Summary: Despite numerous subpar performances at Euro 2024, England advanced to the final; nevertheless, a loss at the last second sent the Three Lions back to earth, as Spain won their fourth championship.
Phil Foden and Harry Kane, two important players, failed to live up to their stellar reputations with strong performances.
Among others, Kobbie Mainoo and Marc Guehi have emerged as new stars.
For England, the Euro 2024 competition seemed intriguing. It’s interesting that despite playing poorly most of the time, they advanced to the final after defeating the Netherlands 2-1 in the semifinals. However, Mikel Oyarzabal and Nico Williams delivered the decisive blows in the final to make sure the Three Lions would have to wait a little longer before football returned home.
England, who only scored twice in Group C, finished first after defeating Serbia and drawing with Denmark and Slovenia. They then defeated Slovakia thanks to a last-minute bicycle kick from Jude Bellingham and a goal from Harry Kane in extra time.
The Three Lions have relied heavily on individual displays of skill, as evidenced by Bukayo Saka’s incredible performance against Switzerland and Ollie Watkins’ incredible late winner against the Dutch.
To put it succinctly, England has been largely uninspired and has relied on magical outbursts to get by, with their so-called fate and destiny ultimately failing against Spain. Because so many of them are below average, it is difficult to rate them in terms of performance. Nevertheless, the fairly lacklustre group has been ranked from best to worst so far in the tournament.
Impact of Ranking Factors on Playing
The player’s expectations before the event
The number of minutes played
Dean Henderson, Aaron Ramsdale, Joe Gomez, Lewis Dunk, and Adam Wharton are among the players that have not yet been ranked and have not played a minute at Euro 2024.
Power Rankings for England at Euro 2024
Rank
The player
Looks
Minutes
21.
Gordon, Anthony
One
One
20.
Bowen Jarrod
2.
35
19.
Konsa Ezri
3.
94
18.
Trippier, Kieran
6.
455
17.
Gallagher, Conor
5.
119
16.
Eze Eberechi
3.
99
15.
Luke Shaw
3.
178
14.
Arnold, Trent Alexander
4.
134
13.
Toney, Ivan
2.
42
12.
Watkins, Ollie
3.
58
11.
Palmer, Cole
5.
146
10 Kyle Walker, right-back, MixCollage January 01, 2024-06-32, PM-2261
In this tournament, Kyle Walker has shown greatness by outpacing the opposition and racing down the flank against Denmark to set up Harry Kane’s goal for England. The remainder has been mediocre at best and occasionally subpar.
Highlights from the match only help to clarify why French publication L’Equipe gave him a 3/10 grade for his performance against Slovakia. He appeared a little more stable against Switzerland and the Netherlands, but he fell short of his typical level of play. That was by far his poorest performance in Germany to yet. He won all of his first-half duels in the final, but his efforts were in vain when he was caught out of position for Spain’s opening goal.
Phil Foden, left-winger, number nine
Phil Foden had a lot of expectations going into the tournament, but he has had trouble thrilling neutrals or supporters while wearing an English shirt. For Manchester City, the 2023–24 Premier League Player of the Season was in incredible form, but he hasn’t been able to sustain that in Germany.
Although he may have began the tournament with a goal against Slovakia, VAR correctly disallowed his attempt because he drifted offside. He was unfortunate not to score, though, as one of his attempts was cleared off the line before striking the post. At least he looked good for forty-five minutes against the Dutch. That was nearly sufficient to quell the clamour earlier in the tournament for Antony Gordon to take his spot on the left flank. Sometimes, against Spain, he danced his way through a crowd of bodies, although it was rarely successful.
Eighth, Harry Kane Striker
Phil Foden had a lot of expectations going into the tournament, but he has had trouble thrilling neutrals or supporters while wearing an English shirt. For Manchester City, the 2023–24 Premier League Player of the Season was in incredible form, but he hasn’t been able to sustain that in Germany.
Although he may have began the tournament with a goal against Slovakia, VAR correctly disallowed his attempt because he drifted offside. He was unfortunate not to score, though, as one of his attempts was cleared off the line before striking the post. At least he looked good for forty-five minutes against the Dutch. That was nearly sufficient to quell the clamour earlier in the tournament for Antony Gordon to take his spot on the left flank. Sometimes, against Spain, he danced his way through a crowd of bodies, although it was rarely successful.
