NOT until Euro 2020 had England qualified from the group stage of an international tournament without conceding a goal. In fact, only twice since Euro 96 had the Three Lions topped their group at an international tournament before Gareth Southgate’s side clinched first place in Group D at Euro 2020 with victory over Czech Republic on Tuesday night.

So why have England’s performances so far this summer been so underwhelming? Why are so many fans and pundits talking about what Southgate’s side haven’t done over what they have? The answer is in the nuance and in the opportunity the Three Lions have in front of them at Euro 2020. 

Not since the 2006 World Cup have England boasted such a collection of world class players at the one time. In terms of individual quality, only France can claim to possess more than the Three Lions, and yet Southgate has so far refused to unleash the full potential of his team in the games they have played at Euro 2020.

Tap ♥️ if you want to see Grealish in the second half#ENGSCO | #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/a7a6oNxzTD

— Unibet (@unibet) June 18, 2021

Only in hindsight will it become clear whether or not Southgate’s group stage conservatism was the right tact to take. France were far from convincing in the group stage of the 2018 World Cup, but established the structure and tactical principles that allowed them to go all the way in Russia three years ago. Is Southgate attempting to do similar?

There’s reason to believe this England team might have greater attacking success against higher calibre sides that won’t sit so deep, as Scotland and Czech Republic did. Southgate’s side have struggled to break down low defensive blocks at Euro 2020, but there will be fewer of those opponents in the latter rounds. 

Opposition coaches who have watched England over the last two weeks, though, will have seen a team generally unwilling to take risks. Why wouldn’t France, Germany or Portugal set up in a low defensive block in the round of 16 given how that ploy has troubled Southgate and his players at this tournament?

At least in the win over Czech Republic there was some unpredictability and invention from Jack Grealish and Bukayo Saka. Harry Maguire’s return from injury also gave England another way to get out from the back, with the Manchester United captain injecting urgency into his team’s attacking play through long, diagonal passes into the wide forwards.

⚽️ Started five games for England
⭐️ Man of the Match in three of them

The future is now! #ENG | #ThreeLions pic.twitter.com/kT86pjYLPO

— Unibet (@unibet) June 23, 2021

“I think if you spoke to the players, we spoke a lot about that freedom, but we are a little bit short in a few areas of match fitness and sharpness, and I thought as the game wore on that started to take its toll a bit,” Southgate explained after Tuesday night’s game at Wembley, offering some reasons for England’s drop-off in performance in the second half.

“We have hit the woodwork in all three matches and the other thing we have to get better on is our attacking set-play which is normally such a good source of goals for us and our deliveries have been really poor. We are difficult to score against at the moment and although we're not perhaps flowing as much as we'd like, that solidity is critical for any team doing well.”

The relative weakness of Group D means England enter the last 16 of Euro 2020 against the backdrop of several unanswered questions. Is the deep-lying midfield pairing of Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice overkill? Is Grealish the best candidate to start in behind Harry Kane as England’s creator in-chief? Is Kane himself playing injured? 

With the group stage out of the way, it’s only now that this England team will truly show what they are all about. Questions must solidify into solutions. The decisions Southgate has made must point towards some sort of vision. Otherwise, Euro 2020 will be just another tournament in which England fail to live up to their billing.