Euro 2024 can become a chance at redemption for England, as the tournament favourites look to finally end years of an international trophy drought. With the most expensively assembled squad, pressure looms once again on the underperforming nation to finally rise to the challenge of victory but will they be able to do so? Was there enough in Sunday night's win over Serbia to suggest that the Three Lions could bring it home?
After losing in the final to Italy on home soil in the last Euros, England have a lot to prove. In fact, England manager Gareth Southgate even admitted that ‘he probably won’t be here’ if England fail to win the tournament. England got off to a good start in Gelsenkirchen though, with Jude Bellingham heading in the early winner.
England and Serbia are in group C, along with Denmark & Slovenia who drew 1 - 1 earlier on Sunday. They are favourites in their group and currently sit atop the table with 3 points after beating Serbia 1-0 thanks to Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham’s goal which was crossed in by Arsenal's starboy Bukayo Saka.
No one doubts that England will make it to the round of 16, which is where the real questions are asked in terms of how far they can go. At the 2022 World Cup, England were knocked out by fellow European giants France & in the last Euros notably lost on penalties to Italy in the final.
Four players that will be incredibly influential on England’s success are skipper and Bundesliga top scorer Harry Kane, La Liga player of the year Jude Bellingham, world class winger Bukayo Saka & top defender Marc Guehi.
Firstly, Harry Kane now sees another major competition praising his longevity as England's main striker. He has 63 goals for England and his world class scoring ability will massively help England in their push to win the Euros this time around. Not many other nations can say they have a world class striker in their squad, so for England to have the record breaking Bundesliga top scorer in their team is a massive boost but his leadership is integral to them too. As captain, Kane leads the young side by example and hopefully his expertise can help the team flourish when they come up against challenges.
Jude Bellingham has emerged as a superstar for his club Real Madrid and the same has been true for England. The young midfielder can play any midfield position and can score an incredible amount of goals for a midfielder.
His dynamism and hard working nature allows any midfield he operates in to become smooth and fluid. Gareth Southgate has notified himself at how special Bellingham is as he is a constant fixture in the England team since being called up. After a successful domestic season with Real Madrid, the young midfielder will be hungry to perform for England and as he showed in England’s opening game against Serbia, he is a big player.
Next is Bukayo Saka. Saka is a heavily disrespected player. He scored 20 goals and recorded 14 assists for his club, yet there were murmurs that players such as Phil Foden and Cole Palmer should start over him but it is good to remember that Saka has the second most goal involvements in this England squad behind Harry Kane. In fact, in his last 24 starts for England, Bukayo Saka has recorded 27 goal contributions. Even in England’s opener against Serbia he delivered the crucial assist to Jude Bellingham and terrorised his fullback all game, despite Gareth Southgate admitting that the winger was not 100% fit.
In fact, Southgate has praised Bukayo Saka on numerous occasions, attesting to his great attitude and world class ability. In every game for England he proves why other fringe players still have a long way to go before even being debated to contend over him.
Lastly, is Marc Guehi. The Crystal Palace centre back slots into England's backline, an area which many fans have criticised over the years. With Gareth Southgate's main man Harry Maguire missing the Euros due to injury, the South London defender must now step up to the plate for his first international tournament.
There have been question marks over his stature, Southgate himself even expressing that he was a bit concerned at first but overall he has been highly impressed with Guehi. In fact, Marc Guehi recorded a clean sheet in his first game at the Euros and was by far England's best defender on the pitch. He was quite unlucky not to receive the man of the match award.
This tournament is massive for him as England fans look to him to flawlessly fit in. In the past years, England's defence has been one of the big question marks, so this tournament is another big ask for the new addition Marc Guehi.
Overall, England have a bright chance to seize their first trophy in over 50 years this summer.
Most of their players have had incredible individual seasons and should replicate this in international football but it is important to remember the managerial side of this. Their tactical set up and techniques are crucial for their success and the need for Gareth Southgate to be on his toes is even more than ever.
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