Eighth, Harry Kane Striker
Usually so calm and composed in possession, John Stones looked a little off it on the ball throughout the tournament but has still managed to get by with an impressive 95.5 per cent accuracy – even if those passes haven’t been as progressive as they would be when in a Manchester City shirt.
Without Harry Maguire beside him, he managed to quickly form a steady relationship with Marc Guehi, and then with Ezri Konsa when the Crystal Palace man was suspended. After England had gone to a back-three, he also enjoyed more support from Walker. In the final, he looked far more like himself, making lung-busting runs into midfield and being vital to weathering the Spanish storm, which brings his rating up massively.
6Kobbie Mainoo
Central-midfield
Fans were eager to see Kobbie Mainoo set up in the centre of the park before the competition started. But before the 19-year-old could finally get a start, he had to wait until the round of 16.
His undoubted potential briefly appeared against Slovakia, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and finally Spain. He had looked brilliant coming off the bench against Slovenia for the whole second half. With him on the pitch, the Three Lions appeared somewhat exposed defensively, but his contributions in possession surely helped make room for more inventive players like Foden and Bukayo Saka.
5Declan Rice
Central-midfield
Declan Rice was definitely not at his best in Germany. In an England shirt, the Premier League midfielder who frequently dominates games for Arsenal found it difficult to perform to his typical level. The fact that he places in the top five here demonstrates how bad the Three Lions have been as a team.
Nevertheless, he put forth a lot of effort to compensate for a malfunctioning midfield. It has been an unappreciated assignment for Rice to play in the middle of the park with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Gallagher, and Kobbie Mainoo. He gets some credit for it.
4Jude Bellingham
Central-midfield
It may seem strange to those who haven’t been following along that Jude Bellingham isn’t at the top of this list. He has scored two goals, which is second-most for England, including that incredible bicycle kick, after all. But throughout the competition, he occasionally appeared worn out and slack, frequently attempting to take on too much himself.
Nevertheless, the Real Madrid player deserves more credit than most because he was outstanding in the first game against Serbia and scored two crucial goals for his country. In the last few games, he appeared a bit more motivated and put up a lot of effort for the squad.
The right-winger Bukayo Saka makes three
With an assist during a dazzling first-half performance against Serbia, Bukayo Saka got the tournament underway. After a little period of silence, which is unusual for him given his regular level of performance at Arsenal, he went on to score an incredible goal and put on an incredible display against Switzerland.
Saka’s ability to excel for England despite playing as a right-wingback in their final few games was possibly the most astounding aspect. Throughout the games, he was the most dangerous player on the field while still contributing to the defence.
Southgate uses the 22-year-old more often than someone like Cole Palmer, and for good reason. For The Guardian, Jonathan Liew wrote the following succinct summary:
Perhaps Southgate now finds Saka’s dependability appealing in a group of erratic mavericks. He avoids giving up too much in foolish areas. He never strays from his position. He refrains from losing his temper, crying at teammates, or griping about his bad luck. For comparison, try starting Bellingham at left-back and observe his response.
2 Jordan Pickford, the goalie
Between the sticks, Jordan Pickford played every minute for England and was arguably the only player who did not make any glaring errors. Nevertheless, he might have done a bit better for the Dutch goal from Xavi Simons.
In all honesty, he wasn’t really active during most games, but his performance against the Swiss was exceptional. The Everton player made a vital stop from Manuel Akanji’s penalty during the shootout, using his trusty water bottle as a guide. At a major tournament, Pickford was dependable for Southgate once more. Reflex saves, such as the one against Lamine Yamal, demonstrated how crucial he has been to shutting down when his country has struggled to get up the pitch. This pattern carried over into the final.
First, Marc Guehi, centre-back
Given that Stones and the Manchester United defender were a mainstay for Southgate, there were legitimate worries when Maguire was injured and had to miss the tournament. At this level, however, Marc Guehi was an unknown quantity.
The defender for Crystal Palace, who had never participated in an international competition before to Euro 2024, was “outstanding” in the team’s 1-0 victory over Serbia and played well in the other group matches. He was missed against Switzerland and had a yellow card against Slovakia. He immediately returned to the team against the Netherlands and played well throughout, demonstrating how crucial he has become to the group in a short amount of time. Since England’s defensive prowess was their strongest attribute this summer, Guehi was the player who stood out the most. His haughty performances will probably result in an escape route out of south London sooner rather than later.
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