The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

Where it all went wrong for England at Euro 2016

Roy Hodgson's Palace are in strife (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)
Roar Guru
28th June, 2016
36

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. As England embarrassingly exited Euro 2016 at the hands of minnows Iceland, an underwhelming campaign was given a just send-off.

But where did it all go wrong for the Brits?

The English side headed to France with a sense of potential wonderment, as if this group of players could achieve something special.

Armed with a forward unit comprised the lethal Jamie Vardy, clinical Daniel Sturridge, wonderful Harry Kane and youthful Marcus Rashford, many thought Roy Hodgson’s side would have no trouble finding the net on a regular basis.

Only one thing stood in their way. Cohesion. Like many English managers of the past, Hodgson failed to identify his best XI. Eerily like his ill-fated spell at Liverpool, Hodgson stuck with underperforming players time and time again, eventually contributing largely to his own personal downfall.

Raheem Sterling is the most obvious example. The 50 million pound man of Manchester City fame failed to register a single goal or assist in 192 minutes at the Euro. One would think that following a poor display or two it would be back to the drawing board for England, considering the abundance of attacking options available in their squad – but that’s not Hodgson’s style.

In their final deflated display in the round of 16 against Iceland, Rashford registered the most take-ons of any England player. Any guesses how many minutes 18-year-old Rashford found himself on the pitch for? Eight.

When England were in their time of need, down 2-1 at half-time to Iceland, a country whose number of professional footballers is less than their number of volcanoes, Hodgson had the task of resurrecting his team and their campaign. Who did he turn to?

Advertisement

Jack Wilshere. That’s right, Jack Wilshere.

A man who made three total appearances in the Premier League for Arsenal in 2015-16. It really is a fine indication of Hodgson’s managerial pedigree, who has since resigned from his post as England manager. Wilshere was afforded 112 minutes of playing time at Euro 2016, despite his lack of minutes and contributions at club level in recent times.

James Milner made 28 appearances for Liverpool this season, and in doing so netted five goals and created another 11 as well as helping his side to two cup finals. Milner saw the green fields of France for a combined total of three minutes at the Euro. Go figure.

In all seriousness, though, the utter failure of England’s campaign and the embarrassing manner in which they exited the tournament was entirely predictable. Their manager’s tactical ineptitude has been a talking point throughout the journey. From Harry Kane’s corner duties to the sheer bewilderment of fans at seeing Sterling on the field repeatedly, social media had an absolute field day at the expense of poor old Roy.

As much as I’d like to blame the calamity that was England’s Euro campaign entirely on the shoulders of Hodgson, a manager does not actually lace up the boots at a major tournament, as funny as that would be. Therefore, blame must be shouldered as well by the playing group.

Senior players such as Wayne Rooney, Gary Cahill and Joe Hart simply failed to provide the experience needed to guide their younger counterparts. Of the entire England squad, seven players were featuring in their first major tournament. How can they be expected to handle the pressure when seasoned performers can’t even do so?

Unfortunately for them, England must now go back to square one.

Advertisement

With the exit of Hodgson, England’s system and their approach to international football go out the window. It is unclear as yet who will take over the top job, despite Newcastle legend Alan Shearer having already declared interest.

One thing is clear, though, whoever ends up in the hot seat will have a massive job on their hands.

close