ENGLAND failed to lift the European Cup for the second time. Three years ago at their proud Wembley stadium, the dream ‘St George’s Cross‘ were thrashed by Italy. Two weeks ago, Gareth Southgate’s team were forced to swallow the bitterness of being thrashed by the ‘little boys’ of Spain.
It is understandable that Southgate was frustrated and eventually chose to step down as England coach. His career, both as a player and a coach, had to end without the highest achievement.
While still a player, Southgate was the executioner who failed to take a penalty so that England had to surrender to Germany in the semifinals of the 1996 European Cup. That bitter pill also happened at Wembley Stadium.
When he was later trusted to be England’s coach, Southgate brilliantly managed to bring his team to the final twice in a row. However, the difficult journey never arrived at the desired destination.
So how should we judge Southgate’s achievements? Football is cruel. No matter how great someone’s performance is, if they fail to achieve the championship, then all of that will never be written in gold ink. In sports, there is no such thing as second place or third place. There is only one champion. Those who are in second place are called runners-upnot second place.
Southgate’s fate is not unlike Bobby Robson who was only able to take England to the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup. The only coach who achieved the highest achievement for ‘St George’s Cross‘ it was only Sir Alfred Ramsey who led England to victory in the 1966 World Cup.
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England have not been champions for almost six decades. It’s coming home just a slogan, in reality football has never really been able to return to its homeland in England.
What is wrong?
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With the competition being touted as the best in the world, coupled with the strong dominance of English clubs in the European Leagues, it is ironic that ‘the Three Lions’ never been able to succeed in major world tournaments. The question is, what is wrong with English football coaching?
One possible reason is the liberalization of English football management. Of the 20 Premier League clubs, only three are still owned by English people, the rest are foreign owned.
Manchester City is owned by a prince from Abu Dhabi. Newcastle United is owned by Prince Muhammad bin Salman of Saudi Arabia. Manchester United and Liverpool are owned by American businessmen.
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Why is the policy of liberalizing ownership wrong? Because foreign owners treat the club as a mere business. They buy the best players in the world to attract many spectators and fans so that their investment can be returned quickly.
Manchester City has come under intense scrutiny for allegedly breaking financial rules in buying players. Their spending is not comparable to their income, so it is suspected that there is fraud in their financial reports.
The English Football Association (FA) has made strict rules against financial reporting fraud. Everton has received two deductions and a fine for fraud. Only Manchester City’s mistake has yet to be proven.
Too many foreign players in clubs make England lose their mainstay players. The Citizenfor example, relies too much on Kevin de Bruyne, Rodrigo Hernandez, Bernando Silva, Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez, and Jeremy Doku. English players like Phil Foden, John Stones, and Jack Grealish stand out because there are foreign players who are pillars. When the pillars are not there, the quality of Foden or Stone looks mediocre.
The same thing happens to players like Bukayo Saka or Declan Rice. They stand out at Arsenal because there are Martin Odegaard, Jorginho, Thomas Partey, and Gabriel Martinelli accompanying them. When those foreign colleagues are not in the team, Saka and Rice’s performances become mediocre.
No playmaker
The biggest problem Southgate faced at Euro 2024 was not having playmaker that he can rely on. Of the top five Premier League clubs last season, almost all of the playmakers were foreign players.
Take Premier League champions Manchester City, who have Belgium’s De Bruyne as their mainstay. Arsenal, who are second, are driven by Norwegian Odegaard. Liverpool are heavily reliant on Argentine midfielder Alexis MacAllister. Playmaker Aston Villa is Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz. The only English player who is a playmaker is Tottenham Hotspur’s James Maddison.
Ironically, foreign players who play in the Premier League actually mature while playing in England. When they return to their countries, they become very reliable figures. Spain is lucky to have Rodri who has matured after playing at Manchester City. He was even selected as the best player at Euro 2024. Likewise with Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandez who is Portugal’s mainstay playmaker.
England had high hopes that Jude Bellingham, who had matured in the Bundesliga and La Liga, would become the playmaker. However, the star-studded syndrome that had gripped him too quickly meant that the Real Madrid midfielder failed to play a significant role for the ‘St George’s Cross’.
The failure experienced by England again can certainly be a material for evaluation by the FA. Will they continue to be busy making the Premier League a football industry or will they simultaneously make England a real world football power.
England are not short of talented players individually. Euro 2024 produced Kobbie Mainoo as a future midfielder. Likewise, Cole Palmer is always capable of being game changer for England. The young players must continue to be given the opportunity to develop. The only way to do that is to give them more chances to compete.
After Euro 2024, all countries must prepare for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in North America. England is no exception, they must immediately consolidate themselves in order to get a ticket to appear in the World Cup in two years.
The FA must not only find a new manager to replace Southgate, but also how to make English players the mainstays of the Premier League, rather than foreign players looking for pounds and a chance to mature their game.
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