italy’s experienced defensive rocks – Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci – had been booked but England’s tired attackers failed to test them late on. Sancho in particular should surely have been given the chance to give them a headache. Perhaps both attackers would have been more comfortable taking their penalties had they had time to get a feel of the final.
Choice of penalty takers
England have won a couple of penalty shoot-outs under Southgate prior to the final but his thinking on Sunday heading into the shoot out seemed to be muddled to say the least. Raheem Sterling had an outstanding Euro 2020 – he was a contender to be named the player of the tournament – but was running on fumes. If he was not going to be among the penalty takers – and he has not been great from the spot for Manchester City – then why did Sancho not replace him earlier?
Asking Bukayo Saka to take the decisive fifth penalty was totally unfair on the teenager. At 19, Saka has the world at his feet and, while he is normally absolutely brimming with confidence, he did look unusually overawed after being sent on by Southgate. His miss felt inevitable. While Southgate has already taken responsibility for the order of the takers, if he could turn back time, Saka would surely not be given the responsibility of the most pressure penalty for England.
Missing his own kick at Euro 96 will have given Southgate plenty of sleepless nights over the years. Unfortunately, while Italy were clearly the better side and fully deserved to win Euro 2020 overall, England’s manager is sure to have plenty of regrets when he looks back on the final.
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