England players | Credit: Daily Express
Former Liverpool and Germany midfielder Didi Hamann strongly criticized England’s tactics following their Euros final loss to Spain, labeling their performance under coach Gareth Southgate as “atrocious.”
Hamann voiced his discontent with England’s style of play throughout the tournament. “The football was atrocious,” he told RTE Sport. “Of the 10 worst games in the tournament, England was responsible for seven.”
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He particularly questioned the role of Harry Kane. “With Kane, why he’s not moving, I do not know. They’ve been behind in all of their knockout games. If you had played Ollie Watkins, it’s dangerous. Palmer comes on and scores after five minutes.”
Hamann suggested that England could have performed better with different tactical choices. “Imagine if this team goes ahead in one of their games. Imagine playing with Foden, you bring Eze on, you bring Gordon on. If this team is ahead, they won’t be pegged back because they’ve got players on the bench with ultimate pace.”
He emphasized that Southgate’s persistence with certain players prevented England from showcasing their full potential. “They never had the chance to show it because he insisted on starting with Bellingham, with Kane, the same players who didn’t perform so they’ve never been given a chance to go ahead in a game in the knockout stages because he’s picked these players. If they had gone ahead, I don’t think there are too many teams who come back against England because the pace they’ve got, apart from France, no other team has.”
What’s your reaction to England loss at the final of Europe 2024?
