BOOING wasn’t exactly the soundtrack England wanted for their Euro 2024 farewell match. However, the 1-0 defeat to Iceland was so underwhelming it was natural for the home crowd inside Wembley to express their disappointment. If Euro 2024 is England’s best chance of major tournament glory in a generation, it didn’t look like it on Friday night.

Indeed, England were far from impressive against Iceland. They struggled to create anything of note in attack and were vulnerable at the back. Iceland could, and perhaps should, have scored more than once. It was a concerning warm-up match ahead of a tournament which will see the Three Lions face much stronger opposition.

England’s below par performance raised questions over Gareth Southgate’s squad selection for Euro 2024. Renowned for being loyal, sometimes overly so, to certain players, the national team boss surprised many by handing call-ups to the likes of Eberechi Eze, Adam Wharton and Ezri Konsa at the expense of more established stars.

Jack Grealish, Marcus Rashford and Jordan Henderson will all watch Euro 2024 from home after being left out of Southgate’s 26-man squad, and most initially praised the England manager for freshening things up. But is it possible that Southgate has swung too far to the other extreme by ditching so many experienced performers?

 

International football is about more than just picking the most in-form players at any given time. National team managers have to be mindful of the chemistry between players on and off the field and against Iceland there was none. England played like a team of strangers, which wasn’t surprisingly considering how many players are new to each other.

Southgate has gambled on chemistry building within his squad during Euro 2024 itself. This is somewhat surprising for a manager who has previously placed a big emphasis on the character of the group. At the 2018 World Cup, for example, Southgate picked a number of players for the cohesion they would offer over their natural talent. Jack Wilshere was left at home when many believed he should have been on the plane.

 

Trent Alexander-Arnold is another player who struggled to earn Southgate’s trust despite being one of the best full backs in the world for Liverpool. Even now, with Alexander-Arnold included in England’s Euro 2024 squad, the 25-year-old is frequently deployed in central midfield for his national team.

There’s no denying the level of talent within the England squad. Of the teams at Euro 2024, only France can claim to be as well-stocked as the Three Lions in all areas of the pitch. On talent alone, England should feel good about their chances of ending the Three Lions’ long 57-year wait for major tournament glory. However, major tournaments aren’t won purely on talent, and this is something Southgate previously understood.

 

England will arguably have the strongest attack at euro 2024 with Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and others all fit and firing, but they will also need a defensive structure and so much squad turnover could make that tricky to implement. Southgate himself admitted flaws in England’s pressing against Iceland. “We didn’t get our pressing right and we were too stretched without the ball,” he said.

One way or another, Southgate’s tenure as England will be defined by what happens at Euro 2024. Many believe this will be his final tournament as Three Lions manager and anything less than a title would, rightly or wrongly, see his eight-year stint remembered for the glorious failure it produced. Southgate’s final roll of the dice could go one of two ways.

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