Former England captain Alan Shearer described the Three Lions’ performance against Slovakia yesterday as “so bad it was untrue” while Gary Lineker felt Gareth Southgate’s players looked like “lost souls”.
England scraped through to the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 thanks to Jude Bellingham’s stunning, last-gasp overhead kick that cancelled out Ivan Schranz’s first-half goal and Harry Kane’s header at the start of extra time.
It was another wholly unconvincing display, the fourth in succession in Germany that has led to a raft of criticism, including from Shearer and Lineker.
Captain Kane has called for former England players to show more “responsibility” and remember they were part of previous failures – a direct response to Lineker labelling the performance against Denmark as s***.
But, speaking on their The Rest is Football podcast, the ex-Barcelona striker, and co-host Shearer, were again unimpressed by England’s efforts.
Shearer said: “They were so bad it was untrue.
“They were miles off it, miles off it. They’re nowhere near what we’d hoped and expected from England. We’re all waiting for us to improve and get better, for that spark.”
Good morning! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/PxYleQLSH7
— England (@England) July 1, 2024
Is England’s tactical approach right?
Lineker insisted England’s struggles were not down to a lack of effort but hinted at issues with Southgate’s set-up.
He said: “I look at them at the moment and I see a team that’s like lost souls. I don’t think they really know what they’re supposed to be doing, or what their jobs are, or how the team’s supposed to be playing.
“I’m sure they have been told but it’s whether they’ve bought into it. They’re playing in a kind of format or style that is alien to most of them, because most of them play a high press, with dynamic, electric short passing football [for their clubs].
“We’ve not seen any of that. So I actually feel for the players a little bit. You can see that they are trying their nuts off. They are running, chasing and doing all those things. There’s absolutely no lack of effort or commitment but they look a little bit lost.”
