Despite boasting one of the best squads heading into the 2024 UEFA European Championship, it is unlikely that England finally get their first continental trophy.
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The Three Lions have never won the EUROs. The closest they have come was at the competition's last iteration, when they made it to the final, but were defeated on penalties by Italy at Wembley Stadium.
This year presents them with another opportunity to put that record to rest as they are being dubbed as one of the tournament favourites heading into the competition set to be held in Germany. However, judging by their personnel and form heading into the European spectacle, it does not seem like that is going to change.
Based on form, England manager Gareth Southgate couldn't have done much better in terms of the 26-man squad he has chosen to represent the 1966 World Cup winners. Most of the individuals selected have had relatively impressive 2023/24 seasons, with the likes of Phil Foden, Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka all performing at world-class levels, but while they be excellent individually, they seem to be lacking a cohesiveness.
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In the middle of the park, Southgate has a plethora of talent to choose from, but it seems those nailed on to start in that area of the pitch are Rice and Bellingham. Who will complete the trio remains to be seen. Trent Alexander-Arnold seems the most likely, but he is not a traditional holding midfielder.
This past season, Jurgen Klopp seemed to lean more towards utilising the Liverpool in a hybrid role which saw him move into midfield whenever the Merseysiders were in possession, but against the better sides its not guaranteed that England will have a lot of the ball.
Alexander-Arnold is a good defender, but he will need to operate at an elite level screening his back four for the majority of the match against the likes of Germany and France, something we have never seen him do in a holding midfield role.
In central defence, for the first time in a long-time there will be no Harry Maguire to anchor the England backline. John Stones will be partnered by either Marc Guehi or Lewis Dunk, and with either pairing having had little time to form an understanding, that could be an area for the opposition to exploit as well.
The overarching worry, however, when it comes to England, is their big-match temperament. The English have only played in two major international tournament finals in their entire history and for a nation constantly producing world-class players, they've rarely managed to successfully assemble that into a proper collective.
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Southgate has been at the helm of his nation for eight years now, the longest tenure since Sir Bobby Robson was in charge from 1982 to 1990, so perhaps he has finally made a tournament winning team. However, judging by the way they have played in 2024 against the likes of Brazil, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iceland and who they will be up against in Germany, it does not seem like he will be successful.
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