England play their part in matching an unwanted European Championshp record thanks to their dismal goalless draw with Slovenia in their final Euro 2024 Group C match.
Gareth Southgate‘s lackadaisical England side played their part in matching an unwanted record thanks to their goalless draw with Slovenia in their final Euro 2024 Group C contest.
The Three Lions secured a safe passage into the knockout rounds as group winners on account of their second successive stalemate, remaining unbeaten in their section in the process.
England finished two points clear of Denmark and Slovenia – who will also be present in the knockout phase – with a total of five points, but their performances left a lot to be desired for the knockout rounds.
After scraping a 1-0 success over Serbia on the opening matchday, Southgate’s side were punished for sitting back in a 1-1 draw with Denmark before their forgettable showdown with Slovenia in Cologne.
The Three Lions did have the ball in the back of the net against Matjaz Kek‘s side as Bukayo Saka tapped in from Phil Foden‘s cross following a slick passing move, but the offside flag quickly went up against the Manchester City attacker.
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England part of joint lowest-scoring Euros group
As well as England’s tie with Slovenia finishing goalless, there were no goals to be had in Denmark’s showdown with Serbia either, meaning that a total of just seven goals were scored across the six Group C matches.
The section is therefore the joint-lowest scoring in the history of the European Championships, equalling the seven strikes that Germany, Poland, Northern Ireland and Ukraine managed between them in the 2016 edition.
Struggles to score are not novel for England at the European Championships, as they were also part of the second-lowest scoring section in 1992, where there were just nine goals to be had between the Three Lions, Denmark, France and Sweden.
The goalscoring statistics are not entirely doom and gloom, though, as England also scored just twice in their Euro 2020 group before advancing all the way to the final, scoring nine goals in their four knockout ties.
The Three Lions could be facing the Netherlands – who finished third in Group D – in their last-16 tie, or one of the four outfits in Group E in Romania, Ukraine, Slovakia and Belgium, who are locked together on three points each.
How can Southgate solve England’s attacking conundrum?
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Once again in Tuesday’s draw with Slovenia, we witnessed England huff and puff against a low block with very little success, but the Three Lions should not expect to face a team parking the bus in the knockout rounds.
As a result, a more open game should immediately boost their chances of a goal-laden performance, but Southgate has been given a couple of selection headaches in the final third based on group-stage performances.
As controversial as it may sound, dropping Jude Bellingham might be the answer; the Real Madrid man looks leggy and would normally be seen in an unorthodox left-wing position against Slovenia, allowing Foden to drift in centrally.
A refreshed Anthony Gordon or Eberechi Eze would surely be a better fit in that position if Foden is to start in a central role – where he is a proven menace – while Cole Palmer was a bright spark in midweek and may threaten Saka’s spot out wide too.
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